[obol] Beached Horned Puffins in Lincoln County: A Compilation

Sat Mar 10 22:08:23 PST 2007

Hi,

   Many dead, beached Horned Puffins have been reported on OBOL along the
Oregon Coast in recent months.  In Lincoln County, I am aware of a total of
11 Horned Puffins so far (see Table 1 below).

   This is a large number, but we are fortunate that Bob Loeffel has
directed a team of observers that has conducted approximately weekly
beached bird walks along 4.6 miles of beach north of Ona Beach (Lincoln
County), starting in 1978.  We are also fortunate that he annually compiles
his results and that the costs of distributing his reports are covered by
the Wildlife Diversity Program of the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.
In Table 2 are the numbers of Horned Puffins found each year from
1978-February 2007 from Loeffel's annual reports.

    Loeffel's team results indicate that no Horned Puffins were found in
73% of the past 30 years (Table 2).  When found, Horned Puffins were most
often recorded during January-March, with an exceptional record in April
1980 (Table 2).  Prior to 2007, 4-9 Horned Puffins were found in 1980,
1990, and 2005 (Table 2).  Accordingly, it is unusual to find Horned
Puffins this year, but the total of 4 so far this year by Loeffel's team in
January-February is not unprecedented for their beach.  However, they may
find more in March and April, so we will have to await the completion of
their March and April surveys to see if there will be more Horned Puffins.

     Loeffel's team results suggest that more Horned Puffins have been
found in recent years since 1 or more were recorded in 2003, 2005, 2006,
and 2007; however, there was also a cluster of 1 or more during 1978 and
1980-1981, so clusters of years with records appear to occur periodically
(Table 2).

     For records along the entire Oregon Coast through 1983, large numbers
of beached Horned Puffins were also reported in December 1932-January 1933
that was described as the "greatest [number] in last 30 years" and
January-April 1980 (Table 3).

     With all the reports of beached Horned Puffins to OBOL, one may assume
that this is an exceptional winter.  Perhaps it is--Loeffel's team results
in March and April may be helpful in making that judgment.  But the
apparently large numbers so far this year could also be a consequence of
more observers walking beaches and recording beached birds coupled with a
better communication channel to report them (OBOL) promptly, so that more
people are motivated to go out and search for beached Horned Puffins.

    The number of dead, beached Horned Puffins that are found depends both
on the number actually present as well as the observation effort to find
them.  It helps to have continuing standardized observation effort over the
years, like that by Loeffel's team, to determine if exceptional numbers are
real.

     Thanks to Bob & Shirley Loeffel, Laimons & Vicki Osis, Dick Demarest,
BLM staff at Yaquina Head, Terry Morse, Betty Bahn, Sally Lockyear, and
Kitty Brigham for contributing beached Horned Puffin records in Lincoln
County this winter.

     Thanks also to CoastWatch for getting more observers out to monitor
our beaches!  CoastWatch is a project of Oregon Shores Conservation
Coalition that involves volunteers who adopt and monitor one-mile segments
of the Oregon coast.  For info see,
http://www.oregonshores.org/ourprograms/coastalwatch

     Yours,

Range Bayer, P.O. Box 1467, Newport, OR 97365

--------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE 1.  Dead, beached Horned Puffins found in Lincoln County during 2007
through March 9.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1/9/2007.  Little Whale Cove south of Depoe Bay by Dick Demarest--1 dead,
beached Horned Puffin.
1/12/2007.  Beach north of Ona Beach by Bob Loeffel's team (Bob & Shirley
Loeffel and Laimons & Vicki Osis)--1 dead, beached Horned Puffin.
1/26/2007.  Beach north of Ona Beach by Bob Loeffel's team (Bob & Shirley
Loeffel and Laimons & Vicki Osis)--1 dead, beached Horned Puffin.
1/31/2007.  Beach north of Ona Beach by Bob Loeffel's team (Bob & Shirley
Loeffel and Laimons & Vicki Osis)--1 dead, beached Horned Puffin.
2/28/2007.  Beach north of Ona Beach by Bob Loeffel's team (Bob & Shirley
Loeffel and Laimons & Vicki Osis)--1 dead, beached Horned Puffin.
2/28/2007.  Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area by BLM Staff--1 dead,
beached Horned Puffin.
3/3/2007.  Nye Beach between Yaquina Bay State Park and Don Davis Park in
Newport by Terry Morse--2 dead, beached Horned Puffins.
3/9/2007.  CoastWatch Mile 198 by Betty Bahn & Sally Lockyear--1 dead,
beached Horned Puffin.
3/9/2007.  CoastWatch Mile 208 by Kitty Brigham & Range Bayer--2 dead,
beached Horned Puffins.

