Field Notes

by Stan Harris

28 October - 30 November 2003

Rather normal rains have returned to the Northcoast and we are into a wintertime, “not much more movement” migration pattern.  The last of our normal migrants have passed through or arrived, and now it is mainly a matter of survival for our wintering birds.  Visits to feeders are peaking out, while winter rains are making pastures available to all number of things by flooding invertebrates out and floating up seeds.  Berry, fruit, duckweed, and pondweed crops are being depleted.  We can expect a few late flights of loons and scoters along the coast and as snow accumulates in the high country, more and more robins, varied thrushes, juncos, etc, in the lowlands.  But, all in all, what you see now is pretty much what you’ll get for the next few weeks.  The past month has been pretty much routine, but did hold some surprises, noted below:

Abbreviations used: AB = Arcata Bottoms: AEB = Arcata-Eureka Bottoms:  AMP = Arcata Marsh Project: AOP= Arcata Oxidation Pond: BSLP = Butcher Slough Log Pond: EL = Expected Location: EM = Expected Migrant:  FR = Few Records:  GW = Gee Whiz Report:  ID = Interesting Date:   IIT = Interesting, if True, not confirmed by a second party:  IL = Interesting Location;  IN = Interesting Numbers:  MRWA = Mad River Wildlife Area:  mob = Many Observers:  MS = Monitored Species:  MOP = McKinleyville Oxidation Pond: NC = Not Confirmed: ND = No Details:

And away we go!  PACIFIC LOON (EM): As an example of normal migration: ‘many’, flying south past Wedding Rock, 27 Nov (PL, BC): RED-NECKED GREBE (EM): 9, Shelter Cove, 1 Nov (RS);  3, King Salmon, 15 Nov (RF);  1, lower Mad River, 18 Nov (KR); ‘gobs’ (when asked what that means, he said “about ten,” so  ‘gobs’ = 10!), Eureka Channel at Elk River Spit, 26 Nov (PL): LAYSAN ALBATROSS (GW): Although out of the geographic area  we usually cover, the arrival of “Al,”  the albatross that has wintered in Pt. Arena Cove, for the TENTH consecutive year deserves special mention, 25 Nov (GS).  Perhaps he/she is trying to establish a new nesting location, as this is the correct season for arrival on nesting grounds!   NORTHERN FULMAR (IN): 13 reports of 1-100 birds, from “northern Mendocino coast,” Shelter Cove, Table Bluff, King Salmon, Eureka Channel (GW), North Humboldt Bay (GW) (feeding on a dead wigeon!), Trinidad, Elk Head, Wedding Rock, and off Freshwater Lagoon, 19 Oct-28 Nov (mob), all seen from shore, is far more reports than usual:   PINK-FOOTED SHEARWATER (ID): 1, seen from Shelter Cove, 1 Nov (RS);  1, seen from  the mouth of Mad River, 18 Nov (KR): BULLER’S SHEARWATER (ID, IL): 3, seen from  Pt. St. George, 1 Nov (AB, JG);  4 seen from Shelter Cove, 1 Nov (RS):  SOOTY SHEARWATER (EM): only 1 reported, at Shelter Cove, 1 Nov (RS):  SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATER (FR):  “lots” (whatever that means), at Shelter Cove, 1 Nov (RS);  1, possibly 2, from Wedding Rock, 9 Nov (JT, RG): BROWN PELICAN (IN): 1500 (!), at mouth of Klamath River, 9 Nov (TD) must have indicated some special foraging opportunity for them.   AMERICAN BITTERN (MS): 7 reports of singles, 6 from AMP, and 1 at Big Lagoon, 1-27 Nov (mob) were more than usual: CATTLE EGRET (MS): singles reported at Klopp Lake, 29 Oct (RF), Moxon Dairy, 4 Nov (JT),  AB, 12&30 Nov (DC, FA), likely represents the same bird.  This species has become very rare in the past few years:  GREEN HERON (FR): a single seen at Klopp Lake, 10&25 Nov (SH) is about normal for this time of year. 

WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (FR): 5, pasture south of School Road, 11 Nov (SC);  1, MOP, 18 Nov (KR);  1, McKinleyville, 23 Nov (JH); could these all be part of the same flight?  SNOW GOOSE (FR):  20 flyby Laguna Point, Ft. Bragg, 26 Oct (DT);  2, MRWA, 3-8 Nov (SH, JT, RG, et al.);  1, Foster Road, 28 Nov (BA, KR): ROSS’S GOOSE (FR): 1 flyby with Snow Geese, Laguna Point, 26 Oct (DT);  1, AB/AOP, 4-12 Nov (JT, SH, et al): TAVERNER’S CANADA GOOSE (FR): 5-6, AOP, 12-13 Nov (SH): ALEUTIAN CANADA GOOSE (EM): only 2 reports, 1, MOP, 18 Nov (KR);  2, AB, 28 Nov (BA, KR):  BLACK BRANT (EM): 30, flew past North Jetty, 15 Nov (RF);  7, flew south past north Humboldt Bay, 23 Nov (JK): MUTT SWAN (FR):  1, Hookton Slough, 28 Nov (RSt, et al.):  TUNDRA SWAN (EM): 4-5, Butcher Slough, 1 Nov (MD);  4, AB, 1 Nov (SC);  3, AMP flyby, 18 Nov (SH);  13, AB, 28 Nov (BA, KR); x, Hookton Slough, 28 Nov (RSt, et al.):   EURASIAN WIGEON (EM): 1-4, AMP, 28 Oct-26 Nov, seen almost daily (mob);  1, 3 Hookton Slough, 13&28 Nov (MM, RSt et al.): BLUE-WINGED TEAL (FR): 1-4, seen almost daily, 28 Oct-27 Nov, AMP units (mostly BSLP) (mob): NORTHERN PINTAIL (IL): 1 migrating with a flock of scoters, Trinidad Bay, 19 Nov (MeH): CANVASBACK (FR): 1, Klopp Lake, 24 Nov (SH);  1, Big Lagoon, 27 Nov (BC), only reports: REDHEAD (FR): 1-2, AMP/AOP, 1-13 Nov (mob);  78, South Humboldt Bay, 20 Nov (MW):  TUFTED DUCK (FR):  1, Allen Marsh/Klopp Lake, 10-28 Nov, seen daily (EE, et al.);  1, different bird, South Humboldt Bay, 20 Nov (MW) (only about 18-20 previous northcoast records): HARLEQUIN DUCK (FR, EL) up to 10, Glass Beach, 19 Oct-18 Nov (DT);  1-2, North Jetty, King Salmon, 9-28 Nov (MW, RF, HB); 1, Trinidad/Luffenholtz , 14-19 Nov (JT, MeH): WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (MS): 50, King Salmon, 26 Nov (BA, KR);  80, from Table Bluff, 28 Nov (RSt, et al.)–another species that seems to have become increasingly rare in recent years:  BLACK SCOTER (FR): 13, Patricks Point, 9 Nov (JT, RG);  15, North Jetty, 15 Nov (RF);  2, Trinidad, 19 Nov (MeH): LONG-TAILED DUCK (FR): 1, Cock Robin Island Channel, 9 Nov (SC);  1, Elk Head, 9 Nov (JT, RG): COMMON GOLDENEYE (EM; EL): 4, King Salmon, 9 Nov (MW);  2, Big Lagoon, 2 7 Nov (PL, BC);  4, lower Mad River, 28 Nov (BA, KR, PL): BARROW’S GOLDENEYE (FR): 1 female, Klopp Lake, 26 Nov (SH): HOODED MERGANSER (FR): 4, Eureka Slough, 31 Oct (PH);  2, AOP, 1 Nov (SC);  1, Klopp Lake, 10 Nov (JT, et al.);  2, lower Mad River, 12 Nov (DC): BALD EAGLE (MS): only 2 reports; 1 adult, Eel River near Benbow, 11 Nov (DD);  1, Hookton Slough, 9 Nov (MW): NORTHERN GOSHAWK (FR): 1, Marble Valley, Siskiyou County, 25 Oct (AW): HARLAN’S HAWK (FR; ND; NC): 1, “gorgeous,” Bracut, 28 Nov (RSt et al.):  FERRUGINOUS HAWK (FR): 5 reports of 1 adult, AB, 30 Oct-30 Nov (KR, FA, RF, EC, GB) probably all represent the same returning winterer: ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (MS): 1, Arcata, 15 Nov (MaM).

