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6 Jan Re: Tis the season [Mike ] 06 Jan FW: Duck in a Truck [Jim Norton ] 06 Jan Bar-tailed Godwit Migration [Doug Robberson ] 6 Jan Re: Pheasant question ["pamela johnston" ] 6 Jan Northeast Oregon Birds [Margaret LaFaive ] 6 Jan Re: Pheasant question ["Karan & Jim Fairchild" ] 6 Jan Re: Harlequin duck at Netarts Bay ["Kathy" ] 7 Jan Re: Pelicans misbehaving ["HARVEY W SCHUBOTHE " ] 06 Jan Airlie CBC Rough-legged Hawks, Winter Wrens, G-c Kinglets, and bluebirds [Joel Geier ] 6 Jan Re: Tis the season ["Barbara Combs" ] 6 Jan Re: Tis the season ["Douglas Kirkpatrick" ] 6 Jan Tis the season [Don Schrouder ] 06 Jan Heron [Alan Contreras ] 06 Jan Re: White-sided Common Loons... [Mike Patterson ] 6 Jan another loon at Yaquina Head [Dwight ] 06 Jan Bandon birds [DJ Lauten and KACastelein ] 6 Jan February 21 pelagic trip: Laysan Albatross [Greg Gillson ] 6 Jan Re: Pheasants as self-sustaining species in Oregon? ["Darrel Faxon" ] 6 Jan Yaquina Bay loon ["Darrel Faxon" ] 06 Jan Pheasants as self-sustaining species in Oregon? [Joel Geier ] 06 Jan releases, escapes and feral populations [Mike Patterson ] 06 Jan Re: Pheasant question [DJ Lauten and KACastelein ] 6 Jan Re: Pheasant question ["Jeff Harding" ] 6 Jan Ring-necked Pheasant references [Greg Gillson ] 06 Jan Re: Pheasant question [Mike Patterson ] 6 Jan Eugene Birders Night ["Peter J. McClosky" ] 6 Jan Re: Rufous Hummingbird [David Irons ] 6 Jan Re: Pheasant question ["Dennis P. Vroman" ] 06 Jan Re: Loon [Mike Patterson ] 6 Jan Fw: Loon ["Darrel Faxon" ] 6 Jan loon video ["Darrel Faxon" ] 6 Jan Re: Pheasant question ["Wayne Hoffman" ] 06 Jan Re: Rufous Hummingbird [Mike Patterson ] 06 Jan Re: Rufous Hummingbird [] 6 Jan Re: Westside pheasants [Tim Rodenkirk ] 6 Jan Re: Pheasant question [Tim Rodenkirk ] 6 Jan Re: Westside pheasants [Norgren Family ] 6 Jan Re: Westside pheasants ["Wilson Cady" ] 6 Jan Re: Westside pheasants ["Mark Nikas" ] 5 Jan Westside pheasants [Norgren Family ] 5 Jan Re: Need ID Input ["Lee and Lori Cain" ] 5 Jan loon ["Darrel Faxon" ] 5 Jan Re: Pheasant question ["Mark Nikas" ] 5 Jan Winter Wrens and G-c Kinglets ["Marcia F. Cutler" ] 5 Jan Winter Wrens and G-c Kinglets ["Marcia F. Cutler" ] 5 Jan Re: Pheasant question ["Tom Crabtree" ] 05 Jan Pheasant question [Alan Contreras ] 5 Jan Re: Rufous Hummingbird ["Marcia F. Cutler" ] 5 Jan Fw: [birding] Re: Odd Duck on Airlie-Albany CBC ["Cheryl Whelchel" ] 5 Jan Re: From the regional editor: stuff I don't need details for ["Shawneen Finnegan" ] 5 Jan Re: AOU or ABA checklist in Spanish? ["Mark Nikas" ] 6 Jan Updated owl and wintering finch PHOTOS and QUIZ [khanh tran ] Subject: Re: Tis the season From: Mike <valleybirder AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 21:47:17 -0800 I think I've heard/seen display dives at my house during all months of the year, including the past three months. Mike Higgins Near Springfield High School On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 4:40 PM, Barbara Combs wrote: > There was a male Anna's hummer singing his heart out from my holly tree > this morning. Spring is busting out all over. > > On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 3:44 PM, Don Schrouder wrote: > >> While out front washing the car in these summer temperatures (55 >> degrees in Eugene), one of my male Anna's Hummingbirds climbed >> straight up to the sky, dove down just over the Magnolia, and pulled >> up giving its distinctive pop sound. These hardy hummers sure like to >> start early in the new year! >> >> Don >> Schrouder >> >> birdmandon AT clearwire.net >> _______________________________________________ >> obol mailing list >> obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org >> http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol >> > > > > -- > Barbara Combs obie '70 > Eugene OR > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol >_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: FW: Duck in a Truck From: Jim Norton <jimnorton AT jimnorton.org> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:34:53 -0800 http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/weird/Trucking_Duck_All__National_.html ----- Forwarded message from md AT teleport.com ----- Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 20:48:09 -0800 From: Sumner Sharpe Reply-To: Sumner Sharpe Subject: FW: Duck in a Truck To: obol-owner AT oregonbirdwatch.org Only in Minnesota : Duck in a Truck Gotta' watch this one................ Duck in a Truck CLICK HERE _____ Get a free MP3 every day with the Spinner.com Toolbar. Get it Now. __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3742 (20090106) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com _____ My Outgoing Emails and Attachments Are Certified VIRUS FREE!!! Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.3/1878 - Release Date: 1/6/2009 7:56 AM This message contains information that is confidential and may be privileged. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not use, copy or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained in the message. If you have received the message in error, please advise the sender by reply e-mail and delete the message. ----- End forwarded message ----- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Norton "The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat." - Napoleon Hill ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Only in Minnesota : Duck in a Truck Gotta' watch this one................ Duck in a Truck CLICK HERE _____ Get a free MP3 every day with the Spinner.com Toolbar. Get it Now. __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 3742 (20090106) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com _____ My Outgoing Emails and Attachments Are Certified VIRUS FREE!!! Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.3/1878 - Release Date: 1/6/2009 7:56 AM This message contains information that is confidential and may be privileged. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not use, copy or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained in the message. If you have received the message in error, please advise the sender by reply e-mail and delete the message. _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Bar-tailed Godwit Migration From: Doug Robberson <dlrobbo AT comcast.net> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:14:35 -0800 Forward by Doug Robberson Tigard, OR Dear all, A paper on the migration of Bar-tailed Godwits from Alaska to New Zealand has just been published in Proc Roy Soc B - it is available for free download, open access at http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/224x500552515823/ Happy reading David Melville (posted on behalf of the authors) >>>> Rgds -- Dominic Mitchell Managing Editor, Birdwatch Solo Publishing Ltd The Chocolate Factory, 5 Clarendon Road London N22 6XJ, UK Tel: 020 8881 0550 / Web: www.birdwatch.co.uk Save the Azores Bullfinch! Visit www.justgiving.com/priolo _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: "pamela johnston" <pamelaj AT spiritone.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 20:59:10 -0800 Having enjoyed pheasants in the midst of the suburban west side of Portland as a kid and the densely settled slopes of Mt Tabor as an adult, I have to throw in one more thought about Ring-necked Pheasants. They are vulnerable to dogs. Ring-necked Pheasants nested Mt Tabor Pk, and males wandered into the neighborhood and displayed from the roof of my house. I could count on seeing young and females, too. But that was before all of Mt Tabor Pk became an off-leash area, and by the time it had been shrunk down to a smaller area, the pheasants were all gone. Pamela Johnston _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Northeast Oregon Birds From: Margaret LaFaive <mlafaive AT msn.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 20:20:02 -0800 Eric and I just spent Saturday to Tuesday (1/3/09-1/6/09) birding in NE Oregon. The weather started out cold (it got down to 2 degrees in Enterprise Saturday night), but had warmed up considerably by the time we left Tuesday (it was about 30 degrees in the Wallowa Valley). There was about a foot of snow on the valley floor. They had a lot of snow over the weekend in the Union Valley, but it was really warming up as we drove through today. Here are the birding highlights: WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS Thanks to Kyle Bratcher, on our way out of Enterprise this morning, we found a flock of about 25 WW Crossbills along Fish Hatchery Road. They are frequenting spruce trees about a half mile east of the fish hatchery. Kyle has been seeing them regularly. GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH and SNOW BUNTING On Sunday and Monday we saw a flock of about 350 birds made up of 85% Rosy-Finches, 10% Snow Bunting and 5% HORNED LARKS. Both times we saw this flock it was along Golf Course Road about half way between Enterprise and the Junction with Leap Lane. Today we saw a pure flock of 250 SNOW BUNTING in the same vicinity. WAXWINGS There was a large flock of 300 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS in Elgin. On Sunday we found a flock of at least 300 Waxwings in Enterprise. These were mostly CEDARS with a few Bohemians mixed in. In Joseph there was a similar flock, but it was entirely Bohemians. There were also large numbers of AMERICAN ROBINS. All of these birds were feasting on trees with abundant red berries. (I'm not good with my tree ID, but these trees are all over in both Enterprise and Joseph and are really laden with fruit.) TREE SPARROWS We managed to see two small groups of TREE SPARROWS. One was along School Flat Road not far from the junction with Parsnip Creek Road. The other was near the junction of Crow Creek and Elk Mountain Roads. WILD TURKEY About dusk on Saturday there were 40 Wild Turkeys roosting in Cottonwoods along Highway 82 between Wallowa and Lostine. RAPTORS There were very good numbers of the expected raptors in the Wallowa Valley--with the exception of Golden Eagles (we didn't see any). Along Eggelson Road south of Enterprise there was a beautiful FERRUGINOUS HAWK with a HARLAN'S HAWK was nearby. We found a MERLIN in Joseph and another flying around Lostine. There was a NORTHERN PYGMY OWL along the Wallowa Lake road. EURASIAN COLLARED DOVES I know Eurasian Collared Doves are really not noteworthy anymore, but in January 2008 we saw about 10 in Imbler and last Saturday the same yard harbored at least 30. On the way home we birded at the wildlife area below McNary Dam. The combination of wind, a MERLIN and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK kept the passerines pretty much under cover, with the exception of a small flock of Cedar Waxwings and a few WHITE-CROWNED and SONG SPARROWS. We did see 30 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS roosting in the brushy vegetation around the ponds, and there were at least 5 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS at the base of the dam. Good Birding, Margaret LaFaive Portland, Or _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: "Karan & Jim Fairchild" <alderspr AT peak.org> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 19:45:25 -0800 And I would blame the loss of hedgerows/fencerows. Farmers may benefit from pavement-to pavement agriculture, but wildlife doesn't. I'd also contend that some canada/cackling geese prefer these larger fields for safer grazing--much to the chagrin of pavement-to pavement grass seed farmers. There's room and a welcome mat to turkey hunters at my place! Jim Fairchild 5 miles SW of Philomath ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Patterson" To: "OBOL" Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 8:50 AM Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question |I blame the Turkeys... | | We all need to get Turkey Hunting licenses and take no prisoners... | | | Subject: Re: Pheasant question | From: "Dennis P. Vroman" | Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 08:42:53 -0800 | | They are not doing all that well in the western part of the Rogue Valley | (Grants Pass/Applegate areas). The very first Grants Pass CBC found 53 and | it has gone down hill since. Your are lucky to see one in an entire year | now-a-days. Last year's CBC there were none, this year 1 was found in the | Murphy area. To my surprise, I spotted a pair on the IV CBC, a count 1st | (recent releases maybe?, by who?). | | Perhaps the most influential factor with their decline in the western Rogue | Valley is sub-divisions where there were fields. | | Dennis | | | Today's debate question: | | Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have a self-sustaining | population anywhere in western Oregon? | | | -- | Alan Contreras | EUGENE, OREGON | acontrer AT mindspring.com | | | _______________________________________________ | obol mailing list | obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org | http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol | | -- | Mike Patterson | Astoria, OR | http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ | | _______________________________________________ | obol mailing list | obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org | http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol | _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Harlequin duck at Netarts Bay From: "Kathy" <krallfamily AT comcast.