North Head Lighthouse - 10/17/2006

I spent 2 hours this morning hanging out with Troy Guy while he
did a seabird watch for NOAA at the North Head Lighthouse, Pacific
Co., WA.

I my way out I estimated at least 500 BROWN PELICANS on the sandbar
near the bridge across to Washington. I also saw 2 WHITE-TAILED
KITES along Chinook Valley.

At the head, we saw heavy movements of HEERMANN'S and CALIFORNIA
GULLS, and also pretty good numbers of HERRING and MEW GULLS.
There were WESTERN GREBES on the water as far as the eye could
see. Steady movements of scoters were also observed.

Birds seen at North Head (in taxonomic order):

Green-Winged Teal 12
Greater Scaup 4
Surf Scoter 200 [1]
White-winged Scoter 100 [2]
Black Scoter 2
Red-breasted Merganser 4 [3]
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Western Grebe 2000 [4]
Brown Pelican 150 [5]
Brandt's Cormorant 25
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Pelagic Cormorant 5
Parasitic Jaeger 3 [6]
Heermann's Gull
Mew Gull
California Gull [7]
Herring Gull [8]
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Steller's Jay 4
American Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 12
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 20
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 8
Hermit Thrush 2
Fox Sparrow 15
Song Sparrow 8
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Red Crossbill 8

Footnotes:

[1] undercount
[2] undercount
[3] probably this species
[4] probably undercount
[5] probably undercount; steady southbound movement
[6] one seen well; two others probably this species
[7] heavy southbound movement
[8] steady southbound movement

Total number of species seen: 33

--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
celata at pacifier.com

I'm not jealous or
Why I've never Seen Black-throated Blue Warbler in Oregon
http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/archives/004174.html