January 8 to March 16, 2000
by Nathaniel Wander

The weirdest bird sighting of the century?but hey, it's young yet?may have been a Pie-billed Grebe swimming across Port Orford's flooded 12th Street on January 8. NW also reported that a pair of Eared Grebes feeding together on Floras Lake that afternoon provided a textbook illustration of Peterson's winter and variant winter plumages.

The first Black-crowned Night Heron of the season was reported from the North Jetty of the Chetco on March 4 (NW). While Green Herons have been absent from P.O.'s Mill Pond, NW found one at the mouth of the Sixes on January 22.

As many as 88 Tundra Swans were counted this winter in the fields east of Floras Lake Road by DL & KC; NW, TR & JS and others. On February 18, NW saw a Greater White-fronted Goose among a flock of Canadas in the fields beside Crook Creek (Pistol River), and the bird was seen again by FH & BS on March 5.

A pair of Long-tailed Ducks (formerly Oldsquaw) were in the Port Orford boat basin on New Year's Day. The male was first reported during the Christmas Bird Count by NW, and the female first seen by CD on December 30.

Eurasian Wigeons have been "common" in Curry County this winter. DL & KC first reported a pair at Floras Lake on January 6. NW spotted another male at Crook Creek on March 4. Alan Barron found a male EUWI there last year.

Redheads too seem remarkably "frequent" this winter. TR reported five at Floras Lake on March 12. TR & JS first reported Redheads there during the Christmas bird count, and they were seen again by NW throughout January. NW reported at least eight Redheads between Euchre Creek and the mouth of the Rogue from late October through December. He also found a pair of female Canvasbacks at Floras Lake on January 8.

Hooded Mergansers popped up all over the county as well this winter. BS reported them from the Brookings Mill Pond in January, and NW from the Port Orford Mill Pond. On January 11, NW saw four drakes and ten ducks in a flooded field off the northern arm of Floras Lake Loop Road, and three drakes in Euchre Creek on February 14.

Flights of Scoters, 100-200 strong, were seen riding the wave crest thermals heading north along Port Orford Heads on March 16 (NW). FH & BS observed a Golden Eagle being dive-bombed by a Red-tailed Hawk up the North Bank Pistol River Road on March 5.

On February 7, DM saw a Broad-winged Hawk an Eastern species flying south near his home in Brookings. NW may have re-sighted this bird on 2/8 near the Brookings Fred Meyer.

DM saw a Krider's Red-tailed Hawk on February 20, along the lower Winchuck River. The Krider's race is a very pale morph, usually found on the Great Plains.

NW reported the first Turkey Vulture of the season over Euchre Creek on February 14. He also reported the first "kettle," all of four, on March 6.

A sub-adult Glaucous Gull was in among a large mixed gull flock in the flooded fields north of Floras Lake Loop Road on January 11, and another was seen off Rocky Point on January 26 (NW). A sub-adult Bonaparte's Gull was puddling by itself in the greatly-lowered Garrison Lake on January 22 (NW).

AP reported the season's first Rufous Hummingbird at her Port Orford residence on February 5. DL & KC reported them soon after along New River.

NW saw four swallows (1 Barn, 2 Violet-Green, 1 Tree) over the P.O. Mill Pond on January 1, very early for these species, and eight Violet-Greens over Euchre Creek Marsh on January 30.. These birds must have migrated north after a few days; swallows were not regularly seen over Port Orford again until mid-March.

An unusually early House Wren was seen in the chaparral of Coast Guard Hill on February 2 (NW).

An albino Black-Capped Chickadee was spotted in downtown Port Orford on February 25, and an albino American Robin off Cape Blanco Road on February 28 (NW).

As many as a hundred Varied Thrushes spent most of January and February in the "drowned forest" on either side of 12th Street in Port Orford. NW also found Townsend's Solitaire unusual at this altitude and so close to the coast at the Cape Blanco Airport on February 29.

A Northern Shrike was seen on the flats at Sixes Mouth on January 22 (NW). TR reported another from Floras Lake on March 5.

Hooded Orioles were reported around Brookings in early January by KG.

Observers: Alice Pfand (AP); Buzz Sawyer (BS); Colin Dillingham (CD); Dave Lauten (DL); Don Munson (DM); Fred Hummel (FH); Jamie Simmons (JS); Kathy Castelein (KC); Ken Goldwater (KG); Tim Rodenkirk (TR); NW (Nathaniel Wander).