July 2 to November 7, 2000
by Jim Rogers

With the late-summer migration of Nathaniel Wander to the Salem area, I've volunteered to cover the birding beat for awhile. These records are used by Oregon Birds and sometimes others to document the occurrence of noteworthy birds in the state. It is customary to list the observations in a straightforward manner in taxonomic order, but I find it more edifying, on a local basis, to list them chronologically and to discuss observations. Howls of protest may result in reverting to the scientific method!

July 2 - A Dickcissel was found by Don Munson and Ken Goldwater on Oceanview Drive in Harbor. This was the second record of this species in Curry County (the first being discovered in 1993 by Alice Pfand at her home in Port Orford) and, to my knowledge, the eighth for Oregon. This bird that resembles a small meadowlark is normally found in the grasslands of the Great Plains, but occasionally one wanders out to the West Coast.

July 3 - An Eastern kingbird was spotted by Terry Wahl on the family sheep ranch in the lower Elk River valley. There are only half a dozen or so reports of this species in Curry County, though they are regular breeding birds in much of Eastern Oregon.

July 7 - A Semipalmated sandpiper was observed by Don Munson and Ken Goldwater at the Rogue River boat basin. This shorebird breeds in the northern Arctic and migrates east of the Rocky Mountains to its wintering grounds in South America. Every year a few juveniles inadvertently migrate down the West Coast with other West Coast shorebirds.

July 12 - While moving sheep on the ranch, Terry Wahl heard an unknown bird (not an easy feat over the din of sheep and ATV)! A search of the riparian brush where the bird was heard revealed a female American redstart. Subsequent investigations revealed a second redstart - a young male. The pair remained in the brush patch until early September. There are about a dozen Curry County records for this eastern warbler (none in July), but they have been known to breed locally in the Blue and Wallowa Mountains as well as the east slope of the Southern Cascades. As far as is known, the Wahl ranch pair didn't breed though the male did occasionally sing.

July 24 - Another Semipalmated sandpiper was observed, this one by Terry Wahl on the Elk River estuary.

August 18 - A Clark's nutcracker was spotted by Colin Dillingham at Bear Camp on the eastern edge of Curry County. These Cascade Mountain corvids are usually absent from Curry County, but occasionally show up here in the fall. This one proved to be the first of several. Read on . . .

August 22 - A Bobolink was found in Pistol River by Don Munson and Ken Goldwater for the third Curry County record of this east-of -the-Cascades species.

August 25 - A Clark's nutcracker was located at Bear Camp by Dennis Vroman, while at the other extreme of the county, a Yellow-headed blackbird showed up at the Wahl barn in the Elk River estuary. These eastside blackbirds occasionally visit the coast.

August 28 - A female American redstart and a Lapland longspur showed up an Sharyn Becker's yard about 8 miles up Elk River from the highway. They spent the afternoon, but apparently departed before the following morning.

August 30 - A Lark sparrow visited the Wahl barn for a few hours. There were only a couple of other records for Curry County prior to one showing up at the Wahl ranch last year. They're not uncommon in the upper Rogue Valley and east of the Cascades, but rarely venture to the coast.

September 1 - An American avocet was discovered by Don Munson and Ken Goldwater at the Rogue River boat basin. Although avocets are abundant summer residents on the alkaline lakes of eastern Oregon, it is extremely rare to find one on the coast. I believe this was the second record for Curry County. Yet another Clark's nutcracker was found in the county, this one by Mike Miller on Signal Buttes.

September 2 - Several local birders, including Terry Wahl, Nathaniel Wander, Carrie Rogers and myself boarded the Barbara Kay out of Bandon for a visit to an unexplored area of Curry County about 50 miles west of Cape Blanco. We saw untold thousands of Sooty Shearwaters and Red phalaropes, hundreds of Black-footed albatrosses and Cassin's auklets, handfuls of Northern fulmars, Pink-footed shearwaters, Buller's shearwaters, Fork-tailed storm petrels, Pomarine jaegars, Long-tailed jaegars and Sabine's gulls and a lone Parasitic jaegar. A 25 knot wind and the resulting motion of the boat led about half the passengers to chum the birds. I believe I was first, but Nathaniel beat me for volume!

