Columbia Estuary Report - 04/12/98

The weather here on the estuary has been cold and showery,
but several new migrants managed to dodge the hail and arrive
pretty much right on schedule.

Clatsop Beach was quite nearly shorebird free indicating that
the the winter resident birds have picked up for parts further
north. A MARBLED GODWIT, 2 DUNLIN, 11 SANDERLINGS and 2 WESTERN
SANDPIPERS were the only birds on the 3.3km Clatsop Beach run on
Saturday. 6 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were on Youngs Bay.

The main wave of CASPIAN TERNS arrived Saturday (no CATE on
Friday, 2 Saturday, 15 Sunday). BARN SWALLOWS and CLIFF SWALLOWS
were at Sunset Lake today, but they were not there yesterday.
And 3 BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS were singing within a 50 meter
radius at Sunset Lake today (no BTYW heard yesterday).

53 TUFTED PUFFINS were at their burrows on Haystack Rock this
morning and at least 20 more were in the air. Among the seabirds
recorded on seawatch (see separate post) were over 22 000 COMMON
MURRES staging on or near their nestsing rocks and an adult
BROWN PELICAN heading north.


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* Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR * 2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds
* mpatters at orednet.org *
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters