From the Contact Station October 2021

Migration and Trending Bird Populations

This is always an exciting time of the year. You never know what might come flying by. We’re in the middle of migration. The storm that came through in September dropped enough water to create good-sized puddles and muddy areas and bring up some green. For those who were driving around the River S a couple days after the storm there were some cool finds. Unsurprisingly there were Wilson’s Snipe everywhere along with their companion Killdeer, both of which like to probe around the mud. Both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were noted as were Least Sandpiper and many Long-billed Dowitchers. But the big surprise was Pectoral Sandpipers. They do come through the Refuge but are usually uncommon, i.e. seldom to be seen.  The high count of 50 is quite spectacular for this species. It’s just amazing to see what can show up when a little water comes our way.

Although it was a real relief to get some water, the mid-September storms certainly weren’t enough. The Refuge biologist has been pumping water from the Columbia River to fill the various ponds in anticipation of arrival of the waterfowl. But it’s been very difficult because the level of water in the Columbia River is quite low. He has been lucky to get 4 hours of pumping a day through September.  Last night I awoke to another downpour. Let us hope Mother Nature continues to deliver.

The coyote pups are hunting the big fields south of the contact station.  We should be seeing

our Tundra and Trumpeter Swans soon.  They are very finicky about the right water levels and require deeper ponds than most waterfowl.  They are usually here by Birdfest time, the first weekend in October.  Often the first place we see or hear them is on Carty Lake in the northern unit.  Although the trail from the Port to the Plankhouse is closed as of October 1^st, you should be able to see them from the port kiosk when they are there.

On the heels of waterfowl arriving, the wintering raptors should be showing up in numbers.  Raptors are migrating through now.  In mid to late September, we have been observing Turkey Vultures moving south.  Stop at the River S kiosk or along the road segment to the hunt gate.  Watch the sky to the north and along the Columbia River and you can spot some high-flying migrants.  Binoculars are a plus for this kind of viewing and a scope will enhance your chances of viewing and identifying what is coming through.  Just remember, come Oct 1^st, all viewing must be done from inside your car while on the tour road.  Along with the raptors, there may be some late swifts or other small flocks of songbirds. Cedar Waxwing flocks have been flycatching insect from the tops of trees along the auto tour. Keep an eye out for White Pelicans as we have been seeing large flocks in the area.  They tend to settle into the big lakes on either side of the river, but they are spectacular to watch when they circle around overhead almost disappearing in the clouds to reappear on their next turn showing black wing tips and bright white.

I get asked occasionally if there has been a decrease in different species of birds on the Refuge. E-bird will soon have some answers for us.  In September the Washington Ornithological Society and the Oregon Birding Association were to have a joint conference in Astoria, OR with Dr. John Fitzpatrick, recently retired director of Cornell Lab of Ornithology, as keynote speaker.  Although the conference was cancelled due to Covid, they were able to bring Dr. Fitzpatrick to us via zoom.   The Cornell Bird Laboratory runs the e-bird program. Dr. Fitzpatrick described recent and future developments of very sophisticated data analysis that comes from our bird lists we report to e-bird.  You may have seen the Audubon report that was released about two years ago that showed alarming decreases in bird populations across the United States. The newest work being done at the lab will further define avian species loss and increases across the US and parts of both Canada and Mexico.   The trend analysis is a visual representation of increase and decrease by species.  We will be able to drill down to specific areas to further define trouble spots.  The study uses e-bird information from 2010 to 2019.  It Maps those increases and decreases across the United States into Canada and down into Mexico.

One species I have been asked about is Great Blue Heron.  Most likely, there is some impact from this year’s weather here, but there does seem to be an overall decline in numbers.  One of the preliminary trend maps Dr. Fitzpatrick showed us was for Great Blue Heron.  It took my breath away. There is an alarming decrease in Great Blue Heron across the entire country.  That fits with what people have been observing in our own refuge.  The news is not entirely bad.  Bald Eagles are trending upwards.  We can see that in the data coming from our own Sauvie/Ridgefield/Vancouver Lake Bottoms Christmas Count Circle over the last number of years too.  Also, waterfowl is generally increasing.  Perhaps all the work that has been done to save the Bald Eagle in particular and wetlands in general is showing results. Our refuge is again an example of success in this area.  But why Bald Eagle and waterfowl are succeeding while Great Blue Heron is declining when they use similar habitats is a question that needs exploration. The completed study will be published soon, and the mapping capability will eventually be available on the e-bird platform for us to explore.   Meanwhile, check out e-bird at https://ebird.org/explore. There is a box on the top right which says explore regions.  Click on National Wildlife Refuges and then type in Ridgefield in the next search box.  It will bring you to the most recent sightings on the refuge.

 

-Susan Setterberg, Contact Station Volunteer

Photos by Susan Setterberg