Subject: [Tweeters] Where have all the scoters gone? (With apologies to Pete
Date: Jan 17 21:32:44 2006
From: Wayne C. Weber - contopus at telus.net


Tweeters,

Steve Ellis has commented on the low numbers of scoters,
especially White-winged Scoters, in Whidbey Island's Penn Cove
this winter. However, because the numbers are down in one area,
it does not mean they're down everywhere. Phil Pickering has
been tallying phenomenal numbers of scoters (both Surf and
White-winged) moving south off Boiler Bay (near Newport, OR)
during "seawatches" there for the last 3 weeks or so. Below is Phil's
report to OBOL (Oregon Birders On Line) for Jan. 13.

67,000 scoters moving past in only 2 hours? Sheesh!!

Since last December 23, according to my tabulations, Phil has recorded
about 203,000 White-winged Scoters and 296,000 Surf Scoters,
nearly all of them moving south, in 15 morning seawatches. Unless these
scoters are sneaking back north in the afternoon or in the evening,
that is one gigantic scoter movement, at a time of year when one
would not expect them to be moving in such numbers.

So, don't write off either White-winged or Surf Scoters as
candidates for Threatened Species status just yet!

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net



----- Original Message -----
From: "Phillip Pickering" <philliplc at harborside.com>
To: <obol at lists.orst.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 10:05 AM
Subject: [obol] Boiler Bay


7:30-9:30 (1/13):
Overcast with light rain, wind S 10-20, 10-15 ft swells.

Scoter S flight quickly up to a sustained 600-1600/min.
combined, dropping only gradually after 8:25. Still 100/min.
moving when I left.

I'm out of town the next two days, but if this is still going on
next week I'll have more time to look around and see if they
might be piling up somewhere locally.

700+ Red-throated Loons (S with as many as 150 on the water)
30+ Common Loons
1 Red-necked Grebe
10 Western Grebes
10 Brandt's Cormorants
30 Pelagic Cormorants
8 Canada Geese (S, looked like westerns)
12 Black Scoters
40000+ Surf Scoters (most in first hour, a few on the water)
27000+ White-winged Scoters
1 Mew Gull
2 California Gulls
250+ Western Gulls (feeding, S)
20 Glaucous-winged Gulls
2 Black-legged Kittiwakes
200+ Common Murres (S)
119 Marbled Murrelets (S, most in pairs with a few groups to 6)

Phil
philliplc at harborside.com
_______________________________________________
obol mailing list
obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol

To unsubscribe, send a message to:
obol-leave at lists.oregonstate.edu.