Sanderling – Ethical Birder

Clatsop Spit

December 19, 2023 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

I had the chance to visit Clatsop Spit at Fort Stevens State Park. Parking Lots C and D, the usual access points, are still compromised due to continued work on the south jetty of the Columbia. So the best place to access the beach along the Columbia River is the little road halfway in between the two parking lots. This road takes you to the access locally known as Social Security Beach.

One of the highlights of this trip was seeing many Snowy Plovers. This species just wasn’t found on the northern Oregon coast until a few years ago. It is great to see them making a comeback.

This Snowy Plover is sitting in a tire track from a large pickup that had just gone by. I really dislike that vehicles are allowed on so many beaches. Even if they are not directly squashing wildlife, they certainly disrupt and deface things. Baby Snowy Plovers have been known to get stuck in deep tire tracks.

While not threatened like the Snowy Plover, Black-bellied Plovers are always nice to see.

The Black-bellied Plovers were more wary and harder to approach than the Snowy Plovers.

This blurry photo shows the black axillaries (wing pits) of a Black-bellied Plover. This mark makes the species identifiable from a great distance.

The most common shorebird of the day was Dunlin. While they don’t sport their bold markings this time of year, the dull brownish upperparts and bright white underparts are distinctive.

A lone Dunlin following a group of Sanderlings

More Sanderlings

Of course you have to stop and appreciate the gulls this time of year. Here is a dapper pair of Herring Gulls.

Short-billed Gull, until recently called Mew Gull. Some feel that Mew Gull is a better name.

A lone California Gull stands in front of a group of Short-billed Gulls.

Probably the best bird of the trip was Snow Bunting. It is not unusual to find a few of these birds on the coast in winter, but it is hard to get them to sit still long enough for a photo.

Work on the jetty is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2025. It will be nice to have easy access to all of Clatsop Spit again.

Happy Solstice

Fort Stevens State Park

May 3, 2021 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

I went to Fort Stevens to look for shorebirds this week. The main push of spring migrants hadn’t arrived yet, but numbers were definitely on the increase. I was pleased that I timed the tide correctly at Parking Lot D. This little bay fills quickly when the tide comes in, so it was nice to have extensive mudflats on this visit.

Semipalmated Plovers enjoying the mud

Caspian Tern duo small This spot often hosts good numbers of Caspian Terns. Several birds were seen courting.

Black-bellied Plover small Of the six Black-bellied Plovers I saw that day, only one was in full breeding plumage. The others, including this bird, were still in molt.

Whimbrel duo small The beach hosted good numbers of Whimbrels.

whimbrel small

Sanderling small The most common shorebird on the beach that day was Sanderling. Most were still in winter plumage.

Sanderling duo small

Sanderling flock small

Shorebird migration should peak within the next week.

Happy Spring.

Beach Birds

January 11, 2021January 11, 2021 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

I spent a few days on the north Oregon coast to escape the New Year’s fireworks in Portland. As expected this time of year, there was plenty of wind and rain. But there were enough breaks in the weather to get out and enjoy some coastal birds.

Sanderlings are always a treat. This bird was squinting into the howling wind.

A blurry photo of typical Sanderling wave-running

This time of year, the largest shorebird flocks are made up of Dunlin.

This gull caught my eye. The marbled pattern on the bill indicates a third-cycle bird. The dark mantle and black wing tips suggest Western Gull. The heavy mottled hood suggests some Glaucous-winged Gull in this bird’s ancestry.

I ran into a small flock of Snowy Plovers. This species is making a great comeback on the Oregon Coast after nearly being extirpated.

A flock of Snow Buntings was a special treat. The high winds kept the birds moving around and usually hunkered down in the beach grass, so I couldn’t get a clear photo.

A washed-up log hosted a colony of Pelagic Gooseneck Barnacles. These were actually quite lovely despite the strong fishy smell. The gulls were delighted to find these tasty snacks.

Bodhi and Nala love a good romp on the beach, despite the weather.

We play hard, we rest hard. Happy New Year

Hudsonian Godwit

September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 by John Rakestraw, posted in rarities

hugo and bbpl
A Hudsonian Godwit has been hanging out at Fort Stevens for over a week now. This species, seen here with a Black-bellied Plover, normally migrates through the central part of the continent so an appearance on the west coast is a rare treat.

rump
Here is a glimpse of the bird’s white rump, one feature that helps separate it from the expected Marbled Godwits. Other differences include the gray-brown coloration, dark underwings, bold wing stripe, and obvious pale supercilium.

Note how much yellow is present on one of these Black-bellied Plovers. This is apparently quite common on young Black-bellieds, but this is the first year I have seen it. These birds can be mistaken for American or Pacific Golden-Plovers at first glance, but the bulkier shape, thick bills, and different calls all point to Black-bellied Plover.