September 6 - A White-winged dove was seen by Colin Dillingham at the mouth of the Rogue. This was only the second record for this southern desert species in Curry County and the fifth that I'm aware of for Oregon. On the same day a very odd dove showed up at Anne Larmer's feeder in Port Orford along with the usual Mourning doves. A study of her field guides led to the conclusion that this was a Ringed turtle dove! Ringed turtle doves (or RTDs as they are fondly known to birders) are an introduced African species found in a few locales in Los Angeles (most notably Olvera Street in the oldest part of the city). The most likely conclusion regarding this individual is that is was brought to Port Orford as a caged bird and released. It is still showing up at the Larmer's feeder, often in the company of a Mourning dove.

September 15 - Another Yellow-headed blackbird showed up at the Wahl barn on the lower Elk where it remained for the day before departing.

September 16 - A rare Upland sandpiper was spotted just north of the county line on New Lake by Rick McKenzie. Last year the first (and only) Curry County record for this species was recorded by Rick's cousin Terry Wahl on the Wahl ranch in Elk River. This was only the second record for this species in Western Oregon. There are a few scattered nesting sites in Eastern Oregon for this bird of the Great Plains.

September 19 - Don Munson, Ken Goldwater, Buzz Stewart and Terry Wahl visited Chetco Lake in hopes of adding Clark's nutcracker to their Curry County lists and found five or six!

September 28 - 3 Lapland longspurs were discovered by Terry Wahl on the Wahl ranch.

October 9 - The first Palm warbler of the season was spotted by Tooz Wahl on the Wahl ranch followed shortly thereafter by her brother Terry's discovery of a Clay-colored sparrow. These species are rarely seen west of the Rockies.

October 14 - A Horned lark was found by Don Munson at the Pistol River estuary.

October 21 - Rick McKenzie reported an immature Blue-gray gnatcatcher on the Star Ranch near Floras Lake. BG gnatcatchers breed locally in dense patches of buckbrush in the hills of the Rogue River in the Medford area and in mountain mahogany thickets in Klamath County. They are very rarely seen on the coast.

October 21 - Terry Wahl reported several very unusual visitors at the Elk River ranch: a Chestnut-collared longspur (he found one there last year as well - the only ones ever recorded in Curry County). This prairie bird had only been recorded five times in Oregon; a Sandhill crane (rarely seen on the coast); 2 Clay-colored sparrows (rarely seen west of the Rockies, and 3 or possibly 4 Rough-legged hawks migrating south from nesting in the arctic tundra.

October 24 - Terry Wahl reported 2 Say's phoebes and 5 Lapland longspurs at the Elk River ranch. Say's phoebes nest in Eastern Oregon but are rarely seen on the coast. Most coastal visitors are fall migrants.

October 28 - Horst Pfand observed 2 Mountain chickadees at his feeder in Port Orford. These birds nest in the higher elevations of Curry County but are rarely seen in the lowlands. Don Munson and Ken Goldwater visited Blacklock Point and observed 2 jaegars and a Pink-footed shearwater offshore for rare glimpses of these pelagic species. A lone Rough-legged hawk flew by - a welcome lifer for Ken. Don also reported widespread hordes of Pine siskins.

October 30 - Terry Wahl reported 2 Horned larks and 8 Lapland longspurs at the Elk River ranch.

November 1 - A Lapland longspur was observed by Ken Goldwater at the old mill pond next to the Fred Meyer's store in Brookings.

November 5 - Terry Wahl reported hundreds of Sooty shearwaters and several Pink-footed shearwaters about a mile off Floras Lake.

November 7 - Terry Wahl reported a Bobolink and 2 Palm warblers at the Elk River ranch!

Please phone of fax me your bird observations at 332-2555, or mail them to me at 95187 Elk River Rd., Port Orford, Oregon 97465. Thanks very much.