Subject: [Tweeters] Birding week in OR/WA - delayed report
Date: Sep 26 16:02:34 2010
From: Tim Rose - feralman at mindspring.com


Greetings Obolists and Tweeters. This report is long delayed due to non-stop work travel since the trip took place. It ran from 9/12 to 9/18. It rained a lot.

I camped/birded my way from Sisters, OR and vicinity, over to the OR coast, then up into WA all the way to Dungeness Spit. Here are the highlights. Thanks to all who gave me information about locations.

Sisters & vicinity, OR
NORTHERN PYGMY OWL at Indian Ford Campground, heard not seen - Life bird!
AMERICAN KESTREL
WESTERN BLUEBIRD
MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE
PYGMY NUTHATCH
PINYON JAY flock at Trinity Way - Life bird!
WHITE-HEADED WOODPECKER at Cold Springs Campground - Life bird!
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE at Calliope Crossing
HAIRY WOODPECKER
NORTHERN FLICKER
STELLER'S JAY

Suttle Lake & vicinity, OR
VAUX'S SWIFT (3) - Life bird!
WESTERN MEADOWLARK
VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW
MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER
NORTHERN ("Oregon") JUNCO
SWAINSON'S HAWK

I searched every burn I could find but no luck
with the "burn" woodpeckers.

Mary's Peak
WESTERN SCRUB JAY
VARIED THRUSH
COOPER'S HAWK

Beverly Beach State Park
STELLER'S JAY
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE
BEAVER

Boiler Bay State Wayside, OR
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER (2 fighting)
GRAY WHALE - Life mammal!
ANCIENT MURRELET (1) - Life bird!
It was close in to shore and looking a little lethargic
HEERMANN'S GULL
SEA LION
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW
FOX SPARROW
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER
SURF SCOTER
COMMON TERN
BRANDT'S CORMORANT

Gleneden Beach State Wayside, OR
WESTERN GREBE
GREAT BLUE HERON

Fort Stevens State Park, OR
PHALAROPE sp. (3) Too choppy and rainy to ID
SEA LION

Dungeness Spit & Recreation Area, WA
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
SURF SCOTER
SAVANNAH SPARROW
FOX SPARROW
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL
RHINOCEROS AUKLET (3) - Life bird! They and a group
of gulls had discovered some great food source
and were in a feeding frenzy fairly close in.
COMMON LOON
WESTERN SANDPIPER
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER
HARLEQUIN DUCK
HEERMANN'S GULL
EARED GREBE
PELAGIC CORMORANT
GOLDEN-PLOVER sp. (1)
OSPREY
BROWN CREEPER (2)
CEDAR WAXWING
WILSON'S WARBLER (1)

Warning: The following listed species is a rarity
and may be subject to skepticism. I'm fully open
to all opinions. I want to know if this bird was
really what I thought it was.

LONG-BILLED MURRE - Life bird if confirmed.

This bird stayed fairly close to the spit and gave
me multiple clear views as it dove repeatedly.

The bird had the characteristics of the Marbled
Murrelet except for two. First, the border between black
and white on the face was more or less horizontal,
passing close under the eye. In every one of Sibley's
illustrations of the black-and-white plumages of
the Marbled Murrelet, the black dips down in a
roundish patch of black reaching well below the
eye. (That's the big Sibley, not the small Western.)
Second, the bill really was noticeably big, bigger
than the bills on Sibley's illustrations of the Marbled.

When I get home from the current trip I will
refer to other field guides to see if there is
any reason to think it was a Marbled. Meanwhile
as I said, I appreciate any confirming or contrary
opinions.

Damon Point, Grays Harbor area, WA
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER
WESTERN SANDPIPER
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER (2)
LEAST SANDPIPER
Juv. RED-THROATED LOON lying on beach;
spooked when it saw me and flapped
its way back to the water
COMMON LOON
BLACK TURNSTONE (2)
RUDDY TURNSTONE (1)
GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL
GREAT BLUE HERON
SAVANNAH SPARROW
AMERICAN PIPIT
SURF SCOTER
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER
BRANT (two flocks overhead)
PEREGRINE FALCON (1)
LESSER SCAUP (4)
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
HARBOR SEAL swam with me as I hiked
HARBOR PORPOISE dead and partially eaten

Ocean City State Park, WA
COMMON LOON
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT
BROWN PELICAN
HEERMANN'S GULL
CALIFORNIA GULL
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (2)
SANDERLING
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (4)
CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
STELLER'S JAY
WILSON'S WARBLER (1)
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER
PACIFIC WREN (1)


One of the species I most wanted to see
was the WANDERING TATTLER. I hunted for
them with no luck. Now on this current trip
to San Diego, I drove the 15-minute drive
from the airport to Cabrillo National
Monument, and there were three WANDERING
TATTLERS waiting to entertain me. Life bird!


Tim Rose
Lilburn (Atlanta suburb), GA