[obol] Yaquina Bay Shorebirds, Caspian Terns & Egrets

[Cindy Ashy]

I thought I had it timed perfectly to arrive at the Hatfield Nature Trail to
search for shorebirds about an hour before high tide...but got stuck in a very
long construction delay a few blocks from the Yaquina Bay Bridge....I was about
to get irritated when a large flock of peeps flew over 101 and said hello.

On the trail I watched a flock of about 120 Western Sandpipers flitting around
in their usual synchronous dance....several times I got close detailed views
when they landed....I checked for Least Sandpipers (reported on OBOL recently)
but didn't find any...all legs were dark....interesting that a couple of
"strays" I found on another beach across from the visitor center had much more
rusty color. No other shorebirds but the far east side of the bay had 11 Great
Egrets stalking prey and more than 20 noisy Caspian Terns announced themselves
at various times. There was also an interesting congregation of over 200 gulls,
most immature and with greenish-yellow legs...I want to call them California
Gulls but I have not consulted my guides yet. There was also this one gull that
really caught my attention because it kept repeatedly ducking its head under
water and then violently shaking it and then using its feet to fluff up its
head feathers...it was the only gull doing this and when it was finally still
long enough I could see it had a two-toned beak....pink with a dark tip :-)

Cindy Ashy

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