GOLDEN EAGLE (FR): 1 adult, Orleans, 5 Nov (MaD); 1, Junction City, 21 Nov (MC, et al.):   MERLIN (MS): 5 reports of singles from AB, AMP, 28 Oct-24 Nov (JT, CS, SH): GYRFALCON (IIT):  1, reported flying north past Humboldt Bay jetties, 27 Oct (anon, bird box report, no name given, please call and ‘fess up’ so we can complete the record); 1 “large dark falcon” seen harassing Aleutian Canada Geese, AB,  3 Nov (KR):  PEREGRINE FALCON (MS): 17 reports of 1-3 from Shelter Cove, Benbow, Eureka Channel, AMP/AOP (most reports), AB, vic Trinidad, Stone Lagoon, 29 Oct-29 Nov (mob): GOLDEN-PLOVER sp. (FR, IL): 1, King Salmon, 9 Nov (MW): SNOWY PLOVER (IL; IN): 36, hunkered down in sand near South Jetty, 29 Oct (CW): LONG-BILLED CURLEW (IN):  200, Eel River Bottoms, 18 Nov (CW):  RUDDY TURNSTONE (EL):  1, Fields Landing, 26 Nov (BA, KR): RED KNOT (FR): 1-14, Klopp Lake islands, 8-18 Nov (JT, RG, SC, PL);  13, mouth Elk River, 17 Nov (KR): ROCK SANDPIPER (EL): 1, Laguna Point, 24 Oct-18 Nov (DT);  3, North Jetty, 15 Nov (RF): WILSON’S SNIPE (IN): 45, Copenhagen Road, 29 Oct (CW), plus 4 scattered reports of 1-2 (including 1 foraging in suburban Eureka in a gutter, mob): RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (ID): 1, King Salmon, 15 Nov (MW): HEERMANN’S GULL (IN, ID): 200 flew south past Wedding Rock in 2 hours, 27 Nov (PL, BC): MEW GULL (EM):  1000 foraging in one flooded field, AB, 29 Nov (SH): HERRING GULL (EM): 6 reports of up to 35 moving south past Wedding Rock, Elk Head, mouth of Mad River, AOP, Shelter Cove, 28 Oct-18 Nov (mob): SABINE’S GULL (IL): 1, flyby, Laguna Point, 24 Oct (DT): CASPIAN TERN (ID): 3, mouth of Elk River, 15 Nov (RF), 1, headed N, at Table Bluff 27 Nov (RSt et al.) : FORSTER’S TERN (EM): 4-15, AMP bay pilings, 31 Oct-19 Nov represent winterers settling in (mob): PIGEON GUILLEMOT (ID): 1, Laguna Point, 20 Oct (DT);  4, Shelter Cove, 1 Nov (RS): MARBLED MURRELET (MS):   2, Laguna Point, 18 Nov (DT);  4, Table Bluff, 28 Nov RSt, et al);  2, Trinidad Bay, 14 Nov (BA);  8 flew south past Freshwater Lagoon, 14 Nov (JT): LONG-BILLED MURRELET (GW):  1, (FIRST, EVER,  RECORD FOR MENDOCINO COUNTY),  off Laguna Point, 20-24 Oct (DT, et al.): ANCIENT MURRELET (EM): 5, from Wedding Rock, 23 Nov (DF, JP): BAND-TAILED PIGEON (ID):  4, Sunnybrae feeder, 28 Nov (SH): BURROWING OWL (FR): 1, Laguna Point, 20 Oct (DT);  1, Klopp Lake outer dike, 23 Nov (MW, EMcB, JK): SHORT-EARED OWL (EM; IN): 1-4, 28 Oct-13 Nov;  but then on 30 Nov,  23 (!) were seen, all of these at MRWA (JT, RG; CS, ST): 

