March 19 to May 13, 2000
by Nathaniel Wander

Migrant bird numbers and timing have seemed a little strange in Curry this spring. While swallows and other species were slow to arrive, NW reported a flight of four Brown Pelicans over the Port of Port Orford as early as April 13. (Last year they declined to appear until mid-May.) He also found a single Brant goose on Euchre Creek on April 17.

JR, NW and others reported a pair of Cinnamon Teal on the Euchre Creek marsh in the last week of March, and FH, BS, NW and others observed a Sandhill Crane there over the course of a week in mid-April.

The Gold Beach boat basin has also been productive. NW reported a pair of Blue-winged Teal there on April 26, and a Ring-necked Duck lingering at least through May 12. On May 13, NW reported a Greater Scaup off Port Orford's dock beach, and a "last" Bufflehead on the Mill Pond. Green Herons were back on the Mill Pond, seen twice in April as well as on May 13.

The boat basin has also been a good spot for shorebirds. NW reported Short-billed Dowitchers on April 14, Semipalmated Plovers, on April 28, a Marbeled Godwit with two Greater Yellowlegs, dowitchers and Dunlin on May 9, and a breeding-plumaged Red Knot on May 11, a lifer. The shorebird find-of-the-year award, however, goes hands down to BLM's Jim Heany, who reported four American Avocets at the filled-in breach of New River on April 21. According to TR, this is only the third or fourth record from the county. (FH and SP are two of the previous reporters.)

Floras/Lake New River has also been a good site for DL & KC who reported 85 Whimbrels and a juvenile Glaucous Gull on April 17, and another 89 Whimbrels on April 26. On April 27 they also reported a Wandering Tattler north of this area close to the Coos-Curry County line.

Other good shorebird sightings included a breeding-plumaged Pacific Golden Plover seen by NW on April 30 near Pistol River. On May 10, NW also reported a breeding-plumaged male Red-necked Phalarope aswim on the Doyle Point sewage treatment ponds north of Gold Beach.

The first Caspian Tern of the season was reported on March 19 by SR off the mouth of the Chetco River. NW counted three dozen at the mouth of the Rogue on April 4. A flock of 20-plus Ring-billed gulls, mostly juveniles, was also reported at the Gold Beach boat basin on May 12 by NW.

By March 21, NW reported hundreds of Common Murres collecting on coastal rocks off Coal Point and Cape Blanco, and JH reported similarly from Coquille Point. During the May 13 migration count, NW estimated at least 10,000 on the North Curry sea stacks. Several observers also reported large numbers of Pigeon Guillemots this spring as well.

DM and the Oregon Field Ornithologists field trippers reported Tufted Puffins back at Goat Island (off Brookings' Harris Beach) by April 29-30. On April 18, NW reported at least three Rhinoceros Auklets off Rocky Point, south of Port Orford, and seven off Paradise Point to the north on May 13.NW reported a large flock of Band-tailed Pigeons in the wooded hills of Cape Ferrilo on April 30. AL & RL reported them from their Port Orford yard on May 6.

On April 26, NW reported the first Vaux's Swifts in twos and threes over both Gold Beach and Port Orford. MG counted at least 67 entering a Port Orford chimney on May 13.

With the exception of Violet-Greens, swallows seem to have been slow returning to Curry this spring. TR, DM and the OFO-trippers reported a pair of Bank swallows on the Rogue just upriver from Gold Beach, and CR reported possible Bank Swallows from Cape Blanco on May 13. The "famous" Nesika Beach colony had not been re-occupied at last look on May 9, but are to be expected any time. Considerable slumping of the sand cliffs again this winter means they will have to start burrowing "from scratch" once again. The Purple Martins that regularly nest in the drain holes of the Highway 101 bridge over the Chetco were back in place by April 29, if not earlier.

Flycatchers also seemed slow in arriving this spring. MAS found four Western Kingbirds along Harbor's Oceanview Drive on April 27, but, except for resident Black Phoebes, Pacific Slope Flycatcher was the only other species reported on the OFO field trip. NW heard an Olive-sided flycatcher in Port Orford on May 10, and observed a calling pair near Agate Beach trailer park on May 13. He thought he may have heard a Western Wood Pewee calling near Port Orford's Ninth Street boat ramp on May 4, but did not make a definite ID until May 13 on Cemetery Hill. NW reported hearing migrating Swainson's Thrushes overhead on the nights of May 3 and 4. He encountered numerous calling birds in the woods around Geisel Monument on May 12.

Warblers too began slowly but by April 30, the OFOers had "rounded up all the usual suspects": Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Hermit, Wilson's, Common Yellowthroat, and Yellow-breasted Chat. Singing Wilson's in particular seem unusually numerous. NW reported a singing Yellow Warbler from Port Orford on May 3, and perhaps one of the last of the season's Townsend's on May 13. The OFOers also recorded Hutton's and Warbling Vireos, and NW reported a Solitary Vireo singing on Cape Ferrilo Road on April 30.

Two interesting sparrow species have also turned up in this period. DM had a Brewers Sparrow "singing it's buzzy little song [and] gobbling up my birdseed," from April 30 through May 2. The OFO crew also reported finding a Vesper Sparrow. On April 29, a Vesper Sparrow was reported just across the Coos County line, opposite the boat ramp at BLM's Storm Ranch, by DL & KC. By May 13, TR reported at least two, possibly three Vesper Sparrows singing from this same location.

Observers: Anne Larmer (AL); Buzz Sawyer (BS); Carrie Rogers (CR); Dave Lauten (DL); Don Munson (DM); Fred Hummel (FH); Jim Heany (JH); Jim Rogers (JR); Kathy Castelein (KC); Mary Ann Sohlstrom (MAS); Marilyn Green (MG); Nathaniel Wander (NW); Ron Larmer (RL); Sharon Prow (SP); Skip Russell (SR); Tim Rodenkirk (TR).