Bird Notes - Late Winter, 2006
by Jim Rogers

Two Emperor Geese joined a flock of Canada honkers at the Wahl Ranch (lower Elk River) for a couple of days during the first week of January. We rarely see these geese of the west coast of Alaska.

Sanderlings were quite abundant along Curry beaches this winter.

A Say's Phoebe and a Lapland Longspur showed up at the Wahl Ranch on Feb. 25. Both species are very uncommon in Curry County but are spotted annually by Terry Wahl. Both like to hunt insects near the ground and apparently find the sheep pastures similar enough to their normal range. The phoebe winters in South Texas and Mexico and breeds in Eastern Oregon. Most Longspurs winter on the Great Plains, but they can occasionally be found in small numbers throughout much of Oregon. They breed in the Arctic tundra.

A beautiful male Mountain Bluebird showed up at the Wahl Ranch around March 6th where it remained at least through the 12th. There are many nesting boxes on the ranch and the bluebird was flying from box to box calling a soft "tew" and cocking his head this way and that, apparently searching the sky for a female to share his newly-discovered paradise. They don't nest below 3500 feet however so I doubt they would nest on the ranch but I don't know why they wouldn't. We do occasionally see Mountain Bluebirds in the county during the non-breeding season, but they don't stick around. Lois Miller got some excellent close-up photos of this bird.

Lois checked the Beaver Marsh on Cape Blanco road on March 12th and found the last pair of Green-winged Teal had departed, but there were still 2 male and 5 female Cinnamon Teal. She also spotted a juvenile and adult Bald Eagle, a pair of White-tailed Kites, a Northern Harrier, a couple of American Kestrels, a flock of Western Meadowlarks, Western Bluebirds, etc. She's been seeing "zillions" of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby­-crowned Kinglets, but very few Golden-crowns.

Phone or fax me at 541-332-2555 or write to 95187 Elk River Rd., Port Orford OR 97465.