Field Notes

by Stan Harris

 March 19 - April 16, 2006

Spring Migration is on, most wintering ducks have left, wintering feeder birds are thinning out rapidly and new migrants are showing up daily.  The rains continued all month, but somewhat more intermittent than last month; we are still well ahead of normal for rainfall. Abbreviations used:  AB = Arcata Bottoms; AMP = Arcata Marsh Project; AOP = Arcata Oxidation Pond; BRR = Bear River Ridge; BSE = Butcher Slough Estuary; BSLP = Butcher Slough Log Pond; HWCC = Humboldt Wildlife Care Center;  KS = King Salmon; mo = Many Observers; MRE = Mad River Estuary; MRFH = Mad River Fish Hatchery; MRSWA = Mad River Slough Wildlife Area; NB = North Humboldt Bay; NJ = North Jetty, Humboldt Bay; RCE = Redwood Creek Estuary; SCW = Salmon Creek Watershed near Miranda; SRB = Smith River Bottoms.

White-fronted Goose: 8, V.  St. Loop, 21 Mar-9 Apr (SC); 6, Bald Hill, Ft.  Bragg, 23-29 Mar (DT): Snow Goose: 1 ad, Reservation Ranch, Del Norte Co., 14 Apr (OH): Emperor Goose:  1 adult, SRB, 7-10 Apr (OH, SC, et al., photos): Cackling Cackling Goose: 1, 2?, Bald Hill, Ft. Bragg, 27 Mar (DT):  Aleutian Cackling Goose: PS reported that direct counts for the population this winter was in the neighborhood of 50,000.  DuskyCanada Goose: 1, SRB, 29 Mar (OH):  Wood Duck: Somewhat late returning to AOP, but as of 9-10 Apr at least 10 birds were there (mo); 5, Bayside Golf Course Road, 1 Apr (CH):  Gadwall: 20-100 seen daily on NB south of AOP/AMP (SH): Eurasian Wigeon: 2-4, V. St. Loop, 25 Mar; 9 Apr (SC):  Blue-winged Teal: 1 male, AOP, 4 Apr (SH):  Cinnamon Teal: only 2 pair reported, 1 pair, AMP, 26-27 Mar (SH); 1 pair, lower Janes Creek, 1 Apr (GF):  Eurasian Green-winged Teal: 1-2, BSE, AOP, Klopp Lake and vic, 21 Mar-9 Apr (mo, seen almost daily):  Eurasian x American Green-winged Teal intergrade:  1-2 seen almost daily, Klopp Lake, BSE, Hunt Pasture, 24 Mar-16 Apr (mo):  Tufted Duck x Scaup hybrid: 1 reported on AOP, 9 Apr (KS, SFB): Harlequin: 8-9, Glass Beach, 27 Mar, 8 Apr (DT); 1 male, KS, 4 Apr (AL):  Black Scoter:  6, RCE, 19 Mar (JA); 2 males, 1 female, near Castle Rock, 31 Mar (RH); 1, Pt.  St. George, 10 Apr (SC): Common Goldeneye: 1-2, Gearheart Marsh, Klopp Lake, 20-30 Mar (mo):Hooded Merganser: 1-2 pair, SCW, 25, 30 Mar (KK).

Blue Grouse:  1 heard hooting, BRR, 13 Apr (DF): Ruffed Grouse:  1 seen regularly above Big Lagoon in Feb-Mar (JA, fide GL); 5 seen in 1.8 miles of trail off Big Hill above Hoopa Valley, 23 Mar (JT): Mountain Quail: x, SCW, 4 Apr (KK):  Red-necked Grebe: 10-15 reported in Entrance Channel of Humboldt Bay, 29 Mar (CC, LC): Double-crested Cormorant: 22 (!), mouth of Willow Creek, 14 Apr (TL):  American Bittern: 1, seen 4 times, Allen Marsh, BSLP, 21 Mar-3 Apr (SH):  Cattle Egret: 1 beginning breeding plumage, Hunt Pasture, BSLP, 20 Mar-14 Apr (SH):  Osprey have returned in force, 1-2+ seen almost daily on Humboldt Bay (mo); 5, Freshwater Lagoon, 2 Apr (CO); 2 on nest, Willow Creek, 14 Apr (TL):  Bald Eagle: 6 reports of 12 from MRFH, Fay Slough, SRB, KS, NB, 18 Mar-5 Apr (mo): Cooper’s Hawk: 1, acting territorial, Indianola Road, 16 Apr (JT):  Ferruginous Hawk:  1, BRR, 3 Apr (DF): Rough-legged Hawk:  1, AMP, 29 Mar (EE); 12, BRR, 3 Apr (DF):  Merlin: 7 reports (at least 2 birds represented), hawking insects flycatcher fashion off AMPtowers, 20 Mar-7 Apr (SH, AL, DF); 1, RCE, 2 Apr (SC); 1, Orick, 13 Apr (DR, SM):  Peregrine: 7 reports of 1-2 from AMP, South Spit, Lanphere Dunes, SRB, AB, 21 Mar-9 Apr (mo):  Sora: 2-3 still responding vocally daily at No Name Pond through 16 Apr (SH), but Virginia Rails seem to have either migrated away or have become silent as only 1 was reported, a bird seen running across BSLPdike, 4 Apr (AL): Coot: DF reported 3000 at HBNWR, 6 Apr, but numbers at AOP have declined from 300+ in mid winter to about 40 as of 10 Apr (SH):  Whimbrel:  5,RCE, 2 Apr (SC):  Long-billed Curlew: 1, RCE, 2 Apr (SC): Red Knot: 1, west end Samoa Bridge, 19 Mar; 1, Klopp Lake, 2 Apr (both SC): Rock Sandpiper: 2,North Jetty, 1 Apr (SC):  Ruff: 1 V. St.  Loop, 21 Mar, photos (SC): Short-billed Dowitcher: Birds arrived in force in 2nd week of Apr at NB (SH):  Glaucous Gull: 1 imm, Samoa Blvd, Arcata, 19 Mar (SC); 1 imm, Pt.  St. George, 10 Apr (SC):  CaspianTern:  14, MRE, 24 Mar (KR); 9, Smith River Estuary, 29 Mar (OH):  Forster’s Tern:  1-8, bay pilings at Klopp Lake, 21 Mar-6 Apr (SC, SH, DF):  Pigeon Guillemot: 1, MRE, 24 Mar (KR):  Marbled Murrelet: 7, MRE, 24 Mar (KR); 15, NJ, 1 Apr (SC), 6 (4 in winter plumage), NJ, 9 Apr (KR); 0-1, seen, few heard at Elk Prairie, 4-13 Apr (DF, KR): Horned Puffin: 1, picked up alive, Samoa Beach, turned in to HWCC, 16 Mar (fide KS).

Western Screech Owl: calling, SCW, 15 Mar (KK):  Pygmy Owl: 1, calling Elk Prairie, first half of Apr (DF, KR); 1 calling, SCW, 17 Mar; 4 Apr (KK):  Barred Owl: 1 calling, Elk Prairie, 12 Apr (KR):  Short-eared Owl: 2, MRSWA, 19 Mar (SC):  Vaux’s Swift: 1, Garberville, 26 Mar (JS, MT); 3+, AMP, 16 Apr (SH, BT); 1-2 vic Bayside, 16 Apr (JT): White-throated Swift: 5, 1 mile north of Benbow, 26 Mar (JS, MT): Acorn Woodpecker:  1, Monument Road above Rio Dell, 3 Apr (DF); 1, Fortuna, 14 Apr (MK): Pacific Slope Flycatcher: 1 singing, Cutten, 6 Apr (GL); 1 Indianola Road, 16 Apr (JT): Say’s Phoebe: Our winter invasion continued with these reports:  2,Orick and vic, 17 Mar (JA, poor but recognizable photos); 1, McKinleyville, 19 Mar (SC); 1, Lanphere Dunes, mid-late Mar (CJR, fide JT); 1, Bald Hill, Ft.  Bragg, 23 Mar (DT); 2, Patrick’s Point State Park, 24 Mar (KI); 1, Fay Slough, 26 Mar (PH, KB); 1, South I Street at AMP, 1 Apr (FA, et al.): Western Kingbird: 1, Willow Creek, 14 Apr (TL):  Western Bluebird:  2 pair, MRFH, 18 Mar (SC); resident birds at Kneeland (1-5 seen on 13 of 31 days in Mar (BB, DVZ); 2 males, 1 female investigating nest boxes, SCW, 3 Apr (KK):  Townsend’s Solitaire: 1, Crescent City, 31 Mar (AB, fide RH); 1, along South Fork of Trinity River road, 14 Apr (TL):  Gray Jay: 2 by call, Cutten, 6 Apr (GL)  Blue Jay: 1 (extralimital), Brookings Oregon, 12 Apr (LS, fide PH):  Scrub Jay: 1, Monument Road above Rio Dell, 3 Apr (DF): PurpleMartin: x, Fortuna, 14 Apr (MK); 1 heard only, AMP, 14 Apr (SH):  Tree, Violet- green, and Barn swallows have become common by mid Apr.  Rough-winged Swallow: 1, Hiller Park, 24 Mar (KR); 1, Tyee City, 25 Mar (SC): Cliff Swallow: 3, AMP, 28 Mar (EE); 1, AMP, 15 Apr (SH, BT).

