Columbia Estuary Report - 9/27/1999

LAPLAND LONGSPURS were seen this last week at SJCR and Necanicum
Estuary. A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was doing a convincing longspur
rattle on Saturday (it fooled me temporarily). An AMERICAN
GOLDEN PLOVER was on Trestle Bay as were 5 DUNLIN (first of the
season). A PALM WARBLER was east of parking lot C Wednesday,
9/22 (seen by Scott Rea).

Shore birds have been sparse on the estuary. Scott Rea saw a
LONG-BILLED CURLEW on the river beach at SJCR today (Monday).
There are still unusually high numbers of BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS
around. A flock of 25 WHITE-FRONTED GEESE flew over during
the high tide which also had 5 CANADA GEESE and a SNOW GOOSE
tagging along.

CASPIAN TERNS can still be found in unusually high numbers for
this time of year (probably out of spite). BROWN PELICANS are
foraging all the way up into Youngs Bay.

The first RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET of the season appeared on Coxcomb
Hill (home of the Astor Column) this morning. BLACK-THROATED
GRAY, WILSON'S and YELLOW WARBLERS are still pretty easy to
pish up.

--
Mike Patterson The common view of science is that it is a sort of machine
Astoria, OR for increasing the race's store of dependable facts.
mpatters at oregonvos.net It is that only in part; in even larger part
it is a machine for upsetting undependable facts.

----- H.L.Mencken
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/bird.html