[obol] Seaside: Clatsop Co. Update & Humminging bird ocean overflight begins

[David Bailey]

Seaside and Necanicum River Estuary: Clatsop Co.
4 April 2007

CASPIAN TERNS have increased to at least 35 staging and feeding in the 
estuary. The males are presenting fish to the females (or so I presume I 
am getting the gender roles correct). A pair of a pair of RED-BREASTED 
MERGANSERS have been easily seen from the high school parking lot 
overlook. They too are engaged in courtship ritualized behaviors. The 
males arch back their neck and heads and point their bills skyward while 
simultaneously holding their wings out bent from their sides. The 
females in turn lunge their neck and heads forward pointing their bills 
to the horizontal and then opening them.It it really quite a show and 
would make for great wildlife video. The birds in such bright plumage 
and those wispy head plumes are great in the wind.

A single GREATER YELLOWLEGS remains the only newly arrived migrant 
shorebird and spends its times on the flats at Stanley Lake.

Rock pipers at The Cove continue to decrease in number. I have seen only 
one SURFBIRD this week and today only one BLACK TURNSTONE. Last year 
this also occurred and then later in April a new flock of rockpipers 
appeared along with a lucistic SURFBIRD and the live HORNED PUFFIN that 
many tried for the next rainy day and missed. Steve and I are keeping 
our eyes out for the returning Surfbirds in the hopes that perhaps the 
pale one survived to winter and return again, but we aren't counting on it.

No alcids at The Cove today, and the LONG-TAILED SQUCKS  seem to have 
left for good.

Hummingbirds
An interesting phenomenon can be seen from now through mid May or so of 
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS heading out north over the open ocean directly off 
Tillamook Head at The Cove and continuing over the water as far as you 
can track them with your bins. At some point last year I was counting 
them passing off the Head at at least one per minute. It is really a 
spectacular thing. I saw my first of the year bird do this today.

Now that it is April and shorebird migration is underway and will be 
peaking during the last week of the month I encourage birders to go 
outside after dark and listen for their passage. If you learn their 
calls, this is a good way to add county birds to some of the inland as 
well as the coastal counties. Same goes for Passerines.

Surprisingly, I have yet to detect any of the locally nesting OSPREY, 
though the fish are plentiful, judging by the capture rate of the 
CASPIAN TERNS.

Also, we have yet to detect C. YELLOWTHROATS or migrant SAVANNAH 
SPARROWS in Seaside or nearby.

David

David C. Bailey
Seaside, Oregon
baileydc at pdx.edu