Mockingbird: 1, Freshwater Road, 29 Mar (RH): Orange-crowned Warbler: almost daily reports of 15 from AMP, MRFH, Shay Park, Sunny Brae, Benbow, 18 Mar-16 Apr (mo):  Nashville Warbler:  1, BSLP, 5 Apr (EE): Townsend’s Warbler: 1, AMP, 13 Apr (JC): Palm Warbler: our wintering birds generated at least 16 reports of 1-2 at AMP, 22 Mar-14 Apr (mo): Black-and-white Warbler: 1, AMP, 7 Apr (AL):  Northern Waterthrush: 1, BSLP, 18 Mar; 1, Allen Marsh, 25 Mar (both  JT, same bird?):  Common Yellowthroat: 1,AMP, 25 Mar-16 Apr (mo):  Wilson’s Warbler:  1, Ft. Bragg, 8 Apr (DT); 1, Davison Road x 101, 13 Apr (DF): Western Tanager: 1 window kill, McKinleyville, 15 Apr (CM, fide GL):  Chipping Sparrow:  1, Azalea Hill, 28 Mar (GL); 1, BRR, 14 Apr (DF): Harris’s Sparrow: 1,Crescent City, 1 Apr (JR):  Lincoln’s Sparrow:  1, AMP, 13 Apr (JC, GT):  Swamp Sparrow: 1, BSLP, 5-13 Apr (EE, AL, CR): Slate-colored Junco: 1, McKinleyville, 24 Mar (KR); 1, Ft. Bragg, 5-6 Apr (DT); 1, Cummings Road, 10 Apr (JA):  Red Crossbill: 3, Cummings Road, 21 Mar (TL); 13, Hiller Park, 24 Mar (KR); 1 pair, Sunny Brae, 26-27 Mar (SH).

Many thanks to the following who shared reports with us this month: Jeff Allen, Frank Anderson, Jan Anderson, Stephen F.  Bailey, Alan Barron, Barbara Burek, Ken Burton, Scott Carey, Janette Carroll, Chris Conra, Lea Copes, Gary Crites, Elias Elias, David Fix, Gigi Floyd, Stan Harris, Owen Head, Pablo Herrera, Robert Hewitt, Christine Hiel, Denise Homer, Ken Irwin, Michael Kaufmann, Kyle Keegan, Alexandra Lamb, Tom Leskiw, Gary Lester, Carl Meyers, Stephanie Morrissette, Chet Ogan, C.  J. Ralph, Cameron Rognan, Jim Rooney, Keith Slauson, Jay Sooter, Paul Springer, Linda Steele, Margaret Taylor, Gwen Thole, Jim Tietz, Dorothy Tobkin, Lauren Tompkins, Bonnie Trejo, Eric Wilson, Dan Van Zile: We are saddened by news of the death of Margaret Varga, one of our special people.  Please call future reports to the Arcata Bird Box (707) 8225666, to me at (707) 822-3802, send them to me at 1595 Charles Ct., Arcata, 95521, or write them on the observation board at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center.  If I have fractured the spelling of your name above, accept my apologies, it is not always easy to get it right from an abbreviated recording over the phone; please call and correct me.