OREGON & WASHINGTON 
Though detected annually in Washington over the past five years, Lesser 
Black-backed Gull had been found just once in Oregon — until this adult 
was photographed at Newport 10 August 2008, a state second. Photo- 
graph by Glen Lindeman. 
er Bay 4-5 Nov (PP) marked the peak south- 
bound flight. Thirty-one eastside Surfs 12 
Oct-30 Nov was 10 shy of recent averages. 
Eastern Washingtons 12 White-winged Scot- 
ers included 2 at Wenas L., Yakima 15 Aug (J. 
Kozma) that were about a month early. Three 
Harlequin Ducks at Sprague L., Adams 13 Oct 
(RH) and another at Blue L., Grant 1 Nov (T. 
O’Brien) were in the e. Washington lowlands, 
where not annual in fall. A measly 3 Long- 
tailed Ducks were detected on the eastside', 
where the recent norm is 7-r; one on Upper 
Klamath L. 29 Nov (D. Haupt) was away from 
the favored Mid-Columbia Basin. A Barrow’s 
Goldeneye x Common Goldeneye was at 
Blaine, Whatcom 29 Nov (ph. SM, RM); this 
hybrid is now detected annually in the Region. 
On 3 Nov, a male Barrow’s Goldeneye returned 
to Astoria for its 8th consecutive winter. An- 
other Barrow’s graced Tillamook 16 Nov 
(A&CH, ES); this species is barely annual 
along the Oregon coast. 
Loon flights peaked at Boiler Bay during 
early Nov (PP); 6000 Red-throated Loons 
passed there 4 Nov and 23,000 Pacihcs were 
tallied in 90 minutes on 13 Nov. Two Yellow- 
billed Loons at Pt. Wilson, Jefferson 28 Oct-r 
(B. Whitney) and another at P.N.P. 25 Nov-i- 
(VN) comprised a typical fall showing. West- 
ern Washington’s 1 1 Clark’s Grebes was above 
average. Pour at Bainbridge L, Kitsap 15 Nov 
(BW, GG) were noteworthy, as few PT. 
records have involved multiple birds. 
Pourteen offshore trips included 7 out of 
Westport, one out of LaPush, Clallam, hve 
out of Newport, and one out of Brookings. 
Half of these trips were in Aug. As noted dur- 
ing summer, low counts of many seabirds 
continued. However, there were rarities 
aplenty, with two new species for the Region 
and four state hrsts. Regionally, Black-footed 
Albatrosses seem to be in slow decline; off- 
shore trips averaged fewer than 40, with a 
high count of 94. This drop-off may be con- 
nected to reductions in offshore 
trawling and associated discards. 
All 5 Laysan Albatrosses were in 
Oregon waters 12 Aug-29 Sep. 
Photographs of the Region’s first 
Wandering Albatross, off Newport 
Sep 13 (ph. GGi et ah), depict a fe- 
male of the Antipodean population. 
Some authors treat the taxa of Wan- 
dering Albatross as separate 
species, with this taxon referred to 
as Antipodean Albatross (Diomedea 
antipodensis) . The American Or- 
nithologists’ Union’s Check-list 
Committee has not voted on this 
split. The only prior North Ameri- 
can record of this complex involved 
one onshore at Sea Ranch, Sonoma, CA 11-12 
Jul 1967. A well-described Hawaiian Petrel 
257 km w. of Newport 7 Aug (tM. Force) and 
another photographed off Westport 27 Sep 
(BT et al.) were also new to the Region; pho- 
tographs of the latter bird seem to eliminate 
Galapagos Petrel (see Force, M. R, S. W. 
Webb, and S. N. G. Howell. 2007. Identihca- 
tion at sea of Hawaiian and Galapagos Petrels. 
Western Biids 38: 242-248). Satellite tracking 
has shown that Hawaiian Petrels occasionally 
disperse northward to 51° N in the cen. Pa- 
cific Aug-Sep, well n. of these reports. The 
year-long trend of below-average Northern 
Fulmar numbers continued, with only three 
counts of 100+. A tally of 3500 Pink-footed 
Shearwaters inshore at Boiler Bay 4 Oct (PP) 
is utterly unprecedented and even more sur- 
prising when one considers that Oregon’s 
Aug-Sep pelagics averaged fewer than 
100/trip. This marks the 2nd consecutive Oct 
with major inshore flights of Pink-footeds; 
Oct 2007 saw several counts of 500-r. A lowly 
4 Flesh-footed Shearwaters were reported all 
season. Oregon’s hrst and the Region’s 3rd 
Greater Shearwater was 27 km nw. of New- 
port 9 Aug (GGi, ph. D. Barton); antecedent 
records came from 67 km off Grays Harbor 24 
Aug 2002 and off Westport 10 Sep 2006. Mir- 
roring Pink-footed Shearwater, Buller’s Shear- 
waters were scarce offshore Aug-Sep (fewer 
than 20/trip), but 50 counted from shore at 
Coos Bay on Oct 7 (JD) was exceptional and 
perhaps indicative of a later- than-normal pas- 
sage. Sooty Shearwater numbers were low all 
season, with no reports topping 5000 birds. 
As is typical, 3 of the season’s 4 Manx Shear- 
waters were observed from coastal headlands 
5 Aug-7 Oct; a single off Westport 5 Sep fur- 
nished the only at-sea sighting (fide BT). A 
gathering of 6000 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels 8 
km off Newport 10 Aug (T. Johnson) makes a 
Regional record, nearly tripling Washington’s 
all-time high count (2400); the Region’s 
breeding population numbers only about 
4000 birds. Three Fork-taileds were inshore 
at Boiler Bay 4 Oct (PP). A Leach’s Storm-Pe- 
trel off P.N.P 27 Sep (VN) was very rare in the 
PT., where most prior records have occurred 
mid-Oct-mid-Nov. ' 
The Region’s 6th Brown Booby washed : 
ashore dead at Coos Bay 27 Oct (G. Friedrich- ' 
sen); a live bird 24 km sw. of Depoe Bay, Lin- 
coln 3 Oct 1998 represents the only previous 
Oregon record. Prior to 1997, a Blue-footed 
Booby at Everett 23 Sep 1935 was the Region’s 
lone sulid record. Since then, nine boobies of 
three species have reached our shores. Ameri- 
can White Pelicans are now commonplace in 
the WV, with 125+ reported from eight lo- 
cales this season; these included daily maxima i 
of 54 at FR.R. 27 Aug (RR) and 44 at Sauvie 1. ' 
21-24 Sep (AF, JG). One at Bandon 1 Aug (TR) 
and 2 at Plat Island Res., Douglas 30 Oct-2 
Nov (R. Maertz) were less expected. Twenty- 
six Brown Pelicans in the PT. 14 Aug-17 Nov 
was about thrice the norm and included an Jj 
amazing 20 over West Pt., King 18 Oct (B. J 
Dudley). Eastern Washington’s 5th Brown Pel- '! 
ican surely puzzled hawkwatchers as it ■ 
cruised over Chelan Ridge, Chelan 17 Oct (fide I 
V Glick). Coastal pelican numbers remained , 
extremely high through the season, evidenced | 
by 3686 passing Lincoln City, Lincoln 16 Nov i 
(PP). An unidentified frigatebird was 100 km ' 
w. of Tillamook 8 Aug (S. & D. Parsons). f 
Once again, large numbers of post-breed- 
ing Great Blue Herons (258 on 11 Oct) and 
Great Egrets (482 on 5 Oct) gathered at Port- 
land’s Smith/Bybee Lakes Sep-Oct (AF, S. 
Nord). An imm. Snowy Egret frequented 
FR.R. 21 Aug-5 Oct QS, m.ob.); this species 
is now nearly annual in the W.V, where for- 
merly extremely rare. Single imm. Little Blue 
Herons at Smith/Bybee Lakes. 1-3 Sep (D. & 
S. McCarty, JN, ph. SF) and Neskowin, 
Tillamook (tj. Hurt) were Oregon’s 5th and 
6th and the first for fall. After a decade of 
poor showings. Cattle Egrets invaded w. 
Washington, with 23 reported 22 Aug-30 
Nov, including a flock of 15 off Rosario Head, 
Skagit 1 Nov 0- Parrott). A surprising Green i 
Heron visited Burns Junction, Malheur 8 Nov 
(K. Cottrell); they are rare at any season in se. 
Oregon and all but unknown there Oct-Mar. 
A White-faced Ibis tarried at Wood R. Wet- 
lands, Klamath until 6 Nov (RR); ibis are i 
rarely found in the Region after early Oct. 
Five of Oregon’s 7 lowland Northern 
Goshawks appeared 6 Oct-16 Nov, while ear- 
ly birds enlivened S.J.C.R. 21 Aug QGi, JM) 
and Green Peter Res., Linn 31 Aug OGe). Red- 
shouldered Hawks continue to increase on 
Oregon’s eastside, where mega-rare prior to 
1990. There were 20 reported from 16 loca- 
144 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