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 19:37:04 -0800 We saw one harlequin duck on Netarts Bay Dec. 25. On Dec. 26 we saw either two or three, also on Netarts bay (I don't have access to my written notes at the moment), and on Dec. 27 we saw several in Tillamook bay (we had walked about 2 miles north on the Bayocean spit road). Kathy and Mike Krall_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pelicans misbehaving From: "HARVEY W SCHUBOTHE " <ninerharv2 AT msn.com> Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 03:11:16 +0000 Tonight, national network news did report on brown pelican crisis in California. Many dying! Don't have strength to go on. Is our abundance in Oregon that seemed so unique and neat part of a bigger problem and are these birds really in jeopardy. Word is they are not coming off endangered list after all. Harv m Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T -----Original Message----- From: Mike Patterson Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:32:34 To: ; Subject: [obol] Pelicans misbehaving I spent the morning in Seaside.  There were 62 BROWN PELICANS on the cobble beach at the Cove.  That alone is just wrong, given that Brown Pelicans are supposed to be in Baja by now, especially after all the snow and stuff.  But there were pelicans flying around downtown Seaside with the gulls and 40 or so more pelicans on the Necanicum across from the High School. But the topper was a swirling flock of 60+ in a thermal over Seaside Heights, 2 miles inland, that proceeded to head north after rising to a satisfactory elevation. This is just too many pelicans: http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ -- Mike Patterson Astoria, OR http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Airlie CBC Rough-legged Hawks, Winter Wrens, G-c Kinglets, and bluebirds From: Joel Geier <joel.geier AT peak.org> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:32:16 -0800 Hi folks, I'm looking at the preliminary data from Paul Adamus' compilation of the Airlie-Albany CBC here, and thought these numbers might be of interest based on recent comments: 18 Rough-legged Hawks 51 Winter Wrens 293 Golden-crowned Kinglets The Rough-legged Hawk tally is a very healthy number for this area. At one point in the day, my daughter Martha and I had three in our sights simultaneously, just half a mile up the road from where we had just left a fourth hovering over a grass field. The Winter Wren and Golden-crowned Kinglet totals do seem a bit low for this count circle, though access to habitat was limited by snow (state forest lands) and flooding (bottomland forests). 176 Western Bluebirds was an encouraging tally. 13 of the 15 sectors reported at least one bluebird. Happy birding, Joel -- Joel Geier Camp Adair area north of Corvallis _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Tis the season From: "Barbara Combs" <bcombs232 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 16:40:24 -0800 There was a male Anna's hummer singing his heart out from my holly tree this morning. Spring is busting out all over. On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 3:44 PM, Don Schrouder wrote: > While out front washing the car in these summer temperatures (55 > degrees in Eugene), one of my male Anna's Hummingbirds climbed > straight up to the sky, dove down just over the Magnolia, and pulled > up giving its distinctive pop sound. These hardy hummers sure like to > start early in the new year! > > Don > Schrouder > > birdmandon AT clearwire.net > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > -- Barbara Combs obie '70 Eugene OR_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Tis the season From: "Douglas Kirkpatrick" <kirkpat AT charter.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 16:22:37 -0800 "Hope springs eternal in the male ........ heart?" Doug Kirkpatrick Medford ========================== -----Original Message----- From: obol-bounces AT oregonbirdwatch.org [mailto:obol-bounces AT oregonbirdwatch.org] On Behalf Of Don Schrouder Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 3:45 PM To: obol send Subject: [obol] Tis the season While out front washing the car in these summer temperatures (55 degrees in Eugene), one of my male Anna's Hummingbirds climbed straight up to the sky, dove down just over the Magnolia, and pulled up giving its distinctive pop sound. These hardy hummers sure like to start early in the new year! Don Schrouder birdmandon AT clearwire.net _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Tis the season From: Don Schrouder <birdmandon AT clearwire.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 15:44:42 -0800 While out front washing the car in these summer temperatures (55 degrees in Eugene), one of my male Anna's Hummingbirds climbed straight up to the sky, dove down just over the Magnolia, and pulled up giving its distinctive pop sound. These hardy hummers sure like to start early in the new year! Don Schrouder birdmandon AT clearwire.net _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Heron From: Alan Contreras <acontrer AT MINDSPRING.COM> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:45:45 -0800 The Little Blue was in its usual spot just past the red barn .6 miles up Drift Creek Rd about 10:30 this morning, mixed into a loose flock of gulls and crows. It had a little discussion with a crow that tried to get into the feeding area - the longer bill won. Weather on the coast was medium-vile, 30-mile winds and a drenching mist. Other birds were very hard to find. Florence was slightly better, with a small flock of Herring and Thayer's Gulls. -- Alan Contreras EUGENE, OREGON acontrer AT mindspring.com Information on Coquille Valley CBC: http://cvcbc.blogspot.com/ http://oregonreview.blogspot.com/ ­ Commentary http://contrerasbirds.blogspot.com/ ­ Bird Photos & News _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: White-sided Common Loons... From: Mike Patterson <celata AT pacifier.com> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:23:07 -0800 http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_leche/82188631/ http://www.mainebirding.net/birds/img/common-loon1.jpg http://www.geocities.com/tgrey41/Pages/CommonLoonp.html http://content.ornith.cornell.edu/UEWebApp/images/KTK_111902_100001_L.jpg http://www.pbase.com/mctodd/image/89152189 -- Mike Patterson Astoria, OR http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: another loon at Yaquina Head From: Dwight <dinpdx AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 14:04:11 -0800 (PST) I saw the thread on OBOL regarding the loon in Yaquina Bay and so I thought I would share a recent loon sighting. I saw a loon on 12/30/08 while watching wales from the Yaquina Head Lighthouse north of Newport. The white flanks made me wonder if it was an Arctic Loon. One of the volunteers said it was a Common Loon, I didn't press her too much about it because she was counting whales. I don't think I even asked her about the white flanks. I took some digiscoped photos, the quality is poor but if anyone is interested they can be viewed here: http://birdshots.blogspot.com/ Good Birding, Dwight Porter Portland, OR _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Bandon birds From: DJ Lauten and KACastelein <deweysage AT verizon.net> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:37:30 -0800 1/6/09 Bandon Coos Cty There are now 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS at our feeder north of Bandon. I checked the feeder this morning that had the WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, but did not see it. I did see RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH there amongst other things. I saw the EMPEROR GOOSE, it was with the GREATER WHITE FRONTED GOOSE and the local domestics near the pond near the jetty. Also checked last evening for the mystery bird on Bandon Dunes but again could not find it. Cheers Dave Lauten Bandon OR deweysage AT verizon.net _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: February 21 pelagic trip: Laysan Albatross From: Greg Gillson <greg AT thebirdguide.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 12:54:15 -0800 Friends, Is LAYSAN ALBATROSS on your "most wanted" list? There are only 6 weeks until our first Perpetua Bank pelagic trip of 2009! Laysan Albatross is the primary target bird! Saturday, February 21, 2009 Perpetua Bank pelagic trip 11 hours from Newport, Oregon $160 per person ($145 early signup discount this week only!) The target birds are: Laysan Albatross (6 of 7 trips in February/March) Short-tailed Shearwater (6 of 7 trips in February/March) Ancient Murrelet (4 of 7 trips in February/March) Expect good numbers of Northern Fulmars, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and Rhinoceros Auklets. Regulars include: Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmar, Sooty Shearwater, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Western Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Common Murre, Cassin's Auklet, Marbled Murrelet, Rhinoceros Auklet. Birds on or near the jetties as we go out the bay include: Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Rock Sandpiper, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Harlequin Duck, Red-necked Grebe, Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, and others. Marine mammals have included Gray Whale, Harbor Porpoise, Dall's Porpoise, Pacific White-sided Dolphin, California Sea Lion, Steller's Sea Lion, Northern Fur Seal, Harbor Seal. The archive of previous Perpetua Bank trip reports are here: http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/archive_perpetua.htm You'll at least want to see last year's report with photos and narrative, when we saw a record 8 LAYSAN ALBATROSSES! http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/archive/03012008.htm Please check the full details and register at: http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/ Greg Gillson The Bird Guide, Inc. Hillsboro, Oregon greg AT thebirdguide.com _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasants as self-sustaining species in Oregon? From: "Darrel Faxon" <5hats AT peak.org> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 12:26:24 -0800 Joel, et al, From a different perspective: The two strongholds of what might be termed "self sustaining" populations of Ring-necked Pheasant in Oregon seem to be in the Columbia corridor between, say, Arlington and Pendleton (and north and south of those locations), and near Ontario. I have not been in the latter location enough in recent years to make any comment about the frequency of sighting birds there, or of any population increases or decreases. However, I bird Gilliam County rather regularly, and found it interesting that in the fall of 2008 I spent two days in the Condon-Arlington area without detecting a single pheasant. It was the first time I had ever birded in the county without listing this species. Also, last spring Laura and I were in Fossil, and just north of town noted a large pen holding perhaps five hundred of the birds. This location is just over one pass, and about forty miles, from Condon, so even birds sighted in southern Gilliam County might not in fact really be from self-sustaining populations. And I suspect the same thing is true around Pendleton and other Umatilla and Morrow County locations. Darrel ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joel Geier" To: "Oregon Birders OnLine" Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 11:24 AM Subject: [obol] Pheasants as self-sustaining species in Oregon? > Hello folks, > > Living next to E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area in Benton County, most of the > pheasants that I see each year are clueless, pen-raised "refugees" from > the annual fee hunt. These tend to disappear within a few weeks after > hunting season, no doubt due to a near-complete lack of survival skills. > Over the past decade at least, ODFW has released only roosters at this > site, so these wouldn't form a sustaining population even if they had > better a sense of how to use cover. > > I do occasionally run across hens which must come from some other > provenance. 