[birding] Marbled Murrelets

[rich armstrong]

1. tom snetsinger heard 2 marbled murrelets up tobe creek road a week ago.
2. on saturday we went to lobster valley and failed to hear any at 2 traditional locations.
3. so this morning (actually middle of the night 230 am) we got up and drove to tobe creek road where tom told us to go. we were there at 330.
4. even with a full moon it is very dark and eerily silent. i sort of felt like an idiot standing in middle of nowhere listening to my arteries harden.
5. however, just after 5 am we heard probably 2 MARBLED MURRELETS! big thanks to tom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. if you want to try this, 1st listen to recordings of their call so you know what to listen for. nothing calls at all before about 445 and then the swainson's thrushes and pacific-slope flycatchers wake up. so if you are lucky to hear murrelets earlier than we did it would be fantastic. varied thrushes and robins didn't start till 515.
7. directions are as follows
    a. drive 34 to alsea
    b. left on 501 for 1 mile
    c. left on the road to alsea falls (there is a sign) for about a mile
    d. right on tobe creek road
    e. as you cross the bridge there is gate on left and little bridge on right, but you stay straight.
    f. go 1 mile and there is a road to the right that goes to a gate - do't go there, but this spot is good reference point.
    g. from that spot go 0.8 miles and park (probably just in middle of road)
    h. listen toward across the creek
8. we suggest you need to be there before 4 am, and if nothing by 6 then nothing.
Rich Armstrong
541-753-1978
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Snetsinger, Thomas - FW 
To: richarmstrong at comcast.net 
Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2009 6:08 PM
Subject: Marbled Murrelets


Rich,
Just an FYI. I heard 1-2 MAMU distant along Tobe Creek Road (off South Fork Rd=Alsea Falls Hwy) early Tuesday AM (4:05). I was actually 3 miles behind a locked gate, but I think you could have heard them better from the primary road (although water noise might be an issue down there). If you head south on Tobe Creek Road. Just past the start of the road you cross a bridge, gated road up to left, driveway to right. Split the difference and stay straight here. Maybe a mile in there is another road (gated 100 m up) on the right side. This is the road I drove up, but you can hit the same area by continuing ~0.75 miles along the main road. Good luck!

Tom
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