[obol] Cannon Beach today, and yard Western Screech-owlet

[Andy Frank]

Though I suspect most subscribers to OBOL are very familiar with the birding 
around Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, it gets little press here and so 
perhaps someone might find this of interest.  Living in Portland, I don't 
get to the coast very often, and Haystack Rock is a great opportunity to get 
to see many of our coastal birds.  There were good numbers of TUFTED 
PUFFINS, loads of COMMON MURRES and PELAGIC CORMORANTS, and lesser numbers 
of PIGEON GUILLEMOTS. There is a BLACK OYSTERCATCHER nesting relatively low 
down on one of the rocks at its base.  Always a treat were many HARLEQUIN 
DUCKS at its base, and I never tire of watching BROWN PELICANS and CASPIAN 
TERNS flying around.

As we left around 3PM today, a surprise was a COMMON NIGHTHAWK flying over 
the town, and then as we got on the highway to head home, had a final treat 
of 7 ELK.

We are very excited here by the emergence yesterday of at least one and 
probably two WESTERN SCREECH-OWL chicks in our yard in NW Portland.  We are 
unable to look into the hole, but had started seeing one of the parents 
frequently perched on the rim of the hole about 2 weeks ago, making us 
suspicious that the eggs had hatched.  Then yesterday during the day we got 
to see them.  Photos are at http://andyfrank.blogspot.com/.  In the 2nd and 
3rd photos the owl is partially hidden by the parent's feathers, and can be 
best seen by enlarging the photo by left-clicking on it.

Andy Frank