LEWIS’S WOODPECKER (FR): about 20, Sanger Peak Road, Del Norte County, 1 Oct-14 Nov, seen almost daily (anon from Arcata Bird Box, no name given,  please call and ‘fess up’ so we can complete this record): SAY’S PHOEBE (FR): 1, Burnt Ranch, 31 Oct (AW): TROPICAL KINGBIRD (EM):  6 reports of singles at ERWA, Hookton Road, North Spit, west Arcata, Arcata Cemetery, and AB, 31 Oct-22 Nov (mob): NORTHERN SHRIKE (EM):  1, ERWA, 13 Nov (MM);  1, AB, 13-17 Nov (ST, KR, RF, MeH);  1, Pacific Shores, 1-11 Nov (AB, JG, EE, KB): CLARK’S NUTCRACKER (FR): 1, Marble Valley, Siskiyou Co., 25 Oct (AW): VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW (ID): 1, MRWA, 30 Nov (JT, RG):  DIPPER (FR; EL): 2, Willow Creek, 21 Nov (MC, et al.); 4, mouth of Maple Creek x Mad River, 24 Nov (JK), RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (IN):  flock of 40 (!), near Trinidad, 7 Nov (MeH): BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (FR):  1, near Trinidad, 7 Nov (MeH); 1, Ship-a-Shore, 11 Nov (EE, KB): VARIED THRUSH (ID): arrived in lowlands in southern Humboldt County 3-6 weeks later than normal (RS, DW): NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (FR): 1, Vigo Street Marsh, Eureka, 6-8 Nov (MM, PL);  1, I Street, Eureka, 5 Nov (GL): CEDAR WAXWING (ID): ‘big flock’ feeding on leftover grapes, Orleans, 17 Nov (MaD): ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (ID): 1-2, AMP, 27 Oct-27 Nov (JT, SH, et al.): NASHVILLE WARBLER (ID): ‘small flock’, Shelter Cove, 1 Nov (RS);  1 said to be feeding a young, near Trinidad, 7 Nov (MeH): NORTHERN PARULA (ID): 1, near Trinidad, 7 Nov (MeH): YELLOW WARBLER (ID): 1, AMP, 30 Oct-24 Nov (JT, PL, et al.): PRAIRIE WARBLER (FR, ID): 1, McKinleyville yard, 23 Nov (JH): PALM WARBLER (EM): 8 reports of 1-3 at AMP/AOP, 29 Oct-24 Nov (mob): BLACKPOLL WARBLER (FR, ID): 1, near Trinidad, 7 Nov (MeH): BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (FR): 1, AMP, 29 Oct (JT, RF);  1 banded, Lanphere Dunes, 31 Oct (JT): AMERICAN REDSTART (FR): 1, Arcata Cemetery, 22 Nov (GB): NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (FR): 1, AMP, 30 Oct (JT): COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (ID): 1-4, AMP, 30 Oct-24 Nov (JT, PL, et al.): AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (FR): 1, mouth of Red Cap Creek, Klamath River, 30 Oct (EE, et al.): VESPER SPARROW (FR): 1, AB, 10 Nov (RLV): ‘GRAY-HEADED’ FOX SPARROW (IL): 1, AMP, 28 Oct (FA): ‘RED’ FOX SPARROW (FR): 1, feeder in Arcata, 30 Nov (GB, photos):   SWAMP SPARROW (FR): 4 reports of 1-6, Butcher Slough along AMP railroad, 30 Oct-16 Nov (JT, BD, SC, et al.);  1, Clam Beach lagoons, 5 Nov (DF);  1, Hookton Slough, 28 Nov (RSt, et al.):  LAPLAND LONGSPUR (FR): 2-5, MRWA, 28-29 Oct (JT, CS);  1 flying south over Elk Head, 9 Nov (JT, RG); 3, Lake Talawa, 1 Nov (AB, JG): CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR (FR): 2, Lake Talawa, 1 Nov (AB, JG): TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD (FR): 100+, Bald Hill, Ft. Bragg, 19 Oct-18 Nov (DT);  5-10, AB, 28-30 Nov (RSt, et al.): COMMON GRACKLE (GW): 1, Smith River Bottoms near Ft. Dick, 9-22 Nov (AB, JG, EE, KB); 1, AB, 28-30 Nov (RSt;   GL, LL, DF, JP, TL, JH, MW, GB, RH, CO)-- only the second, ever, Humboldt County record, the 1^st in 1975!