Clatsop County Shorebird Extravaganza

This was the weekend I set aside to look for shorebirds at the coast.  I headed to the ocean beaches in Clatsop County.  As they were a few weeks before, when I arrived at low tide at Gearhart the beaches were packed with clammers.

Not my favorite way to bird, driving around and in between parked cars and people.

I tried to scan the large flocks of Western Sandpiper for rarities.

None found except I spotted one lone Baird's Sandpiper on the back side of a flock, no photo.  I drove the 4.7 miles from 10th St to the Sunset exit. I got tired of the crowds and dodging cars, I bailed despite all the birds.  I estimated 10,000 Westerns and 3000 Dunlin,  One Western every yard over that distance would be 8,300 birds.  I am probably  low in my numbers.

Whimbrel were also scattered about the beach.

After a quick stop at Parking Lot B and C to see if any beaches were empty of clammers, they were not, I headed to the Airport Ponds.  They had some warblers singing and Savannah Sparrows out as well.  Savannah Sparrows are one of my favorite sparrows: if you see them , you are in a good spot to bird.

I checked out a few spots around the airport with no luck on shorebirds.  I decided to head back to Parking Lot C and just wait for the tide to come up and watch the birds stream off the beach.  

When I got to the jetty, I could see groups of birds on the beach.  Things were looking up.

Red Knots were on the beach along with flocks of Dunlin and Western Sandpipers.

Four Red Knots and a Dunlin.

Cape May or Clatsop County?  Three Red Knots, two Black-bellied Plover and a Ruddy Turnstone.

I decided this was a Short-billed Dowitcher, no hump and even flank marks.  I think I heard it call.

Nice group shot. Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Black-bellied Plover and Dunlin.

Sanderlings prefer feeding in the waves, rather than the sand.  But not as far out as phalarope, which is one shorebird I did not see today.

Birds were flying off the beach up over the jetty and on northward.

Four species flying by. I think the Sanderling is a first-spring bird.  Looks like it is still in basic plumage.  I was wondering if it molted yet still maintained a basic aspect. I could not relocate it,

Huck needed a break after standing patiently while I watched birds. I went to an empty stretch and let him blow-off steam.

When he is done he goes up to the edge of the dune and drops his stick.  I think he is hiding it from other dogs.

After a few cars came and went, most of the birds had left the ocean beach.  I walked out to the River Beach and relocated the flocks.

Three different views of Red Knots.  The gray rump is a good field mark.

My favorite Red Knot photo of the day.  Stocky bird with broad-based wings.

I was scanning the peeps looking for a stint when I saw this plover, it was obviously smaller than the Black-bellied Plover nearby.

Bill looked long for an American and body was not elongated looking due to the longer wings on American. White extending down the sides.  I decided it was a Pacific Golden-Plover.

White under-tail coverts. I do not see long wings.

I had to smile when it ignored the aggression from the much larger Black-bellied.

I always hope to spot a Royal Tern that was dragged north with the Caspian Terns in early spring, no luck today.

All black shorebird, I was thinking Spotted Redshank, but went with Turkey Vulture instead :) 

I did not ask what was on the menu, I assumed sea lion.

Done with the river, I cut back over to my car, Whimbrel were arriving at the shorebird flats for high tide.

My total shorebird count for the beaches around Parking Lot C and the flats totaled 15  16 for the day:

Least Sandpiper (just two)
Western Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper (one)
Sanderling
Dunlin
Red Knot
Short-billed Dowitcher  (plus a few dowitcher flocks, tried for Long-billed)
Whimbrel
Marbled Godwit (one)
Wandering Tattler (one)
Greater Yellowlegs
Semipalmated Plover
Black-bellied Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover (one)
Wilson Snipe (one)
Ruddy Turnstone (thanks to Marcia for noting I forgot the Ruddy when first posted)

Great day at the beach.

Thanks for visiting.

Netarts Spit at Cape Lookout State Park

I returned today (1/10/15) for what is turning out to be an annual birding trip to Cape Lookout State Park , the beach area.  Last year's report is here.

Today was warm with lots of sunshine, a strong easterly wind soon died down.

I was a bit concerned about a rising tide.  I did not want to get nailed by a wave coming up a narrow beach with all these logs strewn about.  I made it to the north end with no trouble; by the time I was done checking out the bay the tide had turned and was ebbing for my walk back down south.

Lots of Surf Scoters were doing what Surf Scoters do.

As the tide was rising on my northerly walk all I saw on the beach were Sanderlings and Dunlins.

Their bill lengths do vary a bit.

Sanderling and Dunlins taking a nap.

I wanted to explore the interior in hopes of some passerines and that one rare bird that would make the day. This large bog was full of Mallard, Northern Pintail and Northern Shoveler.

Some Mallard even from this far away saw me and flushed off the bog, so I did not stay around too long.  When I whistled like a Pygmy-Owl even more flushed, what the heck was that about.

I finally walked the 5 miles to the tip.  A small flock of gulls were on the bay side.   I figured this was a first-year Thayer's.  Nicely checkered pattern.

Mew Gull.

Same bird. When it flew in, the underwing was more like a Thayer's than a Herring Gull. It seems too bulky and short-winged for a Thayer's.  I know some Herring can have less black on the underwing.  Apical spots seem in between. I decided on Herring due to structure of body and bill.

On the walk back south  the tide was just turning toward ebb.  A Black-bellied Plover was on the beach.

It was hanging out with a Semipalmated Plover.

With high tide came lots of Least Sandpipers hiding in the beach debris..  I looked at every peep, all looked Least to me.

At a few points along the beach you can go to a dune and look over a narrow spot into the bay.  Northern Pintail were hanging out on the marsh grass.

One of the few passerines spotted..

Song Sparrows were just about the only passerines willing to show themselves.

Netarts Spit (Cape Lookout St Pk), Tillamook, Oregon, US

Jan 10, 2016 8:15 AM - 3:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
10.5 mile(s)
Comments:     sunny, gusty wind form east in morning then light breezes
35 species (+1 other taxa)

American Wigeon  7
Mallard  150
Northern Shoveler  10
Northern Pintail  120
Surf Scoter  45
Bufflehead  6
Western Grebe  1
Northern Harrier  1
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  3
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Black-bellied Plover  1
Semipalmated Plover  1
Sanderling  125
Dunlin  75
Least Sandpiper  200     many on beach, have photos
Mew Gull  4
Western Gull  12
California Gull  2
Herring Gull  1 
Thayer's Gull  1
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  14
Common Raven  3
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Marsh Wren  3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2
Wrentit  1
Hermit Thrush  2
American Robin  4
Varied Thrush  2
European Starling  10
Yellow-rumped Warbler  3
Fox Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco  4
White-crowned Sparrow  5
Song Sparrow  12
Spotted Towhee  1

Huck enjoyed the company of a gal pal named Tess.  She is a youngster that never tired, Huck and I enjoyed having her along.

Golden-Plover, Tattlers and things

Here are my pictures of the  Pacific Golden-Plover found a few days ago along Marine Dr on the Columbia River near the Portland Airport.  It is a probable second-year bird (hatched 2014).  On my OBOL post I simply said I saw the plover.  I was not sure what I was looking at along the river.  Others had ID'ed it as a Pacific. I have not seen enough of these two plovers in the past few years to know all their ins-and-outs. After studying my photos, it does seem within range of a Pacific Golden-Plover. 

Based on the 2004 Johnson and Johnson paper (link below) :

Golden-Plover link

Pacific Golden-Plover:

2-3 primary tips past the tertials

distance primary tips past the tail  0-9 mm

primary projection past tail < 1/2 bill length

tertial length relative to tail length :  extend to distal third of tail, many end at tail

Other points in O'Brien, Crossley, and Karlson compared to American:

more front-heavy, more upright, with rounder body, larger head  and bill, longer legs, and heavier chest

American Golden-Plover

4-5 primary tips past the tertials

distance primary tips past the tail 12-22 mm

primary projection past tail > 1/2 bill length

tertial length relative to tail length :  variable from half to distal third of tail

I have been wanting to read Jaramillo's 2004 paper but could not find it on-line.