3 or 4 years ago I ran across a hen with about ten fledged > young at Luckiamute Landing, so apparently there is still some breeding > going on locally, in the wild. Occasionally I've seen Sichuan-type > pheasants which ODFW no longer releases, so that also points to some > persistence of wild-breeding birds. > > However, it would seem to be very difficult to ascertain to what degree > these birds are part of a "self-sustaining" population, given that > private hunting organizations and individuals could be releasing pen- > raised pheasant hens. Perhaps ODFW has some data, if anyone is > interested enough to ask them. > > Happy birding, > Joel > > -- > Joel Geier > Camp Adair area north of Corvallis > > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Yaquina Bay loon From: "Darrel Faxon" <5hats AT peak.org> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 12:16:38 -0800 Obolites, Time to roll up our educational sleeves. In the past OBOL has proved useful in regard to sorting out the fine points in cases of difficult identification. I hope it will prove to be so in respect to the loon which we saw, and Cindy Lippincott videotaped, on January 3. As per my original post regarding the bird, at the time of the sighting, in spite of the fact that the bird showed an obvious white flank patch and posture consistent with Arctic Loon, I passed it off as an unusually plumaged Common Loon. After later reviewing the field guides I thought perhaps I had been mistaken, and I frankly thought Cindy's videotapes made a better case for Arctic Loon than did my impressions at the time of the sighting. Now that Mike Patterson has come out with a comment which agrees with my original assessment, I hope to initiate some discussion of the details of the plumage of this particular bird. If, as Mike suggests, this is a white sided Common Loon, just how "common" is it? I have been birding along the coast for about thirty five years, have seen thousands of loons,and this is the first time I have ever seen a Common Loon in this plumage. It must a very irregular thing for one to show it. At the time of the sighting one of my cautionary impressions was the bulk of the bill. It certainly looked larger than the bill is shown to be on Arctic Loon in the field guides. It was, as noted, somewhat shorter, but not necessarily slimmer than that of the accompanying Common. Just how significant is this mark on Arctic Loon? In the photos the bill appears to me to be slim enough to be within the expected range for the species, as compared with the drawings in the field guides, but how much overlap is there (if any) between bill thickness in Arctic and Common Loons? What about size? Standard difference between the two species is said to be five inches, but I have seen small Common Loons, and the Yaquina Bay bird from a few years back which received a consensus identification as an Arctic was a massive bird. I never saw that one in company with a Common, but it seemed to me to be every bit as large as most of them. The video was not as crisp as it might have been, but I cannot detect on it any signficant difference between the light and dark portions of the head that Mike suggests. Nor do I see in Sibley anything that would suggest such a difference, except perhaps for a slight amount of lighter feathering in the fore part of the neck on Common Loon. It looks to me that the video shows a dark border to the neck from top to bottom. Head shape: While looking at the bird, I noted that it had a flat crown, distinctly peaked in front, and somewhat less so in rear, and seemingly indistinguishable from that of the Common next to it. I see in Sibley no distinction in head shape between Arctic and Common, other than the fact that the former species appears somewhat finer and more delicate. The bird we saw appeared equal in bulk of head, which may be a factor, but what is the real distinction between head shape of the two species? As the views we had of the bird were nearly all from the rear, there may be some discrepancies between how the foreparts of the bird appeared to us and how they really were, but from what is visible in the video it appears that the entire foreneck of the bird is whiter and more distinctly delineated from the dark markings than would be expected on Common Loon. I will now have to spend more time looking at this feature on known Common Loons, but it seemed to me, both at the time of the sigting ( and in direct comparison with the Common) and while looking at the video that this was a distinctive feature between the two birds in question. The white flank patch on the videotaped bird looks to me to be shaped somewhat differently than that pictured in Sibley and other guides. Most of them show the high point of the patch to be at the rear, whereas the high point on the videotaped bird was more toward the center. I assume there may be some variation in this plumage feature on Arctic Loon, but is my assumption correct? Do we have photos, or enough of them, to support the importance ( or lack of it) of this particular feature? Another comparison seems worth mentioning. The Common Loon photos supplied by Mike Patterson show a bird with a white flank patch and some white intermixed with dark feathering along the sides. This is about what I would expect from a "white sided Common Loon". I would not necessarily expect that a similarly described bird would show immaculately white flank and sides as the Yaquina Bay bird showed, and as is depicted for Arctic Loon in the guides. With Arctic Loon, how much dark feathering, if any, is ever mixed in with the white sides and flanks? At this point I am much inclined to lean toward my original assessment, and that of Mike, that the bird at Yaquina Bay was an oddly plumaged Common Loon. But I think these field marks are worth discussing, and it would be interesting to hear from people who have more knowledge of them than I do. Of course, I suppose such a discussion might involve the use of the dreaded "H" word, so I just as well bring it up now. As Arctic Loon and Common Loon do in some places share breeding range, it seems the possibility of a hybrid between the two species does exist. Are there any such records in existence? Or even any suspicious ones? Just a thought. Darrel _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Pheasants as self-sustaining species in Oregon? From: Joel Geier <joel.geier AT peak.org> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:24:44 -0800 Hello folks, Living next to E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area in Benton County, most of the pheasants that I see each year are clueless, pen-raised "refugees" from the annual fee hunt. These tend to disappear within a few weeks after hunting season, no doubt due to a near-complete lack of survival skills. Over the past decade at least, ODFW has released only roosters at this site, so these wouldn't form a sustaining population even if they had better a sense of how to use cover. I do occasionally run across hens which must come from some other provenance. 3 or 4 years ago I ran across a hen with about ten fledged young at Luckiamute Landing, so apparently there is still some breeding going on locally, in the wild. Occasionally I've seen Sichuan-type pheasants which ODFW no longer releases, so that also points to some persistence of wild-breeding birds. However, it would seem to be very difficult to ascertain to what degree these birds are part of a "self-sustaining" population, given that private hunting organizations and individuals could be releasing pen- raised pheasant hens. Perhaps ODFW has some data, if anyone is interested enough to ask them. Happy birding, Joel -- Joel Geier Camp Adair area north of Corvallis _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: releases, escapes and feral populations From: Mike Patterson <celata AT pacifier.com> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:11:02 -0800 As often as not, adding non-native species to the state leads us down this road of what counts and what doesn't. Should I count the Chukars I've seen in Clatsop Co. since they're on the Oregon list from established populations east of the Cascades? Does every Ring-necked Pheasant count equally even though there's a pretty good chance that a given individual is released bird in among the feral birds? We have pheasant "singing" out at Fort Stevens and along the Clatsop Plains. But we also have Guinea Fowl, California Quail, button quail and Bobwhites seen regularly, usually in the fall. Someone is almost certainly releasing game birds around here. There are those out there who advocate the removal of all introductions from "official" lists (not me, honest, I'm just the messenger). Crested Myna? Introduced and extirpated. Skylark? Introduced and nearly gone. House Sparrow (yes, House Sparrow), much reduced from it's peak in the early 20th century. The only real way to test the viability of these introduced species is to stop introducing them. Anybody see that happening anytime soon? -- Mike Patterson Astoria, OR http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: DJ Lauten and KACastelein <deweysage AT verizon.net> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:50:38 -0800 I'll second Tim's note that Pheasant is regularly singing on Coos Bay North Spit each spring, and sometimes we see broods, but not too often. I suspect they survive out there in small numbers, but I also suspect they are supplemented by the locals. I have seen N Bobwhite in the county on a rural road, I believe I or someone else have seen Chukar in the county on a rural road, and I have friends up Lamba Mtn way that have a neighbor that has or has had numerous game birds, some (many?) that have been released or escaped. So there is no doubt that there are folks who like to spread these things around and hunt them. At CBNS, the habitat for Pheasant is marginal, probably decreasing with time. However there is enough grass out there to still harbor some. One thing for certain, weather should not be a real issue. Pheasants do just fine in places like the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc etc. So in terms of weather, they can survive a Coos Bay winter or most Oregon winters in general. It probably comes down to habitat in most places. Cheers Dave Lauten Alan Contreras wrote: > Today's debate question: > > Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have a self-sustaining > population anywhere in western Oregon? > > > _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: "Jeff Harding" <jeffharding AT centurytel.