Jetty Count for
the South Jetty of the Columbia River, Clatsop Co., OR
07 Jun 1998 0835 to 0935hr

Tide:low
Weather: cloudy
Wind WNW 1-5; Temp 60F


Method: 60 minute station count at 100m west of "3 rocks" on
SJCR using 20x60 Bushnell spotting scope and 8x50 Bushnell
binoculars. Birds were sorted as to flyby, sitting on beach, sitting
on ocean or sitting on river.

Fly Ocean Beach River total
Common Loon COLO 3 3
Pacific Loon PALO 54 33 87
Western Grebe WEGR 4 4
Sooty Shearwater SOSH 10 10
Brandt's Cormorant BRCO 36 36
DC Cormorant DCCO 2 2
Brown Pelican BRPE 67 14 81
Greater Scaup GRSC 3 3
Surf Scoter SUSC 175 175
Black Scoter BLSC 1 1
PARASITIC JAEGER PAJA 2 2
West Gull WEGU 30 10 2 42
GW Gull GWGU 10 10
WxGW Gull WExGW 3 5 8
Ring-billed Gull RBGU 20 24 44
Heerman's Gull HEEG 31 31
Caspian Tern CATE 14 154 168
Common Murre COMU 3997 500 4497
Pigeon Guillemot PIGU 6 6
Rhinocerus Auklet RHAU 1 1
Marbled Murrelet MAMU 1 1
CASSIN'S AUKLET CAAU 2 2
Bald Eagle BAEA 1 1
Am Crow AMCR 2 2

Notes: COMMON MURRES were flying north at a rate of 230/min this
translates to a continuous count of 13650/hr if I had counted only murres.
Many murres were also sitting on the ocean. CASPIAN TERNS were actively
fishing the ocean and bringing back what appear to be NORTHERN ANCHOVEY.
Two PARASITIC JAEGERS were actively pirating these fish from the terns.
My guess is that the murres were also feeding on anchovey along with
at least 3 HARBOR PORPOISE.


A running account of this and other seawatches is available at:
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/enso/jetty.html


--

Mike Patterson, Astoria, OR _Birds and other Wildlife of the
mpatters at orednet.org Columbia River Estuary_
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/book_ad.html