Other birds sharing the beach with the godwit and plovers included Sanderlings,

a Dunlin,

wesp 3
and Western Sandpipers. Notice the tiny bill on this individual, suggesting that the bird is a male.

Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, and Dunlin

Happy Shorebirding!

Summer shorebirds

September 3, 2017September 3, 2017 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

Mid to late summer is the prime time to watch shorebirds in western Oregon, partly because it is the peak of southbound shorebird migration, and partly because the locally nesting songbirds have stopped singing and are very hard to see. Shorebirding in the Portland area has been a little more challenging this summer with major construction projects occurring at Fernhill Wetlands, Smith and Bybee Wetlands, and Jackson Bottom.

Broughton Beach, near the airport, has not hosted large numbers of birds this year, but has attracted some good species.

Baird’s Sandpipers come through Oregon every year, but never in huge numbers, so finding one is always a treat. They stand out with their buffy coloring and long wings.
Almost all of the Baird’s that pass through in summer are juveniles, so they show a strong scaly pattern.

While Sanderlings are quite common along the coast, it is rare to find them inland. Broughton seems to be a good spot to find them in Portland.
Here is a group shot of (L to R) a Sanderling, a Western Sandpiper, and a Baird’s Sandpiper, all juveniles. While it is fun to sort through thousands of shorebirds when the birding fates align, when birding is slow it does us good to take advantage of small numbers and really study the few birds at hand. Shorebird migration runs for another month, so I am hoping to have many more encounters before the rains return and the shorebirds depart.

Spring on the Coast

May 19, 2017May 19, 2017 by John Rakestraw, posted in seasonal movements

I have made four trips to the Oregon Coast in as many weeks this spring. For three of the four, I was leading groups. That, combined with rainy weather, limited my photo opportunities, but here are a few shots. The big news on the coast this spring was a Laughing Gull and at least four Bar-tailed Godwits. I missed these birds, but as I like to tell myself, there is always something to see.

Rainy skies at Ft. Stevens. The wreck of the Peter Iredale is visible in the center of the photo.

Harbor Seals enjoying the sunshine in Netarts Bay.

It was fun to see this Red-breasted Merganser hauled out on a rock at the Netarts boat launch. I don’t see them out of the water very often.

Belted Kingfisher, Netarts boat launch

Surf Scoter, Yaquina Bay

Common Loon, still in winter plumage, Yaquina Bay

Harlequin Ducks on Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach

former whale, Ft. Stevens

Sanderling have been one of the more common migrants along the coast this spring.
Sanderling, Ft. Stevens

Whimbrel with a Mole Crab, Ft. Stevens

Black-bellied Plover, with a Sanderling in the background

Black-bellied Plover, still in mostly non-breeding plumage. Such faded birds often show some brown coloring, which fosters ideas of Pacific Golden-Plover. But eventually the birds raise their wings to reveal black axillaries (wing pits), and confirm the Black-bellied ID.

Birdathon 2016

May 16, 2016May 16, 2016 by John Rakestraw, posted in mammals, OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

The Weekday Warblers birdathon team made its inaugural trip on May 12. We birded the north coast from Cannon Beach to Fort Stevens, with a stop at the Sunset Rest Stop on the way. We did well with seabirds and shorebirds, but were sorely lacking in upland species. A few tweaks to the route and a longer day would probably get us a bigger list, but we had a great time with great weather and ended the day with 80 species.

This is one of a couple of Common Ravens who were hanging out in the parking lot of the Sunset Rest Area.

One of many Whimbrels seen on the beach

This flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls was flying around the South Jetty at Fort Stevens.

a distant Roosevelt Elk at Fort Stevens

We made two quick stops at The Cove in Seaside. Most of the few birds that were there were quite a ways out, requiring lots of squinting through a scope, but this White-winged Scoter came close to shore for some nice views.

The best find of the day was the large shorebird flock on the beach at Fort Stevens. The Oregon Coast does not usually get huge numbers of migrant shorebirds. Birders joke about he Shorebird Dome that covers the coast, forcing birds to fly directly from northern California to Gray’s Harbor, Washington. But this past week the dome was breached and good numbers and diversity of shorebirds worked the beaches of the north coast. We found these birds mid-afternoon, so the sun was already in the west causing terrible lighting for photos. But this will give you an idea. The photo above shows a Western Sandpiper with two Dunlin.

Sanderling

Ruddy Turnstone with Western Sandpiper

Red Knot, a rare treat along the Oregon coast

a nice combo of Dunlin, Red Knot, Western Sandpiper, and Ruddy Turnstone

Boat for Sale. Needs work .

A great day on the Oregon coast.

