[birding] coast trip

[rich armstrong]

1. only 4 from corvallis audubon braved the trip to the coast today. it rained just a tiny bit at boiler bay, but was a little windy and a little cold all day. all in all a decent day.
2. highlights were
    a. RHINOCEROUS AUKLET at boiler bay
    b. GLAUCOUS GULL (1st winter) at newport gull puddle
    c. RED-NECKED GREBE in almost complete breeding plumage
    d. HORNED & EARED GREBES for comparison as well as western grebes
    e. a very close RED-THROATED LOON (in partial breeding plumage) and a few common loons
    f. both male & female HARLEQUIN DUCKS
    g. many SURFBIRDS & BLACK TURNSTONES, but we could not find a rock sandpiper
    h. many pelagic cormorants sporting the white back of wings as they come into breeding plumage
    i. PIGEON GUILLEMOTS in breeding plumage
    j. many RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS 
    k. hundreds of surf scoters and a couple white-winged scoters
    l. bald eagles of course
    m. quite a few GREATER SCAUP and we never found a lesser scaup all day
    n. 100+ BRANT
3. and we studied various plumages of western, glaucous-winged, hybrids, herring, california, and mew gulls - unfortunately i could not find a thayers at all.
Rich Armstrong
541-753-1978
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