Understanding molt sure increases the pleasure of studying birds.

I have received some private emails about this bird. Not sure if I am at liberty to cite the folks who helped me, but thanks much. I have also read some online opinions on the subject of large plovers and their wings.  One needs to be careful with counting the primaries past the tertials.  In spring, birds might be replacing tertials but not primaries.  So more primaries would be exposed.  Seems tertials are replaced in a few of the plover's molts, while primaries are not.  So care must be used with this id mark. Also the outer primary (P10) could be growing in and thus hidden behind it's neighbor (P9). 

Everyone seems to agree that extremely long pimaries indicate American.

One thing I noticed about this bird are its very worn primaries.  (See below) What does that mean?  It was explained to me that American Golden-Plover  molt their primaries in their first winter, Pacific-Golden-Plover do not.  So this bird's very worn primaries indicate that it could be a bird that was hatched in 2014, it just entered its second-life year. This will be the first winter that it molts its primaries.  An American Golden-Plover would not have such old worn primaries.

 A good way to separate first-spring birds, worn primaries: Pacific, new primaries: American.

Another hint that it could be a second-year bird is the greater coverts.  This is where I get a bit lost.  I was told the bird appears to have some retained greater coverts and they are basic looking. Possible evidence  that this bird had a mixture of breeding and non-breeding appearing feathers in its first spring.  The area of the greater coverts is forward of the tertials on a folded wing. I assume we are talking about the two brown and white feathers seen below? 

I took this shot to show the drooping supercilium behind the eye.  Pale face with bold eye.  Supercilium is brightest above the eye.  All marks for Pacific Golden-Plover as mentioned in O'Brien, Crossley and Karlson.

First-summer Pacific Golden-Plover, as with many shorebirds, can show an aspect that appears to be a mix of basic and alternate plumage.  It was suggested that the extent of black on this bird might have been the most it achieved in its first summer.  You can see the extent of black on the belly in both photos below..

The drooping supercilium  creates a wider dark  nape than on American.
.

I was supposed to go on a Newport pelagic trip this weekend, it was cancelled due to high winds. It would have been too rough and windy to be out on the deck of a boat trying to watch birds.  I tried to get out on the Westport trip but the last few spots were filled just a few hours before I discovered the Newport trip was cancelled.  SO a big skunk on my ocean efforts.  Another trip to Clatsop county was my third option.

Banded Snowy Plover seen on 8/16/2015 about 6 miles north of the 10th St access at Gearhart.  It is a hatch-year bird from the North Spit of Coos Bay, Oregon. Sorry for fuzzy picture, I finally figured out my viewfinder was not adjusted correctly, but that was after I left the bird.

One of a group of Spotted Sandpiper along the rocky coast at Seaside Cove.

One of a number of Wandering Tattler seen.  On OBOL I said 8, I trimmed that down to 6 in eBird, I think two got back in front of me.

A Black-bellied Plover on the Clatsop beach to compare to the Pacific Golden-Plover above.

This gull confused me a bit, it is a young Western Gull.  Wings not long enough for a dark California.  It was small , so I was thinking California, but was mistaken.

The fire at Parking Lot C burned the woods that abut the shorebird flats.  They should have let it burn out all the thick vegetation that has covered the spit in my opinion.

Photo of the shorebird flats, not much here is there?

Upon closer inspection the area is covered in Western Sandpipers.

A Gray Whale was working the area just beyond the surf Sunday morning.

Note Gray Whales do not have a dorsal fin, they have a bump that is followed by a series of ridges.  Bump has yet to pop out of water here.  A good tip when viewing whales from afar.

On my Tattler hunt along the rocky shore at Seaside Cove this seal kept an eye on me. It followed me along the beach.