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 09:48:16 -0800 Our area, in Linn County between Lebanon and Scio is one of the places where "Sichuan" Pheasants were released, and our sense is that they died out quickly. For a while there were ringless birds, but they rapidly became fewer. We still see cocks that seem to have reduced rings. I had three handsome regular-type Ring-necked cocks visiting the feeder over the weekend, and the population of such birds seems to be stable in our area. I suspect that they will hold on in areas like this indefinitely, where there is a mix of grazing, small woodlots, and seed crops. Are we concerned that they should be removed from the official Oregon Field Ornithologists list of Birds of Oregon, perhaps anticipating their demise? For now they are a part of the Oregon avifauna, but who can predict the future? Good birding, Jeff -----Original Message----- From: obol-bounces AT oregonbirdwatch.org [mailto:obol-bounces AT oregonbirdwatch.org] On Behalf Of Wayne Hoffman Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 7:46 AM To: garbledmodwit AT yahoo.com; obol; Mark Nikas Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question Over the years several subspecies of pheasants have been introduced in Oregon, nost recently "Sichuan" which I believe do not have neck rings. It is very possible that the genetic mongrels rersulting have lower survival than the original stock released in the 19th century. If so, we can expect an extended period of low numbers as selection weeds out deleterious gene combinations, then possibly a rebound, providing sufficient habitat remains. Wayne ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Rodenkirk" To: "obol" ; "Mark Nikas" Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 6:46 AM Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question On the north spit of Coos Bay breeding males can be heard crowing away in the spring through early June. I have noted this the past 10 years or so each spring. However, I have on one occasion actually seen a hunter release pheasant out there which his under 10 yr. old son went after with a shotgun a few minutes later so I imagine the population could be supplemented by others than ODFW. We have had singing Bobolinks out there also! Tim R Coos Bay --- On Mon, 1/5/09, Mark Nikas wrote: > From: Mark Nikas > Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question > To: "obol" > Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 10:24 PM > Outside of a handful of "fee hunts" each year ODFW > has not > supplemented the wild pheasant population > for some time but they are still out there. Numbers are > certainly much > lower and it's no longer a sure thing > on many Christmas counts. Prime habitat is dwindling so > numbers will > never approach what they were in > the past but it seems for now they continue as a viable > population in > Western Oregon. > > Mark Nikas > > > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "Tom Crabtree" > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:31 PM > To: "Alan Contreras" > ; "obol" > > Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question > > > It certainly did for years and years prior to the > current farming > > methods > > that no longer leave margins for fields and plant > every square inch > > with > > crops. I certainly can't speak to the current > state of the species > > in > > western Oregon, but it was doing fine in the 70s and > 80s. > > > > Tom Crabtree, > > Bend > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Alan Contreras" > > > To: "obol" > > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:20 PM > > Subject: [obol] Pheasant question > > > > > > Today's debate question: > > > > Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have > a > > self-sustaining > > population anywhere in western Oregon? > > > > > > -- > > Alan Contreras > > EUGENE, OREGON > > acontrer AT mindspring.com > > > > Information on Coquille Valley CBC: > http://cvcbc.blogspot.com/ > > > > http://oregonreview.blogspot.com/ - Commentary > > http://contrerasbirds.blogspot.com/ - Bird Photos > & News > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > obol mailing list > > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > obol mailing list > > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Ring-necked Pheasant references From: Greg Gillson <greg AT thebirdguide.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 09:23:31 -0800 Eleven birds introduced in Linn County by Judge Denny in 1881; grew to over 1 million birds in Oregon by 1890; spread to California and Washington (Forest and Stream 34:493 (1890) fide Jobanek, 1997). From "Birds of Linn County, Oregon (1825-2000) http://thebirdguide.com/blc/blc.doc A history of the Ring-necked Pheasant in Oregon is here: http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=pf_output.cfm&file_id=8444 The hunter harvest in western Oregon is illuminating and can be found on page 9 of this document: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/upland_bird/harvest/2006_upland_harvest_figures.pdf From the mid 1960's to the mid 1970's the harvest was over 75,000 pheasants per year in western Oregon. It appears that substantial releases were stopped about 1986. That year the harvest was almost 50,000 pheasants. The next year only 25,000 pheasants. Since 1996 only one year had a harvest greater than 5,000 pheasants. The 2007 data shows about 3,000 hunters and 1,000 pheasants taken in western Oregon. Note that releases of hens began in 1978, according to page 1 of this document: http://www.jstor.org/pss/3782682 A Breeding Bird Survey trend from 1968 to 1994, showing steady downward trends, is here: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/grass/h3091ore.htm Greg Gillson Hillsboro, Oregon greg AT thebirdguide.com http://thebirdguide.com _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: Mike Patterson <celata AT pacifier.com> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:50:19 -0800 I blame the Turkeys... We all need to get Turkey Hunting licenses and take no prisoners... Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: "Dennis P. Vroman" Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 08:42:53 -0800 They are not doing all that well in the western part of the Rogue Valley (Grants Pass/Applegate areas). The very first Grants Pass CBC found 53 and it has gone down hill since. Your are lucky to see one in an entire year now-a-days. Last year's CBC there were none, this year 1 was found in the Murphy area. To my surprise, I spotted a pair on the IV CBC, a count 1st (recent releases maybe?, by who?). Perhaps the most influential factor with their decline in the western Rogue Valley is sub-divisions where there were fields. Dennis Today's debate question: Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have a self-sustaining population anywhere in western Oregon? -- Alan Contreras EUGENE, OREGON acontrer AT mindspring.com _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol -- Mike Patterson Astoria, OR http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Eugene Birders Night From: "Peter J. McClosky" <pmcclosky AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 08:49:03 -0800 Does anyone know when the next Eugene Birders Night is scheduled? Peter ---- Peter J. McClosky Eugene, Oregon pmcclosky AT earthlink.net pmcclosky AT comcast.net _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird From: David Irons <llsdirons AT msn.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 16:45:02 +0000 Hi Sandy, To be a bit blunt, if someone thinks they have Rufous Hummingbirds (plural) coming to their feeders all year round, they are mistaken. Rufous Hummingbird is not quite annual (meaning we don't average quite one per season for the entire state) during winter in Oregon. The odds of one person having multiple birds through the winter are pretty long. I looked at the image that Seth Reams received from a person in Forest Grove (referred to in the post below), and though the image is not that great, it is highly suggestive of Anna's and not a Rufous Hummer. Dave Irons Eugene, OR > From: sandyleapt AT comcast.net > To: nepobirds AT yahoo.com; obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 14:56:24 +0000 > CC: nepobirds AT yahoo.com > Subject: Re: [obol] Rufous Hummingbird > > Hi Seth, > > I've heard through a friend (guess that makes it a rumor) that a friend of hers has Rufous Hummingbirds year round. Since my friend never had a chance to check it out I filled that tidbit in the back of mind until now. > > Sandy Leaptrott > NE Portland > -------------- Original message ---------------------- > From: Seth Reams > > We just received an email from a birder in the Forest Grove area, that has been > > host to a male Rufous Hummingbird. He never left after the seasons changed. How > > common is this for the area? She sent me a photo of him, sitting on a feeder in > > the snow. Quite an odd sight (at least for me). Any thoughts? Thanks. > > > > Seth Reams and Michelle King > > NE Portland, OR - Gateway area > > portlandbirds.blogspot.com > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > obol mailing list > > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _________________________________________________________________ Send e-mail anywhere. No map, no compass. http://windowslive.com/oneline/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_anywhere_122008 _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: "Dennis P. Vroman" <dpvroman AT budget.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 08:42:53 -0800 They are not doing all that well in the western part of the Rogue Valley (Grants Pass/Applegate areas). The very first Grants Pass CBC found 53 and it has gone down hill since. Your are lucky to see one in an entire year now-a-days. Last year's CBC there were none, this year 1 was found in the Murphy area. To my surprise, I spotted a pair on the IV CBC, a count 1st (recent releases maybe?, by who?). Perhaps the most influential factor with their decline in the western Rogue Valley is sub-divisions where there were fields. Dennis Today's debate question: Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have a self-sustaining population anywhere in western Oregon? -- Alan Contreras EUGENE, OREGON acontrer AT mindspring.com _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Loon From: Mike Patterson <celata AT pacifier.com> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:33:29 -0800 This appears to be a white-sided COMMON LOON. It is very similar to the individual that had folks going along the Neawanna last year http://home.pacifier.com/~neawanna/temp/loon20080108.jpg The head-shape and strong contrast between the dark and light parts of the head are consistent with Common Loon. The bill seems very heavy. ----- Original Message ----- From: Cindy Lippincott and Bob Berman To: 5hats AT peak.org Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 12:50 PM Subject: Loon Darrel, I guess you had no idea that I was taking a movie of the loon in question. I have just posted it on YouTube. Here's the URL. I'll let you post the URL on OBOL rather than doing it myself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6Ln4Sj8uZU Cindy -- Mike Patterson Astoria, OR http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Fw: Loon From: "Darrel Faxon" <5hats AT peak.org> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 07:54:05 -0800 ----- Original Message ----- From: Cindy Lippincott and Bob Berman To: 5hats AT peak.org Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 12:50 PM Subject: Loon Darrel, I guess you had no idea that I was taking a movie of the loon in question. I have just posted it on YouTube. Here's the URL. I'll let you post the URL on OBOL rather than doing it myself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6Ln4Sj8uZU Cindy -- ==================================================== Cindy Lippincott and Bob Berman 180 NW 73rd Court, Newport, Oregon 97365 541-265-7736 home 719-649-4588 cell ====================================================_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: loon video From: "Darrel Faxon" <5hats AT peak.org> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 07:53:39 -0800 Obolites, The video Cindy Lippincott took of the Jan 3 Yaquina Bay Loon takes a few minutes to download once you get the post, but for all you dial up people (of which I am one), the post itself comes straight through. So I am going to post it to the main list. Darrel_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: "Wayne Hoffman" <whoffman AT peak.org> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 07:46:22 -0800 Over the years several subspecies of pheasants have been introduced in Oregon, nost recently "Sichuan" which I believe do not have neck rings. It is very possible that the genetic mongrels rersulting have lower survival than the original stock