September 23, 2005
Return to Willapa Bay
I spent the first half of this week in beautiful Willapa Bay, WA, helping John Lambrinos collect data on the invasion of the bay by Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). The horrendously early starts (even for a birder) were at least rewarded by some good birds (including calling Pygmy Owl, my first White-fronted Geese of the year, Bald Eagles and Peregrines) and atmospheric sunrises.
We actually managed to finish up way ahead of schedule, thanks to the roaring success of the control measures implemented over the last two summers. Prior to control, much of the open mudflat had been invaded by huge stands of Spartina.
The response to the herbicide treatment has been dramatic.
Shorebirds seemed remarkably scarce out on the bay with just a few small groups of dowitchers and peeps encountered. This Western Sandpiper was missing many feathers on its nape, perhaps as a result of a Peregrine attack?
While the Spartina meadows are pretty much a dead zone for birdlife, we did hear the occasional Virginia Rail and Marsh Wren (here's a nest of the latter species).
We reached many of our sites by airboat, ably steered by Brian.
Perhaps rashly, he allowed me to take the helm!
As usual, I managed to get myself stuck knee-deep in mud.
Brian to the rescue!
Home and (not very) dry.
When the tide was too high to continue fieldwork, I managed to squeeze in a little birding. We visited Tokeland marina in the hope of finding the reported Bar-tailed Godwit. In spite of finding a sizeable roost of Marbled Godwits, the pesky bird chose to roost elsewhere that day - grrrrr....
Also present at the marina were a few Willets and this Whimbrel.
A beach walk at Long Beach produced thousands of Sooty Shearwaters streaming by fairly close inshore.
The beach also held large numbers of gulls, including many Heerman's.
The weather was fantastic for the duration of our stay, and we were even able to watch some lovely Pacific sunsets from our hotel rooms.
On the flight back we got panoramic views of Portland,
... the Columbia River heading towards Mount Hood...
... and many volcanos including the Three Sisters.
On arrival in Davis at 6pm, I had an answerphone message from Joan about a Green-tailed Towhee in Grasslands Park, south of Davis. I rapidly sweet-talked my housemate into giving me a ride down there, and finally got a glimpse of the bird in the fading light at 7pm - my 247th species in Yolo County!
Team Spartina
