[obol] Siskins, Pine Grosbeak, Scrub-Jays, etc. (response to Lars Norgren)

[Wayne C. Weber]

Lars and Oregon Birders,

I appreciate your comments on some of the birds mentioned recently
on the Vancouver, BC RBA (of which I am currently one of the
3 rotating operators). It's good to know that at least a few Oregon birders
have time to read the reports that I send to OBOL. Even if we in
the Vancouver area don't often have a rarity that would entice someone
to drive up from Portland or Eugene, our reports of less spectacular
rarities
(e.g. Snowy Owls, Pine Grosbeaks) may provide advance warning to
Oregon birders of a forthcoming invasion, or at least provide some
interesting comparison with Oregon observations.

Some further comments on the species that you talked about:

PINE SISKINS still appear to be in below-normal numbers here, but at
least they are not practically absent, as they were for almost a year.
For the record, Vancouver normally has some of the highest wintering
concentrations of Pine Siskins in North America, with an average of 2200
seen on our Christmas Count (which I organized and compiled for
18 years), and totals of more than 6000 on at least 3 counts. When
siskins are absent or nearly so, as happens periodically here,
their absence is conspicuous!

PINE GROSBEAKS appear in the mountains close to Vancouver
most years in very small numbers, but they invade the lowlands rarely--
once or twice a decade. Although total numbers are not huge (nearly
all flocks of less than 10 birds, usually about 3 to 8), we have had more
lowland reports in the last month than ever before. The largest group
I have heard of is 35 on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, one of
Vancouver's largest suburbs (altitude only about 1000 feet).
There are also reports of far more Pine Grosbeaks than usual in the
valleys of the southern BC Interior, E of the Cascades. I see that a few
Pine Grosbeaks have even made it south to the Portland area.
(Whoops, I need that one for my Oregon list!)

ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS are a regular bird around Vancouver, and have
been since the 1970s, but they are not increasing much if at all.
We average only about 15 on the Vancouver Christmas Count, and
about 8 to 10 on the White Rock count. They are mentioned on
the RBA mostly when they turn up in unusual localities. The somewhat
colder winter climate of Vancouver compared to much of W Oregon
(Jan mean temperature, 37 degrees F) means that in most winters,
there are at least brief periods when the temperature stays below
freezing for several days, and the hummers suffer some mortality then.
On the other hand, around Victoria (Jan mean temperature 39 to 40
degrees F), Anna's Hummers seem to be increasing exponentially,
with counts of well over 100 on the CBC in the last 3-4 years.

WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS are still extending their range northward,
and breed regularly as far north as Seattle, although they are rare in
that area (common from about Olympia south). The bird which just
showed up near Vancouver is only about the 6th record for B.C. and
for Canada.  However, I'll bet that within 20-25 years, they will be a
regular breeding species here.

All the best and good birding,

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



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lars and Gail Norgren" <gnorgren at earthlink.net>
To: "obol" <obol at lists.oregonstate.edu>
Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2006 12:13 AM
Subject: [obol] Siskins,etc.


      The final entry of this week's Vancouver BC RBA
refers to the year long drought of PINE SISKINS
ending with a sighting of a flock of 200 birds. I
have seen them in modest numbers here in nw Washington
County since late Sept as a consequence of bird
counts I've made in the neighborhood. Inclement weather
and increased workload means that I largely ceased
the transects and point counts , so for about a month
I detected no Siskins. Then we got a sunny day last week
and I counted 150 PINE SISKINS on my usual 1 hr transect.
Most were in a single flock, which as with the Vancouver,
BC flock strikes me as unusually large. Fewer birds, but
still a large flock, passed my house the same day. I have
not noticed any this week.
     PINE GROSBEAKS are prominent on this week's Vancouver
RBA, possibly the most mentioned species. I tried for the
same species on my lunch break at Wink Gross' neighborhood
in the West Hills of POrtland. Jeff Gilligan commented on
the Boreal feel to his successful trip to Larch Mountain
(Mult. Co) in search of PINE GROSBEAKS. What a contrast
Wink's regular habitat provides! I have always thought
of the Portland Hills as a monolith of mature Doug-firs
with the all too infrequent Chestnut-backed chickadee
or kinglet. What I found was a very birdy neighborhood,
no doubt assisted by its southerly aspect and varied exotic
flora. AS soon as I parked the car I saw 3 BAND-TAILED
PIGEON, only the second time I've seen them in Portland
in December in 28 yrs.
     I saw no pine grosbeaks, so concentrated on the Hummingbirds.
I saw four and heard more. I presume they were all Anna's,
which I have tended to take for granted and ignore. A female in
the heart of a Deodar(Old World cedar) sat in one spot for a
long while, making a constant chipping sound. It seemed to have
some fine fiber protruding sideways from its beak. Could it be
gathering nesting material? Why would it sit in one place with
same for several minutes at a stretch? I have yet to detect this
species within 20 miles of my home in western Washington Co..
Greg Gillson recently brought it to our attention that they have
only been on the Forest Grove CBC the last three years. Their
mention on this week's Vancouver RBA shows that they still have
novelty value up there. 300 miles north of Portland or 30 miles
west we encounter a similar biological boundary.
     The most intriguing entry for me in BC this week was a SCRUB
JAY, whose breeding range ends 3km east of my house. The SCRUB
JAY in Sisters this week was probably my favorite posting of the
week. From many list members' perspective this is probably a trash
bird. Thank you one and all for reporting various near extra-limital
sightings of this fascinating species . I wonder how many have
been detected north of the Canadian border to date.
     I reiterate Bill Clemmons' plea for people to post things.
It doesn't have to be a Falcated Duck to be newsworthy. The continued
range expansion of Scrub Jays and Anna's Hummingbirds should be
documented. Their abundance in many of Oregon's backyards does not
change the fact that history is in the making. From a scientific point
of view things like this are far more important than all the year's
Asian vagrants combined.

Lars Norgren
MANNING OREGON