Field Notes

by Stan Harris

28 February - 23 March

A rather quiet month, reasonable weather most of the time.  Many thanks to David Fix for writing up last month’s column in my absence.  My trip to Costa Rica was a success.  Thanks Dave.  Abbreviations used: AB = Arcata Bottoms, AMP = Arcata Marsh Project; AOP = Arcata Oxidation Pond; CCH = Crescent City Harbor; EB = Expected Behavior; EL = Expected Locations; EM = Expected Migrant; EN = Expected Numbers; FR = Few Records; GW = Gee Whiz Report; HBNWR = Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge; ID = Interesting Date; IIT = Interesting, if true, mo = Many Observers; MS = Monitored Species; NC = Not Confirmed by a second party; SRB = Smith River Bottoms.

Red-necked Grebe (EL, EN): 1, CCH, 9 Mar (RF); 3-4, King Salmon/Fields Landing, 15 Mar (JT, SH, et al.): Short-tailed Albatross (GW!): 1 all dark bird “with a BIG PINK BILL” reported about 29 miles west of the Humboldt/ Del Norte County line, 6 Mar JB, thanks to JM, PS, EE for calling attention to this report  (good phone description, only the second ever Northcoast record for this species, the first was off Eel River in March of 2002): Laysan Albatross (FR): 1, about 31 miles west of the Humboldt/Del Norte County line, 18 Mar (JB): Brandt’s Cormorant (EM): 2, Trinidad Harbor, 15 Mar (MH): Great Blue Heron (EB): About 35 near or at the Table Bluff nesting rookery, 9 Mar (LC, DW): Green Heron (FR):   1, Eureka, 3 Mar (MM): White-fronted Goose (FR): 1, near Crescent City, 2 Mar (KR); 1, SRB, 16 Mar (KR); 1, with Aleutian Canada Geese, AB, 5 Mar (PS); 6 to 8, AB, 9, 18 Mar (MM, RH): Ross’s Goose (FR): 2, HBNWR, 8 Mar (RH): Aleutian Canada Goose (EM): 14 reports of flocks of 104 to 20,000 from SRB, Castle Rock, AB, HBNWR, Eel River Bottoms, and flying south past Wedding Rock and McKinleyville OP,  28 Feb-20 Mar (mo): Cackling Canada Goose (FR): 4, near Crescent City, 2 Mar (KR): Tundra Swan (EM): Only a few reports, local population seems to be down this winter; 2 flew past North Humboldt Bay, 25 Feb (PL); flocks of 25 and 70 flew north past Arcata, 28 Feb (JT); 170, Meridian Road near Ferndale, 3 Mar (CW); 20-30, HBNWR, 15 Mar (SH, et al.); 5, Alexandre Dairy, SRB, 16 Mar (KR): Wood Duck (EL): 1-10+ have begun to use the AOP throughout the period, a regular spring pattern the past few years: Eurasian Wigeon (FR): 1-2, HBNWR, 8, 17 Mar (RH, ST); 1, SRB, 16 Mar (KR): Eurasian x Green-winged Teal (intergrades)(FR): 1, Butcher Slough, 11 Mar (JW); 1, HBNWR, 17 Mar (ST): Canvasback (FR) : 1 female, Klopp Lake, 12 Mar (JW):   Harlequin (FR): 1-2, King Salmon/Fields Landing, 7, 15 Mar (MW, JT, SH, et al.); 1, CCH, 8 Mar (RF, BMcD):   Black Scoter (FR): 1 male, South Humboldt Bay, 7 Mar (MW): Common Goldeneye (FR): 1, Smith River, 6 Mar (KR).

