[obol] Shorebird pulse

[Lee and Lori Cain]

I have to agree with Mike Patterson -- the Columbia estuary shorebird numbers are incredible right now.
I saw a similar flock to his 100,000+ peeps on Young's Bay today; Whimbrels can be heard in all quarters.

Trestle Bay at Ft Stevens was loaded with Western & Least Sandpipers (mostly W's), Semipalmated Plovers, and Red-necked Phalaropes while my Fisheries Technology class was seining chum fry (also in healthy #'s).  Unfortunately we were too busy with the fish to really glass them over.

There are probably a combination of factors causing this pulse, but I have to agree that the recent cold and nasty spring has probably held them south.  Still, even though the populations probably didn't suddenly increase, seeing the huge flocks makes one feel rich.

Lee Cain
Astoria High School
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