Towheeblog

Ever been to Boiler Bay when the wind didn’t blow, no white caps, sunshine? Well, we timed our Salem Audubon birding trip on such a day–Jan. 14, 2022!

What I at first thought would be a Common Murre, I now realize was the Ancient Murrelet, close to shore on north side of the point. Much nearer than the Pacific Loon diving through the ribbons of green foam much further out. There was a pair of mature eagles, oystercatchers giving us their customary calls, a turnstone fly-by and a sharpie in the forest canopy east of the road.
Siletz Bay was rich with birds, and some of us did the Alder Island Trail to end the expedition. Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers, Westerns and one Horned Grebe, Common Goldeneyes, Golden-crowns (kinglets and sparrows), Pacific and Red-throated Loons.
At D River we looked the gulls in the eye and they did the same to us. Two of our group saw the Sanderlings as they departed. The local crow syndicate mobbed a perched red-tail next to Devil’s Lake, giving the big guy a devil of a time.

A quick survey of Baskett Slough turned up a quartet of swans, thousands of geese and ducks. Eagles, red-tails, kestrel, harrier. We didn’t see a raven until we neared Grande Ronde.

COASTAL GALLERY OF THE DAY

The two bays–marshy Siletz and then rocky, wave-washed Boiler. Siletz protected from opwen ocean by long sand spit with its dozens of lounging harbor seals. Boiler Bay open directly the the west and the incoming winds and waves, beloved by Pelagic Cormorants. The Golden-crowned Sparrow was in a flock at Alder Island where one was eating fresh blackberries, perched on a cane that bore white flowers. Blackberry season must be year-round in Lincoln City.

Lincoln County roadsides, Lincoln, Oregon, US–includes D River
Jan 14, 2022
16 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  X
Mallard  X
Surf Scoter  X
Western Grebe  X
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  X
Western Gull  X
California Gull  X
Glaucous-winged Gull  X
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  X
Double-crested Cormorant  X
Great Blue Heron  X
American Kestrel  X
California Scrub-Jay  X
American Crow  X
Common Raven  X
European Starling  X
Brewer’s Blackbird  X

Siletz Bay NWR, Lincoln, Oregon, US
Jan 14, 2022
22 species (+1 other taxa)

Surf Scoter  X
Bufflehead  X
Common Goldeneye  5
Hooded Merganser  3
Red-breasted Merganser  6
Horned Grebe  1
Western Grebe  2
Western Gull  X
Glaucous-winged Gull  X
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid)  X
Red-throated Loon  2
Pacific Loon  1
Double-crested Cormorant  6
Great Blue Heron  3
Great Egret 1
Belted Kingfisher  1
American Kestrel  1
American Crow  X
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  X
Golden-crowned Kinglet  4
Marsh Wren  X–seen by one of our group
Golden-crowned Sparrow  12
Song Sparrow  X

Boiler Bay State Wayside, Lincoln, Oregon, US
Jan 14, 2022
13 species

Surf Scoter  X
Western Grebe  X
Black Oystercatcher  3
Black Turnstone  3
Ancient Murrelet  1
Western Gull  X
Glaucous-winged Gull  X
Pacific Loon  1
Pelagic Cormorant  15
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1     acrossd the highway to the east
Bald Eagle  2
American Crow  20
Brewer’s Blackbird  15