[birding] Gull flock near Coffin Butte landfill

[Joel Geier]

Hi folks,

I stopped by the "gull resting field" at the west end of Coffin Butte
Rd., on my way back from a mostly uneventful walk at the Luckiamute
Landing unit of Luckiamute State Natural Area (a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH
in a cottonwood was the most notable bird -- there are no oaks there but
I've seen W-b Nuthatches there using cottonwoods along the river,
several times in recent years), and then a loop along Suver/Airlie, De
Armond and Robison Rds. as described in my OBOL posting.

At Coffin Butte Rd. there were about 50 gulls total, including about 15
Ring-billed (maybe a Mew or two in with them), 10 or so California, plus
a few Glaucous-winged, Thayer's, and Herring Gulls. Someone with a
better scope and more patience might pull out something else out of the
flock.

There is also a tremendous flock of AMERICAN CROWS using this field,
along with the usual starlings. They put up a pretty good wall of sound.
A WESTERN MEADOWLARK was foraging in the thawing grass near the road,
right next to a WILSON'S SNIPE which pulled up a nice fat worm and
gulped it down (the meadowlark looked sort of jealous).

Happy birding,
Joel

P.S. Waverly Pond in Albany is still  Grand Central Station for mid-
valley gulls. There were at least 300 floating on the pond and/or
standing around at dusk on Thursday evening.

--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis