Field Notes

by David Fix

28 March - 28 April 2005

Most of our spring migrants have arrived, some in numbers, while wintering raptors and waterfowl have moved out. Migrant waterbirds can be seen daily from coastal points. An amazing three Swainson’s Hawks popped up this month, providing Humboldt County’s 5th-7th records. Will White-faced Ibis make an appearance again this May? Godwit Days sightings not reported to the Bird Box were unavailable. Thanks, Stan, for the opportunity to write up our notes while you were out of town. In the interest of space, some Expected Spring Abbreviations have been omitted here.

Greater White-fronted Goose: 3, L. Cleone, 28 Mar-20 Apr (DT); 3-7, AB, 27 Mar-10 Apr (RbF, KGR, SCa); 2, HBNWR, 2 Apr (SFB); Brant: 75, w. of Eureka Marsh, 6 Apr (TWL); Wood Duck: 2, Big Lagoon, 5 Apr (KGR); 2, Outlet Ck. n. of Willits, 10 Apr (JTz, RGr); Eurasian Wigeon: 5 m., AB, 9-10 Apr (KGR, SFB); Northern Shoveler: 800, HBNWR, 28 Apr (DFx); Ring-necked Duck: 9, Big Lagoon, 5 Apr (KGR); 44, Outlet Ck. n. of Willits, 12 Apr (JTz, RGr); Common Goldeneye: 1, Trinidad harbor, 19 Apr (MHa); Harlequin Duck: up to 9, Virgin Ck. and Glass Beach, 28 Mar-20 Apr (DT); 1 m., n. spit, 17 Apr (SCa); White-winged Scoter: 1-2, Klopp L., AMWS, 29 Mar-5 Apr (m.ob.); Black Scoter: 1 m., n. jetty, 10 Apr (SCa); 1-3, w. of Freshwater Lagoon, 4/16&19 (JCP, DFx+); 1, Trinidad harbor, 19 Apr (MHa); White-tailed Kite: 1, s. of Laytonville, 12 Apr (JTz, RGr); Common Black-Hawk?: 1 possible, not confirmed, over HSU, 19 Apr (LR); Red-shouldered Hawk: 1, Douglas City, 27-29 Mar (DK); Swainson’s Hawk: 1, Manila, 17 Apr (JTz, RGr); 1, over s. Arcata, 23 Apr (JTz+); 1, Fay Slough, 26 Apr (BS); Bald Eagle: ad., Garberville, 29 Mar (JDS); 1, North Bay, 1&4 Apr (SFB, MB); ad. and juv., near Benbow, 10 Apr (JDS); subad. chasing Osprey with fish, Freshwater Lagoon, 16 Apr (DFx, JCP+); ad. there 17 Apr (BM); ad. and imm., AMWS, 23 Apr (JTz+); Golden Eagle: 1, near Del Loma, 1 Apr (SCa); Peregrine Falcon: 1, AMWS, 1 Apr (SFB); 1, Outlet Ck. n. of Willits, 14 Apr (JTz, RGr); ad., Freshwater Lagoon, 16 Apr (DFx, JCP+); ad., HBNWR, 20&28 Apr (DFx).

Blue Grouse: several “booming,” 23 Apr, Horse Mountain (JW, MP); Sora: 1, HBNWR, 20&27 Apr (DFx, RLeV); Red-necked Grebe: 1, foot of I St., Arcata, 2 Apr (RbF); 1, Crescent City, 9 Apr (PAH, RbF+); 1, n. spit, 10 Apr (SCa); Clark’s Grebe: 7, off Jacoby Ck., 4, Fields Landing, 2, n. jetty (all 2 Apr, SFB); 1, n. spit, 10 Apr (SCa); Green Heron: 1-2, Douglas City, 25-29 Mar (DK); American Bittern: 1, AMWS, 1 Apr (SFB); 1, HBNWR, 20 Apr (DFx); 1, Boyes Prairie, PCRSP, 27 Apr (DFx, KGR+); Brown Pelican: 8, n. past Mendocino Headlands, 23-24 Apr (RLeV); 5 imm., Trinidad harbor, 24 Apr (BAc); 1 imm., Gold Bluffs Beach, 24 Apr (GSL, LPL); Black-necked Stilt: 1, HBNWR, 30-31 Mar (SLw, RbF); 2 there, 21 Apr (GAB+); Spotted Sandpiper: pair “crane dancing,” Trinidad, 19 Apr (MHa); Wandering Tattler: 1, Glass Beach, 4 Apr (DT); Lesser Yellowlegs: 1, HBNWR, 2&20 Apr (SFB, DFx); 4 there, 21 Apr (GAB+); Solitary Sandpiper: 3, Fay Slough, 26 Apr (BS); “oddwit,” either Bar-tailed Godwit or aberrant Marbled Godwit: 1, with mixed shorebirds, Little R. estuary pastures, 21-22 Apr (KI, KB, RbF); Rock Sandpiper: 1, Pt. St. George, 9 Apr (PAH, RbF+); at least 3, n. jetty, 10 Apr (SCa); Red Knot: 12, Klopp L., AMWS, 9 Apr (BAc); 1, Woodley I., 20 Apr (GAB+); Short-billed Dowitcher: 350, HBNWR, 28 Apr (DFx); Whimbrel: 1, Klopp L., AMWS, 4 Apr (EE, SWH); 1, Del Norte St. flats, Eureka, 5 Apr (SCa); Cassin’s Auklet: 1, Trinidad, 19 Apr (MHa); Marbled Murrelet: many flying by, n. jetty, 10 Apr (SCa); many heard and up to 22 seen, PCRSP, on 16 mornings 5-22 Apr (DFx, KGR, SMcA+); 44, Trinidad harbor, 24 Apr (BAc); Rhinoceros Auklet: 1, Trinidad harbor, 24 Apr (BAc); Tufted Puffin: 1, Trinidad, 19 Apr (MHa).

