OREGON & WASHINGTON 
normal eastside departures, while one near 
Renton 23 Nov (SR) and another at Chief Tim- 
othy S.P., Asotin 29 Nov (tMW, R. Woodruff, 
G. Sheridan) were nearly two months tardy; 
MacGillivray’s are very rare in the Region after 
early Oct. Wilson’s Warblers at Cattle Pt., San 
Juan (RM, T. Davis, B. Hough) 20 Nov and 
Portland 24 Nov (fide H. Nehls) were seven 
weeks later than normally detected. 
TANAGERS THROUGH LOWGSPURS 
A Western Tanager at Corvallis 25 Nov (RHo) 
was at least six weeks tardy. Ten non-oregonus 
Spotted Towhees were in w. Whatcom 29 Nov, 
including 7 at Lummi Flats (SM, RM). This is 
the highest tally of interior-subspecies towhees 
(e.g., curtatus and montanus) ever reported in 
w. Washington, where Spotted Towhees other 
than lightly spotted oregonus are uncommon 
Oct-Apr. An American Tree Sparrow at Depoe 
Bay, Lincoln was exceptional for the Oregon 
coast, where not annual. The Region’s fall pas- 
sage of Clay-colored Sparrows is decidedly bi- 
furcate; 4 eastside birds were all detected 2-27 
Sep, while all but 2 of 11 westside birds were 
reported 5 Oct or later. Early westside migrants 
included singles at Seattle 5-6 Sep Q. Bryant) 
and another at Portland 24 Sep QW). Vesper 
Sparrows, formerly less than annual during au- 
tumn in w. Washington, have been detected 
every fall since 2003; this season’s 6 were re- 
ported 23 Aug-12 Oct. Three Vespers in Coos 
and Curry 24 Aug-1 Sep were along the s. Ore- 
gon coast, where barely annual. Lark Sparrows 
are rare n. of Curry on the Oregon coast; thus 
singles at Astoria 29 Sep (MP) and Newport 29 
Nov (M&MLD) were unusual. Another near 
Bellingham 29 Sep was just the 3rd fall record 
for w. Washington since 1996 (HF). A Black- 
throated Sparrow at Finley 14 Sep (D. Bouch- 
er, ph. L. Millbank) was w. Oregon’s 2nd in fall; 
nearly all westside records occur Apr-Jun. Re- 
ports of Red Fox Sparrows (subspecies ilia- 
ca/zaboria) are increasing: one at Windust 
Park, Franklin 1 Sep (tDI, tSM) eclipsed 
Washington’s record early date by 15 days, and 
individuals of this type also appeared at Eugene 
9 Nov (ph. TM) and McNary Dam, Umatilla 
(JG). A Washington record 130 Sooty Fox 
Sparrows were gathered in a one square km 
area at the Elwha R. mouth, Clallam 16 Nov 
(SM, CW, BW). Eight Swamp Sparrows in w. 
Washington 15 Oct+ represented another good 
fall. A Swamp at ER.R. 21 Sep+ QS, L. Johnson) 
was nearly a month early. A bird heard calling 
all summer in Portland was finally seen and 
identified as a White-throated Sparrow 10 Sep 
(G. Lillie); southbound White-throateds typi- 
cally arrive during the third week of Sep. Eight 
Harris’s Sparrows 16 Oct-29 Nov was about av- 
erage for fall; these birds were evenly split e. 
and w. of the Cascades. Golden-crowned x 
White-crowned Sparrow hybrids were detected 
at Foothills Trail, Pierce 19 Nov (CW) and at 
Skagit W.M.A. 23 Nov (RM); this hybrid is now 
found annually in w. Washington. Lapland 
Longspurs showed extremely well along the 
Oregon coast, with up to 90 at Cape Blanco 25 
Sep (TW) and 33 at S.J.C.R. 28 Sep (PL). Ore- 
gon’s 3rd and the Region’s 4th Smith’s 
Longspur graced N.S.C.B. 30 Oct (KC, tDL, 
tRN); antecedent records have occurred 30 
Aug-17 Oct. The lone Chestnut-collared 
Longspur, at Baskett Slough 20 Nov (L. Nor- 
gren), was late and was in the W.V.; the Region 
has averaged about 5 per fall since 2000, with 
most reports coming from the Oregon coast 
during Oct. 
NORTHERN CARDINAL 
THROUGH FINCHES 
A Northern Cardinal near Aurora, Marion 11 
Nov was near where one was reported in 
2007; these birds are of dubious origin, as 
proven human assistance has been linked to 
several prior reports in the Region. Neither 
state records committee accepts this species as 
“naturally occurring.” The Region’s first 
Pyrrhuloxia frequented a Peoria, Linn feeder 
12 Nov+ (RC, ph. Maitreya et al), adding yet 
another bird to the list of Southwestern 
species that appeared this fall; this apparent 
hatch-year bird did not show feather or bill 
wear consistent with captivity. Both of the sea- 
son’s Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were in Wash- 
ington, where not detected annually in fall; 
singles enlivened Lind Coulee, Grant 20 Sep 
(SM, CW) and Gig Harbor, Pierce 10 Nov (ph. 
C. Smith). A Black-headed Grosbeak at Juani- 
ta Park, King 24 Oct (RM) was at least a 
month tardy. A female Indigo Bunting at 
Juanita Park 15 Nov (ph. RM) was Washing- 
ton’s 5th fall migrant and the latest by more 
than six weeks; most of the state’s 25+ records 
are from Jun and Jul. A Dickcissel, Washing- 
ton’s 6th and the first since 1997, adorned 
Westport, Grays Harbor 31 Oct (tBT, W. John- 
son); all records but one are from the coast. 
Five westside Bobolinks 18 Aug-5 Oct was 
twice the fall norm. A Tricolored Blackbird at 
Lyons Ferry 31 Aug was Franklin's first (SM, 
CW); Washington’s maximum was 30 at Oth- 
ello 20 Sep (CW, SM). Five Rusty Blackbirds 
in w. Washington 5 Oct-17 Nov was more 
than twice the norm, while one at Sauvie 1. 4 
Oct QG) was the first in w. Oregon since 2001; 
aside from two fall reports from Umatilla, 
most of Oregon’s 17 reports have occurred 
Dec-Feb. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, not 
annual in the westside lowlands, graced Fin- 
ley 24 Oct (WDR) and Pt. Roberts, Whatcom 7 
Nov (]. Ireland). Up to 20 Gray-crowneds in- 
habited favored Marys Peak 21 Oct+ (WDR, 
m.ob.); this species is not regular elsewhere in 
Oregon’s Coast Range. Two Purple Finches 
near Vantage 30 Aug were e. of their normal 
range and a month early for such wanderers 
(CW, SM, RS). A Cassin’s Finch, very rare w. of 
the Cascades in Washington, was at Skagit 
W.M.A. 23 Nov (RM, SM). Pine Grosbeaks ir- 
rupted into e. Washington and ne. Oregon, 
with more than 300 birds reported late Oct+. 
This event stretched to the westside, with one 
on Saddle Mt., Clatsop 27 Oct (B. McCul- 
lough) and 2 lowland birds at Skagit W.M.A. 9 
Nov (SR). Small groups of Evening Grosbeaks 
were widespread in the Columbia Basin, 
where very rare, late Aug-mid-Sep. 
Initialed observers (subregional editors in 
boldface): Tom Aversa (Washington), Range 
Bayer (Lincoln), Marv Breece, Randy Camp- 
bell, Scott Carpenter, Kathy Castelein, Alan 
Contreras, Craig & Judy Corder (Spokane), 
Cameron Cox, Tom Crabtree, John Crowell 
Jr., Jim Danzenbaker, Mike & MerryLynn 
Denny, Steve Dougill, Steve Dowlan, Dennis 
Duffy, Daniel Farrar, Shawneen Finnegan, 
Bob Flores, Houston Flores, Andy Frank, 
John Gatchet, Chuck Gates (Crook), Joel 
Geier, George Gerdts, Rick Gerhardt, Roy 
Gerig, Jeff Gilligan, Greg Gillson (Washing- 
ton), Denny Granstrand (Yakima), Jeff Hard- 
ing, Randy Hill, Adrian & Christopher Hin- 
kle, Michael Hobbs, Howard Horvath, Rich 
Hoyer, Eugene Hunn, Jon Isacoff, Stuart 
Johnston (S. Cen. Washington, Hood River), 
Bill & Nancy LaFramboise (Lower Columbia 
Basin), Dave Lauten, Terry Little, Peter Low, 
Larry McQueen, Judy Meredith, Ryan Merrill, 
Tom Mickel (Lane), Craig & Marilyn Miller 
(Deschutes, Jefferson, Lake), Steven Mlodinow, 
Don Munson, Russ Namitz, Harry Nehls 
(Oregon), Vic Nelson, Lars Norgren, John 
Notis, Clarence & Marilyn O’Leary (Grant), 
Mike Patterson (Clatsop), Phil Pickering, 
Sam Riley, Douglas Robinson (Barton, Mari- 
on, Polk), Tim Rodenkirk (Coos, Curry), 
Roger Robb, Em Scattaregia, Owen Schmidt, 
Ryan Shaw, Kevin Spencer (Klamath), John 
Sullivan, Paul Sullivan, Rick Taylor, Dennis 
Vroman (Josephine), Terry Wahl, Michael 
Woodruff, Charlie Wright. O 
David Irons, 2125 Hayes Street 
Eugene, Oregon 97045 (llsciirons@msn.com) 
Doug Schonewald, 1535 S. Skyline Drive 
Moses Lake, Washington 98837 (dschone8@donobi.net) 
Brad Waggoner, 7865 Fletcher Bay Road N.E. 
Bainbridge Island, Washington 98110 
(wagtail@sounddsl.com) 
BillTweit, P.O. Box 1271 
Olympia, Washington 98057 (Sebnabgill@aol.com) 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 1 
149 
