OREGON & WASHINGTON 
Formerly extremely rare in the Pacific Northwest, White-winged Doves are now de- 
tected annually. This individual, photographed on 30 May 2009, spent several days at 
Frenchglen, Harney County, Oregon. Photograph by Johnny Powell. 
This first-year male Dickcissel that appeared near Grants Pass, Josephine County, Wash- 
ington 27 May 2009 provided the first spring recoird in the Oregon & Washington region 
since 1995. Photograph by Phil Hicks. 
Mar 0 - Higbee), plus late singles at 
Klamath Falls 29 Apr QVM, D. 
Stein) and Liberty L., Spokane 2 May 
(MW et al). An assemblage of 400 
migrant Ruddy Ducks on Siltcoos 
L., Lane (AC, DF) was among the 
highest counts ever along the Ore- 
gon coast. Two Red-throated Loons 
were at Sacajawea S.R, Franklin 11- 
28 Mar (R. Taylor, NL); prior to 
2000, there were just four Mar-May 
records for e. Washington, where 
now annual in spring. A spectacular 
loon flight at Boiler 24 Apr pro- 
duced the best spring tallies since 
2002; 4000 Red-throated Loons 
more than doubled recent high 
counts, and the passage of 65,000 
Pacific Loons included peak pulses 
of 2000 per minute (PP). Four 
Pacifies were detected in e. Wash- 
ington 14 Mar-18 Apr; the earliest 
remained at Wannapum Dam, Kitti- 
tas/Grant through 16 May (SDo, 
AS). All 4 Yellow-billed Loons were 
in Washington; a long-staying east- 
side bird at Chief Joseph Res., Dou- 
glas was last seen 10 Apr (MS), and 
the latest remained at Sekiu, Clallam 
through 13 Apr (fide CW). Westside 
reports of Clark’s Grebes were 
pedestrian away from FR.R.; 6 were 
in Oregon (5 along the coast) 19 
Apr-25 May, and 3 were in Wash- 
ington 4-25 Apr. 
Good offshore coverage produced 
7 Laysan Albatross reports in Ore- 
gon waters; an 18 Apr pelagic trip to 
Perpetua Banks, Lincoln encountered 2 (GG), 
and 5 were seen from cruise ship 8 May (DI, 
JW et al). The 18 Apr pelagic also found 250 
Black-footed Albatrosses (GG). The high 
count of Northern Fulmars, 300, came from 
Boiler Bay 12 May (PP), while offshore num- 
bers were paltry. Though now expected dur- 
ing spring, the 35-r Murphy’s Petrels seen 80 
km offshore during the 8 May cruise (DI, JW 
et al.) constituted a record for the Region; 3-i- 
were encountered in each of Oregon’s seven 
coastal counties, including 12 in Coos. Two 
more Murphy’s were off Pacific 8 May (DI, JW 
et al). Some aboard the cruise ship had scope 
views of a bird believed to be a Solander’s Pe- 
trel off Lane, OR 8 May (+D1, tSM, B. Hin- 
richs et al); though well known from the n. 
Pacific, there are no accepted records from 
U.S. waters. Eight Mottled Petrels were tallied 
over the Nitinat Canyon and Juan de Fuca 
Canyon 48-71 km off Clallam, and an uniden- 
tified white-bellied gadfly petrel was also over 
Juan de Fuca Canyon 24 Mar (RM). Pink- 
footed Shearwaters were seen from shore in 
both states, with 21 reported 6-12 May (RM, 
PP); nearshore reports are rare in spring. The 
10,000+ Sooty Shearwaters seen from Boiler 
Bay 12 May (PP) was the season’s high count. 
Sixteen Manx Shearwaters, 6 Mar-21 May, 
was a seasonal record; all but one of 7 in 
Washington were offshore, while 6 of 9 Ore- 
gon birds were seen from land. Offshore num- 
bers of Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels were low, 
with only 88 off Oregon during 8 May (JW); 
singles were noted from Cape Disappoint- 
ment, Pacific 20 Mar (MW, CW) and Boiler 
Bay 7 May (PP). 
Nearly 100 American White Pelicans wan- 
dered to the westside, mostly during May. 
Twelve at Aberdeen, Grays Harbor 27 May (D. 
Moore) were among 21 that reached the outer 
coast, where they were once mega-rare but are 
now nearly annual. A Brown Pelican at Win- 
chester Bay Douglas 6 Mar (RN) preceded the 
first northbound flocks by 6 weeks. May-Jun 
Brown Pelican records have been increasing 
since 2006 in the PT, where former- 
ly rare before mid-Aug, This season’s 
reports included one at Blaine, 
Whatcom 30 Apr-4 May one at Point 
Defiance, Pierce 7-18 May (B. 
Owens), and an impressive 22 near 
Seattle 15 May (M. Bond). The Little 
Blue Heron discovered at Siletz Bay 
Lincoln Dec 2008 remained through 
7 Apr (RL, ph. B. Medlen). Single 
Cattle Egrets at Boiler Bay 17 May 
(WH) and Diamond, Harney 23-25 
May (RH, m.ob.) were the Region’s 
first spring birds since 2005. Two 
Black-crowned Night-Herons at 
Newport 2 Apr (T. Snetsinger) were 
likely migrants, but to where? By 
pure chance, Oregon’s 4th Glossy 
Ibis was documented when the pho- 
tographer tried out his new camera 
on a flock of ibis at Malheur 23 May 
(ph. D. Baccus); this species has ap- 
peared annually since 2006 in se. 
Oregon. White-faced Ibis again 
showed well away from breeding 
sites in se. Oregon; 31 were reported 
from four w. Washington locales 12- 
18 May, and nearly 100 visited w. 
Oregon 9 May+, including flocks of 
35+ at Sauvie 1. 22 May (JW) and 40 
at ER.R. 24 May (D. Brown). Eastern 
Washington, where ibis are now an- 
nual, saw a modest incursion, with 
19 birds at four locations 20-30 May. 
A Broad-winged Hawk was w. of 
Thorp, Kittitas 3 May (tTB), and an- 
other soared over Bandon 8 May 
(TJW); the former was Washing- 
ton’s 16th, while Oregon has 25+ reports. A 
record 7 Swainson’s Hawks passed through w. 
Washington 1-17 May including 3 over Skag- 
it W.M.A. 2 May (GB, B. Kuntz); this species 
is still not annual in w. Washington. Single 
Rough-legged Hawks near Brownsville, Linn 2 
May 0- Harding) and Pendelton, Umatilla 9 
May were a month tardy. A Golden Eagle just 
e. of Reedsport, Douglas 16 May QB) was in 
the coastal lowlands, where less than annual. 
This season’s “Prairie” Merlins (subspecies 
richardsoni) were near Edison, Skagit 1 
Mar-15 Apr (ph. RM, TA) and Othello 1 Mar 
(tTO); this taxon is now reported annually in 
the Region. All 3 Gyrfalcons were in e. Wash- 
ington 1-23 Mar. 
SHOREBIRDS THROUGH 
WOODPECKERS 
The Klamath Basin is proving to be an impor- 
tant stopover for northbound Black-bellied 
Plovers; 500 near Bonanza, Klamath 26 Apr 
OVM) replaced the previous eastside record 
VOLUME 63 (2009) 
NUMBER 3 
493 