TOTAL=11 dead, beached Horned Puffins.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE 2.  Number and month of beached Horned Puffins found by Bob Loeffel's
team of beached bird surveyors along 4.6 miles of beach north of Ona Beach,
Lincoln County.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1978.  1-March.
1979.  0
1980.  8-March; 1-April.  [Sum=9]
1981.  1-Jan.
1982.  0
1983.  0
1984.  0
1985.  0
1986.  0
1987.  0
1988.  0
1989.  0
1990.  4-Feb.; 1-March.  [Sum=5]
1991.  0
1992.  0
1993.  0
1994.  0
1995.  0
1996.  0
1997.  1-Feb.
1998.  0
1999.  0
2000.  0
2001.  0
2002.  0
2003.  1-March.
2004.  0
2005.  2-Jan.; 2-March.  [Sum=4]
2006.  1-March.
Jan.-Feb. 2007.  3-Jan.; 1-Feb; ?? in March and April.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE 3.  Beached Horned Puffin records in my incomplete compilation of
Oregon coast beached bird records through 1983 from
http://www.orednet.org/~rbayer/j/j601.htm.
     This compilation is from searching one time:
1)  Gabrielson and Jewett (1940) [G & J.  Birds of Oregon]
2)  Browning (1974)  [Notes on the hypothetical list of Oregon birds.
     Northwest Science 48:166-171.]
3)  field notes columns of Bird-Lore, which was continued by
     Audubon Magazine  [BL]
4)  field notes columns of Audubon Magazine (1941-1946), which was
     continued by Audubon Field Notes
5)  field notes columns of Audubon Field Notes (1947-1970), which was
     continued by American Birds [AFN]
6)  field notes columns in American Birds (1971-1983).  [AB]
7)  field notes columns in Oregon Birds (1 [Aug.-Sept. 1977]- 10[1][1984]).
[OB]

HORNED PUFFIN.--One at Netarts on 7 March 1916, a male and female on Lane
Co. beach on 15 March 1919, and many dead along north coast beaches from 27
Dec. 1932 until Feb. 1933 (i.e., "greatest [number] in last 30 years," 1933
BL 35:111, 165; G & J 1940:319). 3 dead on beach south of Newport (Lincoln
Co.) on 19 Feb. 1959 (1960 AFN 14:335). Adult male on beach at Florence
(Lane Co.) on 5 Aug. 1969 that is in the Oregon State University collection
(1970 AFN 24:86). Dead Horned Puffin at Cape Lookout (Tillamook Co.) during
the spring of 1977 and on 20 Aug. 1977 (1977 OB 2:42). One heavily oiled
Horned Puffin at beach near Tillamook Bay on 30 March 1979 (1979 OB
5[3]:19, 1979 AB 33:801).
     One dead at Cannon Beach on 26 Jan. 1980, one dead at Netarts on 9
Feb. 1980, 3 dead at Sunset Beach on 23 Feb. 1980 (1980 OB 6:109); 5 dead
on northern beaches from 26 Jan-23 Feb. 1980 (1980 AB 34:300). 11 dead on
north coast between 15 March and 4 April 1980 (1980 AB 34:809).
    Dead bird on Lincoln Co. beach on 27 Jan. 1981 accepted by OBRC (1983
OB 9:58).
--------------------------------------------------------------------