[obol] RBA: MOTTLED PETREL: beached bird survey: Seaside: Clatsop Co. 20&21Feb2007

[David Bailey]

This report was mailed for David C. Bailey by http://birdnotes.net

Date: February 20, 2007
Location: Seaside (City of)  Beach, Clatsop County, Oregon

Beached Bird Survey for 20 & 21 February--Complete for Seaside
Beach.

Highlight: MOTTLED PETREL


I surveyed the beach including the low and high wrack lines 20
Feb.-21Feb. 20 Feb I searched from the Necanicum Estuary Beach on the
EAST side of the Sewage Plant and worked around the South Spit and
South to Ave. I. 21 Feb. I surveyed From the Lanai Motel (off Highland
Drive from Sunset Blvd.) at Seaside Cove all the way back east and
North to Avenue I. There have been recent storms (over the last week)
including many downpours of hail.

Birds seen (in taxonomic order):

Surf Scoter                         1 [1] 
White-winged Scoter                 1 [2] 
Western Grebe                       6 [3] 
Northern Fulmar                     7 [4] 
MOTTLED PETREL                      1 [5] 
Short-tailed Shearwater             1
FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL            1 [6] 
Double-crested Cormorant            1 [7] 
Pelagic Cormorant                   2 [8] 
Western Gull                        4 [9] 
Glaucous-winged Gull                2
Glaucous-winged x Western Gull      1
Unidentified gull                   2
Common Murre                        2 [10] 
Cassin's Auklet                     2 [11] 
Rhinoceros Auklet                   2 [12] 
HORNED PUFFIN                       1 [13] 

Footnotes:

[1]  Surf Scoter: very old carcass
[2]  White-winged Scoter: very old carcass
[3]  Western Grebe: Most quite freshly dead. One possible Clark's--I
     am still working on the identification of that bird
[4]  Northern Fulmar: Includes dark gray phase birds and 3 whiter
     birds--I like to call them "marbled."
[5]  Mottled Petrel: Wow! This bird was in reasonable shape up high
     near the cove as if it had gotten there by itself and died or
     been carried there by raven or Gull. I am working on photos and
     getting the specimen to a museum.
[6]  Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel: A well picked, but very fresh bird
     (bird predation or scavenged) at The Cove. The feet were still
     fully skinned and pliable. 
[7]  Double-crested Cormorant: Way old
[8]  Pelagic Cormorant: Fresh
[9]  Western Gull: all first winter birds. I suspect the local
     nesting Eagle Pair working the Necanicum Estuary (near where I
     found them) are the predators.
[10] Common Murre: one bird was a fully intact super fresh individual
     still in winter or 1st winter plumage (not in breeding plumage).
[11] Cassin's Auklet: old; probably a month or so.
[12] Rhinoceros Auklet: Freshly dead
[13] Horned Puffin: just the wings and feet and found at a high old
     wrack line and therefore not likely from recent wave deposition.
     I suspect this bird was from over a month ago when the rest of
     them showed up on the beaches.

Total number of species seen: 17

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