released in the 19th century. If so, we can expect an extended period of low numbers as selection weeds out deleterious gene combinations, then possibly a rebound, providing sufficient habitat remains. Wayne ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Rodenkirk" To: "obol" ; "Mark Nikas" Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 6:46 AM Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question On the north spit of Coos Bay breeding males can be heard crowing away in the spring through early June. I have noted this the past 10 years or so each spring. However, I have on one occasion actually seen a hunter release pheasant out there which his under 10 yr. old son went after with a shotgun a few minutes later so I imagine the population could be supplemented by others than ODFW. We have had singing Bobolinks out there also! Tim R Coos Bay --- On Mon, 1/5/09, Mark Nikas wrote: > From: Mark Nikas > Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question > To: "obol" > Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 10:24 PM > Outside of a handful of "fee hunts" each year ODFW > has not > supplemented the wild pheasant population > for some time but they are still out there. Numbers are > certainly much > lower and it's no longer a sure thing > on many Christmas counts. Prime habitat is dwindling so > numbers will > never approach what they were in > the past but it seems for now they continue as a viable > population in > Western Oregon. > > Mark Nikas > > > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "Tom Crabtree" > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:31 PM > To: "Alan Contreras" > ; "obol" > > Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question > > > It certainly did for years and years prior to the > current farming > > methods > > that no longer leave margins for fields and plant > every square inch > > with > > crops. I certainly can't speak to the current > state of the species > > in > > western Oregon, but it was doing fine in the 70s and > 80s. > > > > Tom Crabtree, > > Bend > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Alan Contreras" > > > To: "obol" > > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:20 PM > > Subject: [obol] Pheasant question > > > > > > Today's debate question: > > > > Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have > a > > self-sustaining > > population anywhere in western Oregon? > > > > > > -- > > Alan Contreras > > EUGENE, OREGON > > acontrer AT mindspring.com > > > > Information on Coquille Valley CBC: > http://cvcbc.blogspot.com/ > > > > http://oregonreview.blogspot.com/ ­ Commentary > > http://contrerasbirds.blogspot.com/ ­ Bird Photos > & News > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > obol mailing list > > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > obol mailing list > > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird From: Mike Patterson <celata AT pacifier.com> Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:29:59 -0800 Rufous Hummingbirds do over-winter, though usually as first winter birds which makes it hard to be certain they are not some other _Selasphorus_ species (Allen's, Broad-tailed). Adult males are very unusual, but also the most unequivocal. That said, most of the Rufous Hummingbird reports I chase down turn out to be Anna's Hummingbirds. A substantial number of bird feeder folk are not particularly discerning when it comes to ID. They make assumptions. Many don't even own a field guide. A hummingbird is a hummingbird. A sparrow is a sparrow. I knew a lady who insisted she had a yard full of Harris's Sparrows. She knew that's what they were because she grew up with them back east. They were House Sparrows. Of course, I also knew a lady who insisted she had a Gray-crowned Rosy-finch coming to here feeder that turned out to be a Gray- crowned Rosy-finch, coming to her feeder. So it's important that we don't make assumptions, either. Knowing whether these really are _Selasphorus _ hummingbirds is useful information that may presage trends. Finding a nice way to tell someone they've got Anna's rather than Rufous Hummingbirds (or House Sparrows rather than Harris's Sparrows) is a useful people skill. And along the way you may find a Brambling or a Pyrrhuloxia. -- Mike Patterson Astoria, OR http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird From: sandyleapt AT comcast.net Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:56:24 +0000 Hi Seth, I've heard through a friend (guess that makes it a rumor) that a friend of hers has Rufous Hummingbirds year round. Since my friend never had a chance to check it out I filled that tidbit in the back of mind until now. Sandy Leaptrott NE Portland -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: Seth Reams > We just received an email from a birder in the Forest Grove area, that has been > host to a male Rufous Hummingbird. He never left after the seasons changed. How > common is this for the area? She sent me a photo of him, sitting on a feeder in > the snow. Quite an odd sight (at least for me). Any thoughts? Thanks. > > Seth Reams and Michelle King > NE Portland, OR - Gateway area > portlandbirds.blogspot.com > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Westside pheasants From: Tim Rodenkirk <garbledmodwit AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 06:49:40 -0800 (PST) ODFW opened up a hunting season on Eurasian Collared-Doves last year, I think bag limits are similar to Mourning Doves but I'm not sure. Tim R Coos Bay --- On Mon, 1/5/09, Norgren Family wrote: > From: Norgren Family > Subject: [obol] Westside pheasants > To: obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 11:43 PM > As I recall neither Corvallis nor > Brownsville CBCs recorded a PHEASANT > last year. Eugene recorded a record > low number. What are the statistics > for this year's counts? It struck > me at the time that this was the most meaningful > data to be gleaned from those respective > counts. Both Corvallis and Brownsville > count circles get very close to > Peterson Butte, the site of the first > successful pheasant introduction in > North America. > To be sure, some birds are to > be seen here and there, but they > are probably relicts, rather than > parts of a truly self-sustaining > population. On two occasions last > winter I stopped on the abandoned > section of Jacobsen Rd (where there > is a large gate) near Croeni Ponds > in Hillsboro and flushed 13 female > Ring-necked Pheasants. Stocked birds > are generally males so I took this > to be a group of wild birds. In both > cases it was at dusk and all the > birds were together when they > flushed. I took this to be a roost. > This is a forty or more acre property > that Intel suspended development on. > Presumably they or someone else will > proceed with so-called "development" > when they find the time is right. > In the meantime farming has ceased > on said ground and blackberries and > queen anne's lace is steadily covering > it. > I stopped there several times > in May and June of 2008 at dawn and > heard singing Meadowlarks. This would > be the only indication of their > breeding in Washington County in my > personal experience in the last ten > or more years. While people may feel > ambivalence towards the passing of > an exotic species, it may be some sort > of indicator. Where the pheasant survives, > so may certain native species. > But I wonder if habitat degradation > is an adequate explanation. When was the > last time anyone detected a pheasant on > Finley NWR? It is inside the Corvallis > count circle and I would hope it was > covered in last year's count. When I > birded Finley regularly in the 70s it > was probably impossible not to get > pheasant on a day's list. One can > certainly not claim Finley has > suffered from the advances of modern, > clean agribusiness. To the contrary, > it is undergoing one of the most > successful habitat restorations > I have had the pleasure to witness. > Yet I believe pheasants have declined > there at a rate similar to the rest > of the Willamette Valley. > The boom and subsequent whimpering > fade out of introduced species is > quite common. A bird may be quite > abundant for decades, across multiple > human generations and hence collective > memory, and then decline over decades > until it completely disappears. I > believe this is the case with the > Chinese Spotted Dove to our south and > the Crested Myna to the north. The > Bobwhite did the same in Oregon on both > sides of the State. Various informants > of my parents' age portrayed the species > as common in Benton and Polk Counties > in the fifties, while it had become > rare by the early 70s. It is certainly > gone from those areas now. In eastern > Oregon the Bobwhite has disappeared > everywhere although in many areas > agricultural land fronts extensive > areas of sagebrush and other wild > landscapes. > This begs the question that has > been near the front of my mind this > CBC season--When is the ODF&W going > to set seasons and bag limits on > Eurasian Collared Doves? Or perhaps the agency > would rather ignore them all together > after spending millions on the unsuccessful > attempts to introduce a host of exotic > game birds over the last half century. > Lars Norgren > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: Tim Rodenkirk <garbledmodwit AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 06:46:49 -0800 (PST) On the north spit of Coos Bay breeding males can be heard crowing away in the spring through early June. I have noted this the past 10 years or so each spring. However, I have on one occasion actually seen a hunter release pheasant out there which his under 10 yr. old son went after with a shotgun a few minutes later so I imagine the population could be supplemented by others than ODFW. We have had singing Bobolinks out there also! Tim R Coos Bay --- On Mon, 1/5/09, Mark Nikas wrote: > From: Mark Nikas > Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question > To: "obol" > Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 10:24 PM > Outside of a handful of "fee hunts" each year ODFW > has not > supplemented the wild pheasant population > for some time but they are still out there. Numbers are > certainly much > lower and it's no longer a sure thing > on many Christmas counts. Prime habitat is dwindling so > numbers will > never approach what they were in > the past but it seems for now they continue as a viable > population in > Western Oregon. > > Mark Nikas > > > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "Tom Crabtree" > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:31 PM > To: "Alan Contreras" > ; "obol" > > Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question > > > It certainly did for years and years prior to the > current farming > > methods > > that no longer leave margins for fields and plant > every square inch > > with > > crops. I certainly can't speak to the current > state of the species > > in > > western Oregon, but it was doing fine in the 70s and > 80s. > > > > Tom Crabtree, > > Bend > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Alan Contreras" > > > To: "obol" > > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:20 PM > > Subject: [obol] Pheasant question > > > > > > Today's debate question: > > > > Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have > a > > self-sustaining > > population anywhere in western Oregon? > > > > > > -- > > Alan Contreras > > EUGENE, OREGON > > acontrer AT mindspring.com > > > > Information on Coquille Valley CBC: > http://cvcbc.blogspot.com/ > > > > http://oregonreview.blogspot.com/ ­ Commentary > > http://contrerasbirds.blogspot.com/ ­ Bird Photos > & News > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > obol mailing list > > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > obol mailing list > > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Westside pheasants From: Norgren Family <gnorgren AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 05:49:49 -0800 I hunted those pheasants and I can't imagine the survival rate was sufficient to affect the breeding population in spring. In 1973 it cost to ODF&W $5/bird from hatching to release. The put and take birds were easy to tell because they had no tails. There were a