Band-tailed Pigeon: 8, Douglas City, 28 Mar (DK); 20, daily, Sunny Brae, 30 Mar-6 Apr (SWH); probable Eurasian Collared-Dove: 1, Eureka, 27 Apr (LB-O); Northern Pygmy-Owl: 1-2 heard, PCRSP, 19-20 Apr (DFx, KGR, SMcA+); Short-eared Owl: 1, MRSWA, 9 Apr (SCa); Vaux’s Swift: 5, Arcata, 1 Apr (JTz); White-throated Swift: 3, Wagner Bridge s. of Benbow, 17 Apr (JDS); Rufous Hummingbird: 1 m., Arcata, 15 Apr (JTz); 1st at Kneeland 5 Mar, seen on 10 of 31 days in Mar (update, BBu, DVZ); Western Kingbird: 1, Crescent City, 2-9 Apr (ADB, PAH, RbF+); 2, Outlet Ck. n. of Willits, 10 Apr (JTz, RGr); 1, Requa, 22 Apr (DFx); 2, Crannell Rd., 26 Apr (FAn); Pacific-slope Flycatcher: 4, PCRSP, 6 Apr (DFx); Gray Flycatcher: 1, 24 Apr, Orleans (PAH, BCl+); Cassin’s Vireo: 1, Hewitt Rd., McKinleyville, 10 Apr (GSL); Warbling Vireo: 1, Eureka, 12 Apr (TWL); Loggerhead Shrike: 1, s. spit, 26-31 Mar (LK, BS, MWa, RbF); 1, mouth Redwood Ck., 3 Apr (KGR); Purple Martin: 1, Bayside, 11 Apr (DFx) and 24 Apr (RbF); several, Aldergrove Pond, 17 Apr (SCa); 1, from n. Klamath R. mouth overlook, 22 Apr (DFx); several, Eureka, 28 Apr (TWL, SLs); Cliff Swallow: 3, Kneeland, 30 Mar (BBu, DVZ); albino swallow: 1, Jacobs Ave., Eureka, 18 Apr, said to be pure white (TS); Blue Jay: winterer at Redwood Valley continued until at least 9 Apr (CH); Steller’s Jay: 40+, Kneeland, 1 Mar (update, BBu, DVZ); 1, AMWS, 23 Apr (JTz+); Gray Jay: 1, AMWS, 30 Mar (GC, EE); 1-5, PCRSP, many dates, Apr (DFx, KGR, SMcA+).

