Towheeblog

A small group of birders–riding in separate vehicles–birded Lincoln County from Lincoln City south to Newport. Today was a great start to fall birding. I saw nearly 45 species myself. Birds seen by others in the group included Sooty Shearwater at Boiler Bay and Black Turnstone on Newport’s South Jetty, Horned Grebe at two locations. Our cumulative total was over fifty species without a single foray away from coastal habitat after we left desicated Baskett Slough’s overlook (where we had our only Bald Eagle of the day).
Then on the way home I saw a Rough-legged Hawk. He was standing in a field near the eastbound lanes of Hwy 22 about one mile east of Hwy 99 intersection.

The four expected species of gull numbered in the hundreds by end of my birding (around 2pm)–Western, Glaucous-winged, California and Ring-billed. At one point we were bery close to a Western X GW adult hybrid.

Highlights for me–
Boiler Bay: White-winged Scoter, four Parasitic Jaeger at top speed, first Red-throated Loons of the season, Common Murres in bright sun, numerous skeins of pelicans, a lone Cackler (also my first of the seaso) who was patrolling the lawns with crows and gulls.
Hatfield Nature Trail along Yaquina Bay: five species of shorebird at the far southwest finger of the bay, none unusual, all far away; father and juvenile pair of murres swimming together at close range; peregrine and red-shoulder in the air.
Newport South Jetty was our richest spot: two more loon sp. including Commons in breeding plumage, Red-necked Grebes, two female Harlequin, our only Heermann’s Gull, our only Rhino Auklets.

Some Common Loonacy:

Click on middle image to make the loons appear.
Below: Pelican aloft; Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorants at rest; Harlequins on the rocks with G-w Gull in fireground; our only Heermann’s Gull of the day. All along the Yaquina estuary.

Boiler Bay State Wayside, Lincoln, Oregon, US
Sep 22, 2021
15 species (+1 other taxa)

Cackling Goose  1
Surf Scoter  40
White-winged Scoter  8
Parasitic Jaeger  4
Common Murre  10
Western Gull  X
Glaucous-winged Gull  X
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  X
Red-throated Loon  4
Brandt’s Cormorant  X
Pelagic Cormorant  X
Double-crested Cormorant  X
Brown Pelican  180
American Crow  50
Savannah Sparrow  2
Brewer’s Blackbird  X

Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail, Lincoln, Oregon, US
Sep 22, 2021
29 species

Canada Goose  X
American Wigeon  X
Northern Pintail  X
Whimbrel  X
Long-billed Curlew  X
Marbled Godwit  X
Short-billed Dowitcher  X
Greater Yellowlegs  X
Common Murre  2
Ring-billed Gull  X
Western Gull  X
California Gull  X
Glaucous-winged Gull  X
Brandt’s Cormorant  X
Pelagic Cormorant  X
Double-crested Cormorant  X
Brown Pelican  X
Great Blue Heron  8
Great Egret  15
Turkey Vulture  5
Cooper’s Hawk  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  1
Belted Kingfisher  1
Peregrine Falcon  1
American Crow  X
European Starling  X
Savannah Sparrow  X
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Brewer’s Blackbird  X

Yaquina River–SE Jetty Way, Lincoln, Oregon, US
Sep 22, 2021
24 species

Canada Goose  4
Northern Shoveler  2
American Wigeon  1
Green-winged Teal  2
Harlequin Duck  2
Surf Scoter  2
Red-necked Grebe  8
Common Murre  X
Rhinoceros Auklet  3
Heermann’s Gull  1
Ring-billed Gull  X
Western Gull  X
California Gull  X
Glaucous-winged Gull  X
Pacific Loon  1
Common Loon  3
Brandt’s Cormorant  X
Pelagic Cormorant  X
Double-crested Cormorant  X
Brown Pelican  X
Great Blue Heron  1
American Crow  X
White-crowned Sparrow  3
Savannah Sparrow  2