substantial number of wild birds at Finley then and they were very hard to get- they were smart, they were wary. The hatchery birds had all the sophistication of a white Leghorn or barred rock. At the time a hunting license cost $7.50, so the second bird of the season was profit in the eyes of my father, a perpetually starving graduate student. The situation was even more ludicrous because the pheasants were raised at E.E. Wilson in open topped pens. This attracted significant numbers of raptors. ODF&W could have covered the pens with chicken wire, but preferred to place leg-hold traps, the kind fur trappers use, on top of pole perches. Heavy anthropogenic raptor mortality was inevitable. Audubon Society of Corvallis got involved, initially by replacing the traps with a device that didn't break the legs of hawks and owls. Lars Norgren On Jan 6, 2009, at 12:36 AM, Mark Nikas wrote: > I too remember when Finley was crawling with pheasants. It was also > heavily stocked by ODFW. They used to raise many thousands at EE > Wilson for release throughout western Oregon. It was a very expensive > operation. I don't know exact dates but it seems it was 15 or 20 years > ago when they stopped large scale pheasant rearing. They tried Sichuan > Pheasants in the 90's hoping they would have a better survival rate > but that apparently didn't work out as they had hoped. I'd guess the > decline in pheasant numbers documented on the CBCs would mesh pretty > good with the termination of ODFW stocking. The old numbers were > artificially high due to released birds whose survival rate was > documented as being quite low. I'm sure the end of releases isn't the > only factor contributing to the decline but it must be a major one. > > Mark Nikas > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "Norgren Family" > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 11:43 PM > To: > Subject: [obol] Westside pheasants > >> As I recall neither Corvallis nor >> Brownsville CBCs recorded a PHEASANT >> last year. Eugene recorded a record >> low number. What are the statistics >> for this year's counts? It struck >> me at the time that this was the most meaningful >> data to be gleaned from those respective >> counts. Both Corvallis and Brownsville >> count circles get very close to >> Peterson Butte, the site of the first >> successful pheasant introduction in >> North America. >> To be sure, some birds are to >> be seen here and there, but they >> are probably relicts, rather than >> parts of a truly self-sustaining >> population. On two occasions last >> winter I stopped on the abandoned >> section of Jacobsen Rd (where there >> is a large gate) near Croeni Ponds >> in Hillsboro and flushed 13 female >> Ring-necked Pheasants. Stocked birds >> are generally males so I took this >> to be a group of wild birds. In both >> cases it was at dusk and all the >> birds were together when they >> flushed. I took this to be a roost. >> This is a forty or more acre property >> that Intel suspended development on. >> Presumably they or someone else will >> proceed with so-called "development" >> when they find the time is right. >> In the meantime farming has ceased >> on said ground and blackberries and >> queen anne's lace is steadily covering >> it. >> I stopped there several times >> in May and June of 2008 at dawn and >> heard singing Meadowlarks. This would >> be the only indication of their >> breeding in Washington County in my >> personal experience in the last ten >> or more years. While people may feel >> ambivalence towards the passing of >> an exotic species, it may be some sort >> of indicator. Where the pheasant survives, >> so may certain native species. >> But I wonder if habitat degradation >> is an adequate explanation. When was the >> last time anyone detected a pheasant on >> Finley NWR? It is inside the Corvallis >> count circle and I would hope it was >> covered in last year's count. When I >> birded Finley regularly in the 70s it >> was probably impossible not to get >> pheasant on a day's list. One can >> certainly not claim Finley has >> suffered from the advances of modern, >> clean agribusiness. To the contrary, >> it is undergoing one of the most >> successful habitat restorations >> I have had the pleasure to witness. >> Yet I believe pheasants have declined >> there at a rate similar to the rest >> of the Willamette Valley. >> The boom and subsequent whimpering >> fade out of introduced species is >> quite common. A bird may be quite >> abundant for decades, across multiple >> human generations and hence collective >> memory, and then decline over decades >> until it completely disappears. I >> believe this is the case with the >> Chinese Spotted Dove to our south and >> the Crested Myna to the north. The >> Bobwhite did the same in Oregon on both >> sides of the State. Various informants >> of my parents' age portrayed the species >> as common in Benton and Polk Counties >> in the fifties, while it had become >> rare by the early 70s. It is certainly >> gone from those areas now. In eastern >> Oregon the Bobwhite has disappeared >> everywhere although in many areas >> agricultural land fronts extensive >> areas of sagebrush and other wild >> landscapes. >> This begs the question that has >> been near the front of my mind this >> CBC season--When is the ODF&W going >> to set seasons and bag limits on >> Eurasian Collared Doves? Or perhaps the agency >> would rather ignore them all together >> after spending millions on the unsuccessful >> attempts to introduce a host of exotic >> game birds over the last half century. >> Lars Norgren >> >> _______________________________________________ >> obol mailing list >> obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org >> http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Westside pheasants From: "Wilson Cady" <gorgebirds AT juno.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 08:35:48 GMT I believe that the original stocking of pheasants was done by Oregon Governor Denny on Sauvie Island. And those birds were of the Mongolian subspecies that inhabited open areas. With the loss of the Willamette Valley grasslands another subspecies from Sichuan was introduced about thirty years ago as they are a bird of brushier habitats and could survive in second growth forests along the edge of the valley. Now the question is what subspecies are people seeing? Wilson Cady Washougal, WA ____________________________________________________________ Click to begin your health care training online. Request info today. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw3fQe8f4e7AHjA6KUfWkzgfIscsZ180yKqMvVJAqS0QySXkF/ _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Westside pheasants From: "Mark Nikas" <marknikas AT comcast.net> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 00:36:31 -0800 I too remember when Finley was crawling with pheasants. It was also heavily stocked by ODFW. They used to raise many thousands at EE Wilson for release throughout western Oregon. It was a very expensive operation. I don't know exact dates but it seems it was 15 or 20 years ago when they stopped large scale pheasant rearing. They tried Sichuan Pheasants in the 90's hoping they would have a better survival rate but that apparently didn't work out as they had hoped. I'd guess the decline in pheasant numbers documented on the CBCs would mesh pretty good with the termination of ODFW stocking. The old numbers were artificially high due to released birds whose survival rate was documented as being quite low. I'm sure the end of releases isn't the only factor contributing to the decline but it must be a major one. Mark Nikas -------------------------------------------------- From: "Norgren Family" Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 11:43 PM To: Subject: [obol] Westside pheasants > As I recall neither Corvallis nor > Brownsville CBCs recorded a PHEASANT > last year. Eugene recorded a record > low number. What are the statistics > for this year's counts? It struck > me at the time that this was the most meaningful > data to be gleaned from those respective > counts. Both Corvallis and Brownsville > count circles get very close to > Peterson Butte, the site of the first > successful pheasant introduction in > North America. > To be sure, some birds are to > be seen here and there, but they > are probably relicts, rather than > parts of a truly self-sustaining > population. On two occasions last > winter I stopped on the abandoned > section of Jacobsen Rd (where there > is a large gate) near Croeni Ponds > in Hillsboro and flushed 13 female > Ring-necked Pheasants. Stocked birds > are generally males so I took this > to be a group of wild birds. In both > cases it was at dusk and all the > birds were together when they > flushed. I took this to be a roost. > This is a forty or more acre property > that Intel suspended development on. > Presumably they or someone else will > proceed with so-called "development" > when they find the time is right. > In the meantime farming has ceased > on said ground and blackberries and > queen anne's lace is steadily covering > it. > I stopped there several times > in May and June of 2008 at dawn and > heard singing Meadowlarks. This would > be the only indication of their > breeding in Washington County in my > personal experience in the last ten > or more years. While people may feel > ambivalence towards the passing of > an exotic species, it may be some sort > of indicator. Where the pheasant survives, > so may certain native species. > But I wonder if habitat degradation > is an adequate explanation. When was the > last time anyone detected a pheasant on > Finley NWR? It is inside the Corvallis > count circle and I would hope it was > covered in last year's count. When I > birded Finley regularly in the 70s it > was probably impossible not to get > pheasant on a day's list. One can > certainly not claim Finley has > suffered from the advances of modern, > clean agribusiness. To the contrary, > it is undergoing one of the most > successful habitat restorations > I have had the pleasure to witness. > Yet I believe pheasants have declined > there at a rate similar to the rest > of the Willamette Valley. > The boom and subsequent whimpering > fade out of introduced species is > quite common. A bird may be quite > abundant for decades, across multiple > human generations and hence collective > memory, and then decline over decades > until it completely disappears. I > believe this is the case with the > Chinese Spotted Dove to our south and > the Crested Myna to the north. The > Bobwhite did the same in Oregon on both > sides of the State. Various informants > of my parents' age portrayed the species > as common in Benton and Polk Counties > in the fifties, while it had become > rare by the early 70s. It is certainly > gone from those areas now. In eastern > Oregon the Bobwhite has disappeared > everywhere although in many areas > agricultural land fronts extensive > areas of sagebrush and other wild > landscapes. > This begs the question that has > been near the front of my mind this > CBC season--When is the ODF&W going > to set seasons and bag limits on > Eurasian Collared Doves? Or perhaps the agency > would rather ignore them all together > after spending millions on the unsuccessful > attempts to introduce a host of exotic > game birds over the last half century. > Lars Norgren > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Westside pheasants From: Norgren Family <gnorgren AT earthlink.net> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 23:43:38 -0800 As I recall neither Corvallis nor Brownsville CBCs recorded a PHEASANT last year. Eugene recorded a record low number. What are the statistics for this year's counts? It struck me at the time that this was the most meaningful data to be gleaned from those respective counts. Both Corvallis and Brownsville count circles get very close to Peterson Butte, the site of the first successful pheasant introduction in North America. To be sure, some birds are to be seen here and there, but they are probably relicts, rather than parts of a truly self-sustaining population. On two occasions last winter I stopped on the abandoned section of Jacobsen Rd (where there is a large gate) near Croeni Ponds in Hillsboro and flushed 