Seaside to Yachats 8/3-4--BLACK TURNSTONE, SURFBIRD +15 Year Birds

Tufted Puffin,Haystack Rock

 

Things we don't worry
about-yet--in NJ

We spent the next two days along the northern coast, working our way south from Seaside down to Yachats, doing mostly sea-watches at different points. We started at the Necanicum Estuary, at low tide, a vast expanse of hard sand, where we watched scoters, pelicans, gulls (including our first Western Gull), cormorants, and a small flock of Western Sandpipers. An odd feeling to be on the west coast and know that the Semipalmated Sandpiper would be the outlier, instead of the Western. 

We moved down to Seaside Cove, where Shari & I got our first lifers of the trip, a SURFBIRD and 3 BLACK TURNSTONES standing next to each other on the rocks. They were scope views, clear ones once I located the dark turnstones against the black rocks, but much too far for photos. 

Haystack Rock

Black Oystercatchers, Haystack Rock

A little further south we came to one of the highlights of the trip, Haystack Rock, a massive outcropping just offshore, covered in alcids--Common Murres, Pigeon Guillemots, and most exciting, Tufted Puffins, which flew on and off the rock in impressive numbers. Miraculously, I was able to digiscope one of them sitting in the grass that covers a portion of the rock. We found Shari's favorite genus of shorebird, Haematopus, represented there by the Black Oystercatcher. We also learned how to distinguish between Pelagic and Brandt's Cormorant, and for a little summer bonus, Scott found the first Harlequin Duck I've ever seen in summer. Common Murres, Haystack Rock

The next day we continued south, stopping at spot called Seal Rock where we found more alcids in abundance, but alas, not nearly as close to shore. Scope views of Rhinoceros Auklet and 151 Marbled Murrelets (obsessively counted by Dave, since it broke the eBird filter by a mile) were okay, but without experienced guides, I'd be hard pressed to identify them. They fall into the category of "if you say so" birds. 

At Yachats, after stopping at the state park there, we turned east into the Siuslaw Forest where we drove along Forest Service Roads, looking and listening. I guess the "best" bird we found was a Varied Thrush which we pursued down Forest Service Road 5500. It was fairly cooperative, staying in the road for long periods, but always in shadow (they apparently like shadow) so no one got to see a lot of color on the bird. Other year birds along those twisting, turning roads were Wrentit, Bewick's Wren, and Hammond's Flycatcher. 

Afterwards, we went back to the coast and walked out on the Mark Hatfield Marine Science Center and Estuary Trail, where we had some shorebirds, but nothing new for the year. Mark Hatfield. Pop Quiz: Can you remember who he was?*

*Oregon's 5-term liberal Republican (there's a dizzying phrase) Senator 1967-1997