[obol] Whimbrels: total of 70

[Cindy Ashy]

I went by Sally's Bend today around 5:00 pm searching for shorebirds...the tide
was so high, there were no feeding areas exposed and the only places to roost
would have been high grass or rip rap....no shorebirds...so with this timing of
the tide, I decided to head immediately to some outer beaches to see if they
might be there.

Lost Creek State Park (from 2 vantage points N and S):

47 Whimbrels - most were feeding at the surf but 9 were simply roosting on the
a patch of hard packed dry upper beach.

Seal Rock State Park (from 2 vantage points N and S):

No shorebirds. Noted many Pelagic Cormorants have built nests (like Yaquina
Head) but didn't see any gull nests yet although they definitely seemed to have
staked out territory.

Beaches Seen From Along the Road between Seal Rock SP & Alsea Bay Bridge:

No shorebirds

North Alsea Bay Wayside:

"island" exposed but no shorebirds...bunch of gulls but nothing
unusual....island didn't seem to offer anything for a shorebird to eat

Drove straight back to Newport to Nye Beach...tide was definitely going out
again as the tops of the rocks of the first finger of South Jetty were exposed.

Large flock of peeps flew over Hwy 101 heading east to southeast between the
Yaquina Bay Bridge and Hubert.

23 Whimbrels seen from Nye Beach Turnaround around 6:15.

Next time I hit the tide just right, I'll check out South Beach State
Park....or some of the beaches north.

Cindy Ashy



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