Cedar Waxwing: 100+, Douglas City, 16 Mar (update, DK); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: 1, BLR, 9 Apr (BAc); 1, Hiller Park, McKinleyville, 17 Apr (JEH, XQH); House Wren: 1, Todd Ranch, So. Fk. Trinity R., 15 Apr (TWL); 1, PCRSP, 27 Apr (DFx, KGR+); American Dipper: pairs nesting at Todd Ranch, 15 Apr (TWL), at Wagner Bridge s. of Benbow, 17 Apr (JDS), and under two bridges along Lost Man Ck., 16 Apr (DFx, JCP+); single bird heard along Boyes Ck. w. of Drury Parkway at PCRSP, 20&22 Apr (DFx); 1, Horse Linto campground, 23-24 Apr (TWL, SLs); Western Bluebird: several, Bald Hills, 22 Apr (HEB); Sage Thrasher: 1, Orleans, 24 Apr (PAH, BCl+); Nashville Warbler: 1, Aldergrove Pond, 9 Apr (BAc); Yellow Warbler: female believed wintering for her fourth year last reported 2 Apr at AMWS (RbF); 1, Eureka, 1 Apr (GSL); Myrtle Warbler: 15, Outlet Ck. n. of Willits (JTz, RGr—only two Aud’s.); Black-throated Gray Warbler: 1, AMWS, 10 Apr (SFB); 1, Redwood NP, 22 Apr (HEB); Hermit Warbler: 1, Redwood NP, 22 Apr (HEB); arrivals said to be “trying to take over the world” at Arcata Comm. Forest, 24 Apr (JTz, RGr); Palm Warbler: 1-3, AMWS, 9 Apr (SFB, BAc); 1, 2nd and H, Eureka, 14 Apr (GSL); one of several winterers still at AMWS, 25 Apr (BAc); MacGillivray’s Warbler: 1, PCRSP, 27 Apr (DFx+); Common Yellowthroat: 1, Douglas Cty, 26 Mart (DK); 3, Eureka Marsh, 4 Apr (TWL); Yellow-chested Brat [sic]: 1, BLR, 21-23 Apr (JhK, JW, MP); Wilson’s Warbler: 1, AMWS, 30 Mar (EE).

Northern Waterthrush: winterer last reported at AMWS 2 Apr (RbF); Vesper Sparrow: 1, Jacoby Ck. estuary, 2 Apr (SFB); Chipping Sparrow: 1, Kneeland, 24 Mar (update, BBu, DVZ); Grasshopper Sparrow: 3, first of year, So. Hum. Comm. Park, Garberville, 17 Apr (DW+); Swamp Sparrow: 1-2, AMWS, 1&4 Apr (SFB, RbF); 1 still there, 14 Apr (EE, DP); White-throated Sparrow: 1, Garberville, 9 Apr (JDS); 3 singing, Bayside, 18 Apr (DFx); Hooded Oriole: singles at Eureka, 28 Mar (BS); Bayside, 14 Apr (DFx); and AMWS, 23 Apr (JTz+); Bullock’s Oriole: 1, Outlet Ck. n. of Willits, 10 Apr (JTz, RGr); Lapland Longspur: 1, BLFH, 21 Apr (JhK); Red Crossbill: 3, Eureka, 31 Mar (TWL); 1, building nest, Patricks Pt., 5 Apr (KI); widely noted near coast in Apr (m.ob.); Evening Grosbeak 15-50, 20-28 Apr, Bayside (JS, MP, JM, RbF, DFx, JCP).

River Otter: 1, Butcher Slough, 10 Apr (SFB); Bobcat: one crossed Hwy. 101 just w. of Orick 26 Apr (KGR, DFx).

Observers: Brian Acord (BAc), Frank Anderson (FAn), Louise Bacon-Ogden (LB-O), Stephen F. Bailey (SFB), Alan Barron (ADB), Gary Bloomfield (GAB), Mary Brittingham (MB), Heather Brown (HEB), Barb Burek (BBu), Ken Burton (KB), Scott Carey (SCa), Bryon Cariss (BCa), Bob Claypole (BCl), Greg Crites (GC), Elias Elias (EE), Gary Falxa (GFa), David Fix (DFx), Rob Fowler (RbF), Rebecca Green (RGr), Melody Hamilton (MHa), Stan Harris (SWH), Pablo Herrera (PAH), Cathy Hinz (CH), John Hunter (JEH), Xiaoqing Hunter (XQH), Ken Irwin (KI), Jherime Kellerman (JhK), Lucas Knox (LK), Dale Kuhn (DK), Gary Lester (GSL), Lauren Lester (LPL), Sue Leskiw (SLs), Tom Leskiw (TWL), Steve Lewis (SLw), Sean McAllister (SMcA), Jen Millard (JM), Bill Miller (BM), Diane Pettey (DP), Jude Power (JCP), Mike Paladini (MP), Larry Rose (LR), Kerry Ross (KGR), Barry Sauppe (BS), Jay Sooter (JDS), Jessica Stauffer (JS), Tom Stokes (TS), Jim Tietz (JTz), Dorothy Tobkin (DT), Steve Tucker (STu), Dan Van Zile (DVZ), Matt Wachs (MWa), Doug Wallace (DW), Jared Wolfe (JW), many observers (m.ob.).

Sites Mentioned: Arcata Bottoms (AB), Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary (AMWS), Bear River Ridge (BRR), “Blue Lake riparia” (BLR), Blue Lake Fish Hatchery (BLFH), Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge (HBNWR), King Salmon (KS), MacKerricher State Park (MKSP), Mad River Slough Wildlife Area (MRSWA), Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (PCRSP). Call your observations in to the Bird Box at (707) 822-5666, write them on the sightings list at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, or send them to Stan Harris, 822-3802, 1595 Charles Ct., Arcata 95521.