13 female Ring-necked Pheasants. Stocked birds are generally males so I took this to be a group of wild birds. In both cases it was at dusk and all the birds were together when they flushed. I took this to be a roost. This is a forty or more acre property that Intel suspended development on. Presumably they or someone else will proceed with so-called "development" when they find the time is right. In the meantime farming has ceased on said ground and blackberries and queen anne's lace is steadily covering it. I stopped there several times in May and June of 2008 at dawn and heard singing Meadowlarks. This would be the only indication of their breeding in Washington County in my personal experience in the last ten or more years. While people may feel ambivalence towards the passing of an exotic species, it may be some sort of indicator. Where the pheasant survives, so may certain native species. But I wonder if habitat degradation is an adequate explanation. When was the last time anyone detected a pheasant on Finley NWR? It is inside the Corvallis count circle and I would hope it was covered in last year's count. When I birded Finley regularly in the 70s it was probably impossible not to get pheasant on a day's list. One can certainly not claim Finley has suffered from the advances of modern, clean agribusiness. To the contrary, it is undergoing one of the most successful habitat restorations I have had the pleasure to witness. Yet I believe pheasants have declined there at a rate similar to the rest of the Willamette Valley. The boom and subsequent whimpering fade out of introduced species is quite common. A bird may be quite abundant for decades, across multiple human generations and hence collective memory, and then decline over decades until it completely disappears. I believe this is the case with the Chinese Spotted Dove to our south and the Crested Myna to the north. The Bobwhite did the same in Oregon on both sides of the State. Various informants of my parents' age portrayed the species as common in Benton and Polk Counties in the fifties, while it had become rare by the early 70s. It is certainly gone from those areas now. In eastern Oregon the Bobwhite has disappeared everywhere although in many areas agricultural land fronts extensive areas of sagebrush and other wild landscapes. This begs the question that has been near the front of my mind this CBC season--When is the ODF&W going to set seasons and bag limits on Eurasian Collared Doves? Or perhaps the agency would rather ignore them all together after spending millions on the unsuccessful attempts to introduce a host of exotic game birds over the last half century. Lars Norgren _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Need ID Input From: "Lee and Lori Cain" <4cains AT charter.net> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 23:35:52 -0800 Rock Wren...yeah I agree. But what I am REALLY interested in is the apparent very recent lava flow the bird is standing on... any reports of reactivated vents or fissures in Eastern Oregon this year? Way cool!! Lee Cain Astoria, Or_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: loon From: "Darrel Faxon" <5hats AT peak.org> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 23:16:11 -0800 Obol, As it turned out, while we were looking at the January 3 Yaquina Bay loon through the scope, Cindy Lippincott was filming it. She has sent me the video, which I will gladly forward to anyone who wants to see it. It looks to me like an Arctic Loon. Some of the supposed disturbing features don't seem to be so much of a problem according to the video. Darrel_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: "Mark Nikas" <marknikas AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 22:24:24 -0800 Outside of a handful of "fee hunts" each year ODFW has not supplemented the wild pheasant population for some time but they are still out there. Numbers are certainly much lower and it's no longer a sure thing on many Christmas counts. Prime habitat is dwindling so numbers will never approach what they were in the past but it seems for now they continue as a viable population in Western Oregon. Mark Nikas -------------------------------------------------- From: "Tom Crabtree" Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:31 PM To: "Alan Contreras" ; "obol" Subject: Re: [obol] Pheasant question > It certainly did for years and years prior to the current farming > methods > that no longer leave margins for fields and plant every square inch > with > crops. I certainly can't speak to the current state of the species > in > western Oregon, but it was doing fine in the 70s and 80s. > > Tom Crabtree, > Bend > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Alan Contreras" > To: "obol" > Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:20 PM > Subject: [obol] Pheasant question > > > Today's debate question: > > Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have a > self-sustaining > population anywhere in western Oregon? > > > -- > Alan Contreras > EUGENE, OREGON > acontrer AT mindspring.com > > Information on Coquille Valley CBC: http://cvcbc.blogspot.com/ > > http://oregonreview.blogspot.com/ ­ Commentary > http://contrerasbirds.blogspot.com/ ­ Bird Photos & News > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol > > > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Winter Wrens and G-c Kinglets From: "Marcia F. Cutler" <marciafcutler AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 21:44:51 -0800 For the period 2002-2008, the Corvallis CBC shows the following results: WIWR GCKI 2002 34 167 2003 39 325 2004 106 539 2005 52 386 2006 42 526 2007 27 247 2008 24 172 For both species, the best years were between 2003 and 2006. For Winter Wrens, there's been a steady downward trend since 2004, but only the last 2 years are below 2002's numbers. Golden-crowned Kinglets show more variation, but 2008 is actually a bit higher than 2002. Marcia F. Cutler Corvallis _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Winter Wrens and G-c Kinglets From: "Marcia F. Cutler" <marciafcutler AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 21:42:40 -0800 For the period 2002-2008, the Corvallis CBC shows the following results: WIWR GCKI 2002 34 167 2003 39 325 2004 106 539 2005 52 386 2006 42 526 2007 27 247 2008 24 172 For both species, the best years were between 2003 and 2006. For Winter Wrens, there's been a steady downward trend since 2004, but only the last 2 years are below 2002's numbers. Golden-crowned Kinglets show more variation, but 2008 is actually a bit higher than 2002. Marcia F. Cutler Corvallis _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Pheasant question From: "Tom Crabtree" <tc AT empnet.com> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 21:31:37 -0800 It certainly did for years and years prior to the current farming methods that no longer leave margins for fields and plant every square inch with crops. I certainly can't speak to the current state of the species in western Oregon, but it was doing fine in the 70s and 80s. Tom Crabtree, Bend ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alan Contreras" To: "obol" Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 9:20 PM Subject: [obol] Pheasant question Today's debate question: Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have a self-sustaining population anywhere in western Oregon? -- Alan Contreras EUGENE, OREGON acontrer AT mindspring.com Information on Coquille Valley CBC: http://cvcbc.blogspot.com/ http://oregonreview.blogspot.com/ ­ Commentary http://contrerasbirds.blogspot.com/ ­ Bird Photos & News _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Pheasant question From: Alan Contreras <acontrer AT MINDSPRING.COM> Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:20:48 -0800 Today's debate question: Should the Ring-necked Pheasant be considered to have a self-sustaining population anywhere in western Oregon? -- Alan Contreras EUGENE, OREGON acontrer AT mindspring.com Information on Coquille Valley CBC: http://cvcbc.blogspot.com/ http://oregonreview.blogspot.com/ ­ Commentary http://contrerasbirds.blogspot.com/ ­ Bird Photos & News _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: Rufous Hummingbird From: "Marcia F. Cutler" <marciafcutler AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 21:25:05 -0800 I can't answer Seth's question, but about a month ago I received some email from a person in the Corvallis area who claimed that they had an overwintering Rufous Hummingbird. All the pictures sent to me were taken this summer, but the person was insistent that they were still seeing the same hummingbird. I should probably follow up on this some more now that the CBC season is over (or nearly so for compilers). Marcia -----Original Message----- From: obol-bounces AT oregonbirdwatch.org [mailto:obol-bounces AT oregonbirdwatch.org] On Behalf Of Seth Reams Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 7:11 PM To: obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org Subject: [obol] Rufous Hummingbird We just received an email from a birder in the Forest Grove area, that has been host to a male Rufous Hummingbird. He never left after the seasons changed. How common is this for the area? She sent me a photo of him, sitting on a feeder in the snow. Quite an odd sight (at least for me). Any thoughts? Thanks. Seth Reams and Michelle King NE Portland, OR - Gateway area portlandbirds.blogspot.com _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Fw: [birding] Re: Odd Duck on Airlie-Albany CBC From: "Cheryl Whelchel" <dirtgirl16cr125 AT MSN.COM> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 21:06:13 -0800 ----- Original Message ----- From: Phyllis Bailey To: list AT midvalleybirding.org Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 8:22 PM Subject: [birding] Re: Odd Duck on Airlie-Albany CBC Sorry this is so late. . .I had some computer problems earlier in the day that delayed my sending any messages anywhere. At any rate, I wanted to add my two cents to the discussion of the duck Cheryl Whelchel and I saw. The thing that made me really look at the bird hard was what I perceived as a tuft that came to an end halfway down the back of the duck's head. The head was roundish in shape, rather than sort of plumped up like a RNDU can look. She had a whitish patch on the side of her face near the base of the bill, not as prominent as on a scaup, but noticeable. The bill appeared to be mostly darkish, without the outstanding white marking of a ring-necked. But she did have a distinct eyering and a short line behind the eye. And the eye appeared to be dark. I would say that the most distinquishing features were the tuft and the head shape. I'm not going to be able to get back out to the site anytime soon, but perhaps someone with more experience could, and if the bird is still around, we could get an answer. Phyllis Bailey, Corvallis --- On Mon, 1/5/09, list-request AT midvalleybirding.org wrote: From: list-request AT midvalleybirding.org Subject: list Digest, Vol 34, Issue 3 To: list AT midvalleybirding.org Date: Monday, January 5, 2009, 12:32 PM Send list mailing list submissions to list AT midvalleybirding.orgTo subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://midvalleybirding.org/mailman/listinfo/listor, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to list-request AT midvalleybirding.orgYou can reach the person managing the list at list-owner AT midvalleybirding.orgWhen replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specificthan "Re: Contents of list digest..."Today's Topics: 1. Vesper Sparrow location (Cheryl Whelchel) 2. Re: Vesper Sparrow location, SE Polk Co. (Joel Geier) 3. In Kansas - albino red-tail pics (Steve Seibel) 4. Sharpy takes chicken! (bouchdon AT peak.org)----------------------------------------------------------------------Message: 1Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 11:29:58 -0800From: "Cheryl Whelchel" Subject: [birding] Vesper Sparrow locationTo: "obol" , "midvallybirding" Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"I don't know the name of the road it was on but if you are going north onWells Landing RD and turn right where it dead ends into Hopville, then turn lefton the unpaved road that has hops growing