Osprey (EM): 1, Arcata, 4 Mar (EE,FH); 2, AMP/AOP, 8 Mar (JT): Bald Eagle (MS): 10 reports of 1 to 3 from  SRB, vic Klamath, Arcata, 101x Indianola Road, HBNWR, Meyers Flat, 21Feb-16 Mar (mo): Ferruginous Hawk (FR): 1, vic Crescent City, 16 Mar (KR): Rough-legged Hawk (FR): 1, SRB, 5-9 Mar (PS, RF):  Merlin (FR): 1, King Salmon, 15 Mar (SH, JT, et al.); 1, HBNWR, 17 Mar (ST); 1, AMP, 5,23 Mar (JW,BC): Peregrine (MS): 7 reports of 1 or 2 from Prince Island, Smith River, AMP, HBNWR, 28 Feb-17 Mar (mo): Ruffed Grouse (FR, EL): 2, milepost 7 north of Somes Bar, Highway 96, Siskiyou Co., 12 Mar (GC):   Snowy Plover (MS): 5, north end, Clam Beach, 10 Mar, no bands (MW): Lesser Yellowlegs (EM): 1, AB, 18 Mar (RH): Ruddy Turnstone (EL): 4, Fields Landing, 15 Mar (SH, JT, et al.); 3, Trinidad, 15 Mar (MH); 4, CCH, 16 Mar (KR): Red Knot (FR): 1-3, Klopp Lake, 26 Feb, 4 Mar (PL, RF, JW); 4, Bay flat west I St. Park Lot, Arcata, 8 Mar (PeS): Rock Sandpiper (EL): 1, North Jetty, 1, 6 Mar (MW): Ruff (FR, ID): 1 male, HBNWR, 17 Mar (ST):  Pomarine Jaeger (FR): 1, mouth Mad River, 28 Feb (KR): Thayer’s Gull (FR): 1, Eureka, 4 Mar (RF); 1 (first year), AMP, 8 Mar (JT): Herring Gull (IL): 1 (first year), AMP, 8 Mar (JT):  Glaucous Gull (FR): 1, mouth of Elk Creek, CCH, 24 Mar (RH); 1, McKinleyville OP, 28 Feb (KR): Black-legged Kittiwake (IN): 10 reports of 1 to 100+ from CCH, mouth of Klamath River, mouth of Mad River, North Jetty, King Salmon, 28 Feb-14 Mar represents many more reports than in normal winters; some birds were reported on nearly every visit to proper habitats in this period (mo): Red-legged Kittiwake (IIT, GW, NC): 1, with BLK,  studied, described, ID based on red legs and short yellow bill, mouth Klamath River, 9 Mar (RF, BMcD), not found by many observers the next day: Caspian Tern (EM): 5, Klopp Lake, 26 Feb (PL): Forster’s Tern (EL): 5-30, AOP/AMP, 3-17 Mar (SH); 11-15, King Salmon, 13-14 Mar (MW): Marbled Murrelet (FR): 6, North Jetty, 1 Mar (MW): Mourning Dove (IN): 40, SRB (Goodwins Pond), 5 Mar (PS): Pileated Woodpecker (FR):1, Arcata, 4 Mar (RF); 2, Bayside, 8 Mar (PC, DC); 1, Eureka, 16 Mar (TL):Gray Jay (IL): ‘several,’ north of Trinity Village, 11 Mar (GC): Raven (IN): 44 together, McKinleyville OP, 14 Mar (KR): Black-capped Chickadee (EL): x, Shay Park, 21 Mar (FA); 2, BSLP, 15 Mar (MeH): Mountain Chickadee (IL): 1, BSLP, 23 Mar (AB):  Mountain Bluebird (FR): 1, SRB, 16 Mar (RT, AB, KR): American Pipit (IP): 1 with dull pink legs, Mad River Wildlife Area, 6 Mar (MW): Cedar Waxwing (EM): 30-40, Sunny Brae, 10 Mar (SH); 14, Arcata, 12 Mar (GB): Palm Warbler (EM): 1, BSLP, 15 Mar (MeH):   “Eastern” (Rusty) Fox Sparrow (FR): 1 continues at Sunny Brae feeder, seen daily throughout period (SH): White-throated Sparrow (EM): 1-4+, seen daily throughout period at Sunny Brae feeder (SH); 1, McKinleyville, 28 Feb (KR): Black-headed Grosbeak (EM): 1 male, near Trinidad, 20 Mar (MH): Red Crossbill (EL): 4, east of McKinleyville, 11-18 Mar (HW).