Broughton Beach, Portland

August 21, 2015November 14, 2015 by John Rakestraw, posted in identification challenges, OR Birding Sites, seasonal movements

Broughton Beach is along the Columbia River, right next to the Portland airport. It can be a challenging place to bird, with dogs and children chasing the birds, police carrying body bags down the beach, etc. But if you catch it on a good day you can find some excellent birding. The great attraction this past week was a Pacific Golden Plover, which spent two days there, avoiding me with great success (thus that specie’s designation as one of my nemesis birds). I tried for the plover twice with no luck, but found several other goodies along the way.

The most unexpected species was this Red Phalarope. At first glance, I wrote this bird off as a Red-necked, since Reds are very unusual inland in August, and Red-neckeds are expected. Once I looked at the photographs, however, I saw my error and got a good reminder to LOOK AT THE BIRD! That heavy bill with the light-colored base is a dead giveaway for Red Phalarope.

Another coastal species along Broughton Beach was Sanderling.

It is nice to see Sanderlings at inland locations, since you can often get closer to them there than you can at the coast.

Another nice find was this Semipalmated Sandpiper. You can see the partial webbing between the outer toes that gives this species its name. Ten years ago, a Semipalmated Sandpiper anywhere in Oregon was a pretty big deal, but now quite a few individuals are reported every year. Either the bird has become a more common migrant in this state, or people are just better at recognizing them.

Semipalmated Sandpiper (r) and Western Sandpiper (l)

Western Sandpipers were present in small numbers. . .

as were Least Sandpipers.

California Gulls like to hang out on a little sand spit that extends into the river at low tide. A few Glaucous-winged Gulls have arrived, and will become more common as autumn approaches.

This Common Loon seemed a little out of place for August. In the winter months, this species is often seen at this site with large rafts of grebes and diving ducks. There are fewer kids and dogs then, too.

North Coast

March 1, 2015 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

It had been ages since I visited the coast, so I packed up the dog to check out some spots between Cannon Beach and the Columbia River. I have seen an increasing number of these signs in the area, an attempt to attract nesting Snowy Plovers back to the area. I hope it works.

On the beach at Gearhart, I saw more Sanderlings than I have seen in many years. I don’t know whether the population has rebounded a bit, or if I just timed my visit with a good wave of early migrants. We’ll hope it is the former.

There was a small flock of Dunlin at Gearhart, and a much larger flock at Fort Stevens. None had started molting into spring plumage yet.

American Crow on the beach. There were a few Common Ravens around, too, but they usually don’t allow a close approach.

I found two mixed flocks of gulls. The gull numbers around Portland this winter have been very disappointing, so it was nice to see a good variety of species on the beach. Since I had Nala with me, I couldn’t get close enough to identify everyone. This little group is mostly California, with a couple of Mews and possible Thayer’s.

The best gulls of the day were Black-legged Kittiwakes. This species is usually found out to sea, so it is nice whenever they come to shore. Here is an adult in the middle of the frame.

A first-cycle Black-legged Kittiwake near the center, with a dark auricular patch and a black bar across the back of the neck.

This Western Gull seemed very dark compared to the other gull seen that day. I think she might be of the southern subspecies.

A quick check of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach usually reveals some Harlequin Ducks.

Nala at Haystack Rock

Tillamook

March 12, 2012 by John Rakestraw, posted in OR Birding Sites

I took advantage of the glorious spring weather recently to visit Tillamook (Birding Oregon p. 125). Nala and I completed the Tillamook Death March, walking all the way around Bayocean Spit. This is the only spot I have visited on the Oregon coast where you can walk for several miles along the beach and not see another person. You can barely discern the south jetty on the horizon.

As expected, there weren’t a lot of birds on the ocean side of Bayocean. It is still too early for spring migrants and too late for winter specialties. Aside from one Black-bellied Plover, the only shorebirds were Sanderlings, shown here doing their typical running along the water’s edge.

There wasn’t much going on, birdwise, on the bay side of the spit either. The tide was high and there were a lot of boats on the water. This was one of several Bald Eagles seen on our walk.

The main reason for my trip that day was to explore the Tillamook Bay Wetlands Area. While this isn’t the most scenic of sites, it provides wonderful access to wetland and meadow habitats along Tillamook Bay. From US 101 on the north edge of the city of Tillamook, turn west onto Goodspeed Road. Follow this very rough paved/gravel road for one mile, bear right, then left, then right again to end at a small parking area with this sign.

Wilson River

Wilson River, near where it empties into Tillamook Bay. The patch of trees in the distance is the wooded area of Bayocean Spit across the bay.

Black Phoebes were actively hunting from perches along the water’s edge.

Marshy habitat with the Coast Range in the distance. Snow is visible on the clear-cuts.