to the left of it. At the end of thehops the road turns right and there is a blackberry thicket in the corner. Thebird responded quickly to pishing.Cheryl Whelchel----- Original Message ----- From: Jamie S. To: Cheryl Whelchel Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 11:10 AMSubject: Re: [birding] Airlie CBC Possible hybrid duck and Vesper Sparrow Can you post a description of where you found the Vesper sparrow soanyone who would like to try and relocate it can do so? Thanks! Jamie Simmons Corvallis --- On Sun, 1/4/09, Cheryl Whelchel> wrote: From: Cheryl Whelchel> Subject: [birding] Airlie CBC Possible hybrid duck and Vesper Sparrow To: "obol" , "midvallybirding" Date: Sunday, January 4, 2009, 9:19 AM Probably this will be one that got away, but for what its worth I haveposted some poor pictures of what appears to possibly be a hybird of some sort. The pictures really don't help much. Perhaps my birding partner Phylliswill post a description as well. In addition to what I stated below, the tuftwas visible with only binoculars, and was quite plain with the scope. If someone much more knowlegeable wants to chase this I can work ongetting access to the pond. It was in the Bueana Vista area south onIndependence. Cheryl Whelchel ----- Original Message ----- From: CherylWhelchel To: DavidIrons Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 8:57 AM Subject: Re: need help with 2 id's Thanks for the response. There were 2 other observers, one person hadbeen birding for over 30 years. She is the one that first noticed the tuft andwe studied it at 60 power for 20 minutes. So yes I think that it definitely hada tuft. Unfortuneatly it was on private property well away from the road, andaccess will be problematic. Again thanks for the great help. Cheryl Whelchel ----- Original Message ----- From: DavidIrons To: CherylWhelchel Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 11:05 PM Subject: RE: need help with 2 id's Hi Cheryl, Sorry for the late response. I just got back from doing the CoquilleValley CBC and I am scheduled to meet a couple people for pre-dawn owling at 5AMfor tomorrow's Eugene CBC. If I got to bed this very instant I will getfive hours of sleep. The sparrow is definitely a Vesper. The very neat complete eyering,relatively plain face (not as patterned as a Savannah) and the fine streaking onthe breast and flanks make this a pretty straight forward ID. The duck is more of a challenge. I can't see what I would call atuft in any of these images. Based on head shape along and the generallypaleness in the face and your description, I would say the bird is likely aRing-necked Duck. Though Tufteds resemble RNDU a bit, they have a very roundedcrown and hindcrown. It is not squared off like a Ring-necked. There is theslight possibility of it being a hybrid Tufted X Lesser Scaup or even Tufted XRing-necked, but with out a closer more clear image that would be tough to tell.If you have the opportunity, you might try to get out and see it again. If youare sure you saw even a little tuft, I would post this to OBOL and theMid-Valley Birders site in hopes that someone can go out and refind it. Dave ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dirtgirl16cr125 AT MSN.COM To: llsdirons AT msn.com Subject: need help with 2 id's Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 19:36:44 -0800 Hi Dave, I did the Airlie CBC today and found 2 unusual birds. The first is asparrow and it is probably a Vesper Sparrow, but I wanted to run it by someoneelse. The second is a duck that is a bit more difficult, especially sinceit was a little too far away for decent pictures. It was a brown duck with ahint of white around its bill. The bill was a sort of gray with a black tip. The head had a rounded profile with what I would call a dark chocolate cap, anda tuft. It's back was a slightly darker brown than flanks. It heldit's tail stiffly up sort of like a ruddy. It dove. I would love to callthis a Tufted Duck, the problem is the eyes. It appeared to have a white eyering and white line going postierior from the middle of the eye. To far away toreally discern eye color, but seemed dark, not yellow. There were no otherbirds present so judging relative size was difficult. The amount of white around the bill on face was very slight. Theremainder of face was chocolatly brown like the back. I can't rule out either Ring-necked or Tufted. The eyes areinconsistent with Tufted, and the shape of head and tuft are inconsistent withRing-neck. I put pictures of both birds on my website. I will need to let PaulAdamus know asap, especially about the sparrow since the photo documentation isgood. Thanks Cheryl Whelchel http://www.flickr.com/photos/vgswallow16/---------------------------------------------------------------------- Send e-mail anywhere. No map, no compass. Get your HotmailŪ accountnow. -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ list mailing list list AT midvalleybirding.org http://midvalleybirding.org/mailman/listinfo/list http://oregonbirdwatch.org/pipermail/obol/-------------- next part --------------An HTML attachment was scrubbed...URL:http://midvalleybirding.org/pipermail/list/attachments/20090104/c1f5d160/attachment-0001.htm------------------------------Message: 2Date: Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:05:01 -0800From: Joel Geier Subject: Re: [birding] Vesper Sparrow location, SE Polk Co.To: Cheryl Whelchel Cc: midvally birding , obol Message-ID: <1231110301.3627.18.camel AT localhost.localdomain>Content-Type: text/plainHi folks,The right turn off Wells Landing Road which Cheryl describes is WigrichRd., see DeLorme p. 53, B7. I don't know the name of the smaller gravelroad that goes off to the left. There are a couple such roads but fromthe description and some dim recollections of having been out there indaylight years ago, I think it's the longer one labelled as Haener Rd.If you go too far on Wigrich Rd., you'll be testing the amphibiouscapabilities of whatever vehicle you're operating. As of 8 PM lastevening (when I was out there in the dark again, unsuccessfully tryingto reach a reliable spot for Western Screech-Owl), the east end ofWigrich Rd. was under flood waters.Happy birding,JoelP.S. The hazelnut orchards in this area have been a good spot forwintering Chipping Sparrows in years past. I've never found them myself,but according to Roy Gerig, Don Albright et al. they are normally foundwith junco flocks in the older orchards.On Sun, 2009-01-04 at 11:29 -0800, Cheryl Whelchel wrote:> I don't know the name of the road it was on but if you are going north> on Wells Landing RD and turn right where it dead ends into Hopville,> then turn left on the unpaved road that has hops growing to the left> of it. At the end of the hops the road turns right and there is a> blackberry thicket in the corner. The bird responded quickly to> pishing.> > Cheryl Whelchel--Joel GeierCamp Adair area north of Corvallis------------------------------Message: 3Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 11:34:09 -0800From: "Steve Seibel" Subject: [birding] In Kansas - albino red-tail picsTo: list AT midvalleybirding.orgMessage-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"***http://www.aeroexperiments.org/AlbinoRedTailedHawk1*Hi all-- I'll be near Wichita KS for a few more days, thought some mightenjoy this link to some snapshots I took of a partial albino / leucisticRed-tailed hawk I spotted near here.Steve-------------- next part --------------An HTML attachment was scrubbed...URL:http://midvalleybirding.org/pipermail/list/attachments/20090105/9f6fb091/attachment-0001.htm------------------------------Message: 4Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 12:32:06 -0800 (PST)From: bouchdon AT peak.orgSubject: [birding] Sharpy takes chicken!To: mid-valley-nature AT googlegroups.comCc: list AT midvalleybirding.orgMessage-ID: <35822.192.104.231.235.1231187526.squirrel AT webmail.peak.org>Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1Hello Birders,My coworker, Scobel Wiggins, has had a Sharp-shinned Hawk attack herBantam Chickens recently. The other day, the little rooster was killed. Hewas probably bravely defending his hens, may he rest in peace :-(The description of the bird fits that of Sharp-shinned Hawk. Ambitious! Myguess is that it was a female hawk.Don Boucherwww.neighborhood-naturalist.com------------------------------_______________________________________________list mailing listlist AT midvalleybirding.orghttp://midvalleybirding.org/mailman/listinfo/listEnd of list Digest, Vol 34, Issue 3*********************************** _______________________________________________ list mailing list list AT midvalleybirding.org http://midvalleybirding.org/mailman/listinfo/list http://oregonbirdwatch.org/pipermail/obol/_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: From the regional editor: stuff I don't need details for From: "Shawneen Finnegan" <shawneenfinnegan AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 20:02:45 -0800 Hi Mike: I spent at least 1.5 hours looking for the thrush on count day with no luck. Shawneen Finnegan NW Portland On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 6:14 PM, Mike Patterson wrote: > Given that today is the last day of the count period, I think I > can safely send out a note on details. > > Things I do not need details for: > BROWN PELICAN > Heermann's Gull > Eurasian Collared Dove > Black Phoebe in Oregon and along the Columbia River > > I also already have photos of: > Shillipoo Swainson's Hawk > Eugene Gyrfalcon > Grants Pass Yellow-bellied Sapsucker > Airlie Vesper Sparrow > Corvallis Pyrrhuloxia > > I also have photos of the Portland Swainson's Thrush, but no word on > whether it was seen inside the count window. > > > -- > Mike Patterson > Astoria, OR > http://www.surfbirds.com/blogs/mbalame/ > > _______________________________________________ > obol mailing list > obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org > http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol >_______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Re: AOU or ABA checklist in Spanish? From: "Mark Nikas" <marknikas AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 20:00:25 -0800 John, http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?lang=ES®ion=aou&list=clements This is an AOU list in Spanish as a web page but not a downloadable document. You could probably copy and paste the list into a spreadsheet without too much trouble. Mark Nikas From: Born Again Bird Watcher Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 6:45 PM To: OBOL Subject: [obol] AOU or ABA checklist in Spanish? Good evening all, I'm in need of the "List of the 2,048 Bird Species known for the A.O.U. check-list area" or at least the ABA area checklist species in Spanish. Anyone have a suggestion where such a document might be located online? Many thanks in advance. Peace and good bird watching, John E. Riutta Born Again Bird Watcher LLC "Birds, Bugs, Books, and Business Consulting" Mobile: (503) 577-5383 E-mail: john AT bornagainbirdwatcher.com Website: www.bornagainbirdwatcherllc.com Blog: www.bornagainbirdwatcher.com By Mail: P.O. Box A Scappoose, OR 97056 U.S.A. By Parcel Carrier: 32908 S.W. Keys Crest Drive Scappoose, OR 97056 U.S.A. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol Subject: Updated owl and wintering finch PHOTOS and QUIZ From: khanh tran <khanhbatran AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 03:32:57 +0000 Hi all, The wonderful Mike Marsh and I birded the Okanogan area over New Year's weekend and we had a fantastic trip. We saw 5 owl species, 4 Northern Goshawks, and saw many wintering finches. Mike got his lifer HOARY REDPOLL! Yipee!!! People are probably getting tired of my long-winded, over-the-top postings so thought I would do something different by not post my sightings here. Instead, I have included it in my pBase blog. A photo quiz of a raptor is also included. At least it is a clear photo so crack at it!! For complete trip report and photos see: http://www.pbase.com/spruce_grouse/okanogan_winter_&page=all Good birding, Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon) _______________________________________________ obol mailing list obol AT oregonbirdwatch.org http://oregonbirdwatch.org/mailman/listinfo/obol