[birding] Central Coast Range & Coast birds this weekend

[Joel Geier]

Hello folks,

Some quick notes (nothing rare) from a weekend camping at Salmonberry
Park in western Benton County with Steve & Kelly Dougill's family,
including a day at Ona Beach north of Waldport in Lincoln County on
Saturday.

At Salmonberry Campground, the usual Coast Range denizens were present,
though (for the most part) quieter than might be expected earlier in the
season. SWAINSON'S THRUSHES were calling but no longer singing in the
evenings. EVENING GROSBEAKS and RED CROSSBILLS were vocal, a few WINTER
WRENS were singing, and a family group of HUTTON'S VIREOS were seen and
heard flying around. A few COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were heard in the evenings
and a couple of GREEN HERONS were squawking along the Alsea River in the
early mornings.

At Ona Beach on Saturday, we enjoyed extended close views of about 90
WESTERN SANDPIPERS (overwhelmingly juveniles with a few adults), 5
SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 3 LEAST SANDPIPERS, 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, plus a
few HEERMANN'S GULLS along with the Californias & Westerns. Some birds
were flying well offshore but apart from noting that a few of them were
cormorants, we let go of the ones that were 7.5+ miles offshore (no
doubt including many rare albatrosses, boobies, frigatebirds, and
tropicbirds).

Eckman Slough east of Waldport had about 5 LESSER YELLOWLEGS to go with
a few GREATER YELLOWLEGS.

At Alsea Falls today we heard a RED CROSSBILL singing yet another
improvisational-sounding song. Steve saw a DIPPER which the rest of us
missed even though we were looking at all the DIPPER POOP. Later we
stopped by Marys Peak to pick some huckleberries at an undisclosed
location, where Steve (apparently not focused on the task at hand) also
mentioned hearing an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and a good assortment of
warblers (WILSON'S, HERMIT, ORANGE-CROWNED and I think he mentioned a
MACGILLIVRAY'S).

Happy birding,
Joel

--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis