Newport!

I took off before sunrise yesterday morning to head to the central Oregon coast with the mutts.  I spent the day in Newport, focusing on the South Jetty and Yaquina Head. 


I wasn't chasing anything in particular, just wanted to spend a pleasant day birding at the beach and hope the dogs would get tired in the process.  This goal was easily achieved.

Cormorants were show-stealers much of the day.  Pelagic Cormorants were busy building nests on the Yaquina Bay Bridge (above), collecting sea vegetation and flying it back to the bridge.


 They were also constantly flying along the jetty, showing off their inner Rainbow Brite.


Over at Yaquina Head Brandt's Cormorants were showing off their fancy blue throat pouches on the poop-covered offshore rocks.


They were throwing back their heads in mating displays, but too far away to really get good photos.

I also spent some time around the Hatfield Marine Science Center.  Breeding plumaged Black Turnstones and Common Loons were accommodating...



Some more good birds from the day...

Black Oystercatchers

Osprey

 American Crow

A rather white gull, with a less white gull

Also seen:  many many Pigeon Guillemots, a couple Common Murres, Caspian Terns, peeps aplenty (mostly flyby flocks), Red-breasted Mergansers, a Red-necked Grebe, two Eared Grebes, one Horned Grebe, hundreds of overhead Greater White-fronted Geese...and of course, seals and sea lions...


Thankfully the dogs were tired after their busy day of peeing on stuff, smelling stuff, peeing on more stuff, digging holes, and collecting sticks.


Good times!!!

Comments

  1. Good birds, tired dogs and it looks like you got sunshine! Lucky you!

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  2. Awesome loon. I love it when you can catch them in spiffy plumage before they head out of town. Now if they would only start yodeling while they're still here I'd be happy.

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  3. Spending the day at the beach with the dogs is a fun time. The birds look great too. Love the Oystercatcher and the Loons. The seals are cute. Great shot of the Osprey with the fish. Great post and photos, Jen!

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  4. Wonderful bird post! You are living in a rich nature with those divers fauna.
    We are here in Finland waiting for migrants among melting snow and ice. Lakes are still covered by ice but step by step they will be free during next two weeks .

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  5. Sorry, I totally forgot about the gull email. Your options are Glaucous and super, super bleached young Herring Gull (they can actually get about this white, it is obscene...I had a young white Mew Gull over the weekend, shit was cray). That said, I can't see anything in the photos (i.e. a weird darker patch in a random spot) to suggest it isnt a Glaucous Gull.

    That loon is beautiful.

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