May 25 to July 11, 2000
by Nathaniel Wander

(Nathaniel Wander regrets to announce this will be his last Storm Petrel column. He has accepted a position with the Marion County Health Department, and will be moving to Salem on July 24. He wishes to thank KAS for the many opportunities it has given him to develop his ecological and environmental interests.)

This continues to be an unusual and exciting year for coastal bird sightings. Curiosities include birds that should have migrated or nested considerably east of our area, notably White-faced Ibis and Blue-winged Teal.

On July 9, NW observed one adult and five juvenile Brown Pelicans peacefully feeding with a breeding-plumaged Pacific Loon off Rocky Point south of Port Orford. Suddenly there appeared five Heermann's Gulls who began chivying them for food, diving on them, pecking at their pouches. Some "expert" birders said this was a common association of species, but weren't sure what the pelicans got out of it, save possibly for the odd gull in lean times.

EK seems to be a Green Heron magnet. He had one on May 28 on the lower Chetco, June 18 on Garrison Lake, June 25 on Lake Earl, and July 6 on the Floras Lake outlet. While no American Bitterns have been observed around Garrison Lake for more than a year, as many as twelve different birds were counted during the June 25 Lake Earl canoe/kayak trip. Breeding bitterns are an indicator of good marsh/lake health.

Blue-winged Teal have were reported in unusual numbers from Arcata to Astoria all summer. DM saw a male on the seasonal stream that joins near the mouth of Pistol River in central Curry at the end of May, and NW found it still present on June 3. On June 7, TW reported four on his Cape Blanco ranch, and NW counted at least 22, three-quarter's of them male, in the Gold Beach boat basin on June 8. At least one pair was still present for CD the next day. Another male appeared as late as July 3 on Port Orford's effluent ponds (NW).

Wood Ducks, however, seem to be doing poorly. NW reports that the few accompanied females seen around Port Orford through June and July have had only one to four chicks. Typically their clutches are of a dozen or two!—one female often raises the eggs of others laid in her cavity nest—and such small hatches do not bode well.

A pair of early returning Lesser Scaup were reported by NW in the Port Orford harbor on July 1. White-faced Ibis, strikingly iridescent green and bronze waders way off their usual territories, have also been reported in extraordinary numbers the length of the coast. On the evening of May 22, DM sighted approximately 30 flying north along the Harbor shore, and apparently the same flock was sighted by KG in north Brookings a few minutes later. TW reported 18 on his ranch on May 26, at least one of which stuck around long enough for JR to get a look at it. EK & NW had to travel south to Smith River to get their look on May 28. CD & AD saw one flying south past Harbor on July 11, so now they're going home.

On May 25, TW reported that he and his sister watched a Swainson's Hawk at close range on their Cape Blanco ranch until it was driven off by a crow and three ravens.

DL & KC reported a breeding-plumaged Sharp-tailed Sandpiper on May 24 along a Curry County stretch of New River. As far as anyone can determine, this was the first spring report of this species anywhere in Oregon. On June 17, JC & FC observed an American Avocet at the mouth of Hubbard Creek, which appears to be only the third county record for this species. NW believes he observed a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper among a flock of Westerns on Sixes River on July 6, but questions have been raised about such an early-in-the-season sighting. Returning sandpipers were being reported in growing numbers from Coos County, and should be increasing in Curry too.

NW reported that the "famous Nesika Beach Bank Swallows" had begun rebuilding their colonies in the sand cliffs by May 20. He counted five colonies containing respectively 2-8-28-23-7 tunnels, and at least three dozen individuals hawking for insects and flying in and out of the burrows. Swallows may have gotten a late start this spring, but Tree and Violet-greens were successfully hatching third broods well into July, and Northern Rough-wing burrows were active along the Sixes River. DL & KC reported three Black swifts flying north past Floras Lake on May 30.

Kingbirds lingered late this year. NW reported a Western near Pistol River on June 2, while TW observed an Eastern in very worn plumage near Cape Blanco on July 3. He said it was the latest date he'd seen the species in the last four years.

On June 25, TW discovered a pair of American Redstarts (later seen by JR and NW) on his Cape Blanco ranch. Later he observed a third bird, and indications of possible nesting/breeding. DV has been bird-counting and mist-netting at the Bear Camp monitoring station up in the Kalmiopsis throughout the migratory season. His most unusual find may have been a Cassin's Vireo on May 25. On July 5, TR had a singing Nashville Warbler near Iron Mountain, usual for that far west.

AL observed a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at her Port Orford feeder on June 8. KB had previously noticed a curious bird she described as resembling an overgrown White-crowned Sparrow at her P.O. residence, which may well have been a female.

On June 7, TW reported a Black-throated Sparrow from the Cape Blanco ranch, a lifer for him. A male Dickcissel was found singing along Oceanview Dr. in Harbor by KG on July 2, and later observed by DM. The bird was heard as late as July 11 by AD & CD.

Observers: Angie Dillingham (AD); Anne Larmer (AL); Colin Dillingham (CD); Dave Lauten (DL); Don Munson (DM); Dennis Vroman (DV); Evan Kramer (EK); Frank Cramer (FC); Jane Cramer (JC); Jim Rogers (JR); Kathy Boden (KB); Kathy Castelein (KC); Ken Goldwater (KG); Nathaniel Wander (NW); Tim Rodenkirk (TR); Terry Wahl (TW).