What's New? April-July 2007 Update
Beached Birds Elsewhere in Oregon
** News Media Reports about January-March 2007 Beached Birds
This is an update and expanded draft of my 10 March 2007 report about beached Horned Puffins in Lincoln County.
I have done this compilation because it helps to have results available while they are still timely and of interest. Further, Bob Loeffel's team started conducting surveys in 1978, so their findings helps to put this year into perspective.
In March 2007, the four most abundant beached bird species found by CoastWatch volunteers and BLM staff at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Lincoln County were Rhinoceros Auklet (15), Horned Puffin (13), Northern Fulmar (5), and Common Murre (4)(Table 3). I have not compiled their January-February results.
During January-March 2007, the four most numerous species on the beach of Loeffel's team were Rhinoceros Auklet (57), Horned Puffin (17), Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (15), and a tie of Northern Fulmar with Black-legged Kittiwake (8)(Table 4). They recorded 20 species of birds (Table 4).
The mortality thus far in 2007 is exceptional in comparison with beached bird surveys by Loeffel's team that began in 1978 and have continued. The January-March total in 2007 is the second highest and was among the top three years for seven species: Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Black-legged Kittiwake, Marbled Murrelet, Parakeet Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet, Horned Puffin, and Tufted Puffin (Table 1).
The 2007 results have the most parallels with 1980, which had the third highest total. These were also the top two years for Horned and Tufted Puffins (Table 1), and, the number of Rhinoceros Auklets in 1980 (12) was also above average. However, 1980 differs from 2007 in that the third greatest number of Common Murres was found in 1980 (Table 1), but a below average number were found in 2007 (2)(Table 4).
1990 is also similar to 2007 because it was the third highest year for Rhinoceros Auklets and Horned Puffins (Table 1).
2006 also has similarities to 2007 as both years were in the top three years for Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Parakeet Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet, and Tufted Puffin (Table 1).
It would be inappropriate to extrapolate Lincoln County results to the entire Oregon Coast. For example, many more beached Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Horned Puffins, and Tufted Puffins have been found per mile north of Lincoln County in Clatsop County during David Bailey's survey of 20 March 2007 (Table 5) than by Loeffel's team three surveys during March 1-24 (Table 6). However, more birds would be expected during more surveys.
I do not have time to compile records for the entire Oregon Coast, and I will continue to do so for Lincoln County only for this event through March 2007.
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January-March Period_____________________________
Years with
at Least Maximum 3 Years (Number of Birds)___
1 Bird 1 2 3
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total birds 30 (100%) 1993 (501) 2007 (151) 1980 (115)
Western Grebe 29 (97%) 1979 (17) 1986 (13) 1981/2006 (12)
Northern Fulmar 25 (83%) 1998 (51) 1991/2004 (39)
Fork-t. Storm-Petrel 12 (40%) 2006/2007 (15) 1985 (12)
Black-leg. Kittiwake 20 (67%) 1998 (16) 1985/2007 (8)
Common Murre 30 (100%) 1993 (52) 1983 (37) 1980 (26)
Marbled Murrelet 5 (17%) 1991/2007(2) 1978/1987/2000(1)
Cassin's Auklet 23 (77%) 1993 (417) 2006 (36) 1996 (22)
Parakeet Auklet 3 (10%) 1999/2006(2) 2007(1)
Rhinoceros Auklet 21 (70%) 2006 (100) 2007 (57) 1990 (22)
Horned Puffin 9 (30%) 2007 (17) 1980 (9) 1990 (5)
Tufted Puffin 4 (13%) 1980 (11) 2007 (5) 1988/2006(1)
We are fortunate that Bob Loeffel's team of observers has conducted beached bird surveys along 4.6 miles of beach north of Ona Beach, Lincoln County. Bob started the surveys in 1978. His team includes Bob and Shirley Loeffel, Laimons and Vicki Osis, and, in past years, Sara and Don Brown. Their beach is divided into a northern and a southern portion, with each portion surveyed approximately once per week. Birds are removed from the beach when recorded, so they will not be recounted.
We are also fortunate that Bob annually compiles his results and that the distribution and costs of distributing his reports are covered by the Wildlife Diversity Program of the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. These reports inspired me to do this compilation.
CoastWatch is a project of Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition that involves volunteers who adopt and monitor one-mile segments of the Oregon coast. For more information see, http://www.oregonshores.org/ourprograms/coastalwatch. CoastWatch's director Phillip Johnson writes:
"CoastWatch's role is to organize the volunteers for the [beached bird] survey--COASST does all the data collection and processing. As it happens, we have just lately been talking about creating a section on our website for beached bird survey results. Until recently, that would have been too involved for our relatively simple site--but we're moving to a new provider with much more capacity and growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the stellar volunteer webmaster we've had for the past year or so. ... CoastWatchers do answer a few questions on the general form about beached birds. ... CoastWatch reports filed online (not all are--many are submitted on paper), can be viewed by anyone at our new website, http://oregoncoastwatch.org/. Right now there are two [CoastWatch] websites, the old one at http://oregonshores.org and this one."
Some CoastWatch observers emailed me reports, and I also found those for Lincoln County by selecting "Reports Browser" and then just Lincoln County at CoastWatch's new http://oregoncoastwatch.org/. This report was initially only about Horned Puffins being found in March, so that is why I have compiled just March CoastWatch reports.
Additional beached bird reports for Lincoln County may be available through Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), a citizen science project of the University of Washington in partnership with the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (http://www.coasst.org/). COASST has some observers along the Oregon Coast, but recent beached bird reports are not available on their web page. Their "Breaking News" has not been updated since March 2006, when they reported a large Rhinoceros Auklet die-off along the southern Oregon Coast.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has also conducted beached bird surveys during many years in Lincoln County, but not during the winter.
If you are walking a Lincoln County beach and find a dead bird, please leave it if it is on a beach covered by a beached bird route! If you remove it, you can hurt someone's research results.
There are now several established beached bird routes in Lincoln County (e.g., Loeffel's team, the USFWS, and COASST.org). On a beached bird route, each dead bird is identified, counted, and recorded, so we would prefer that you leave it alone, but you can record and report it.
In particular, Bob Loeffel requests that beached birds along CoastWatch Miles 208-213 (select "Miles" button at http://oregoncoastwatch.org/) be left in place, so that it might not affect the results of surveys that he started in 1978 and that his team is continuing. CoastWatch volunteers (http://oregoncoastwatch.org/) monitor beaches and can record or photograph dead birds present on their beaches without removing them.
The COASST.org map for Oregon on 2 April 2007 indicates that they have beaches in Lincoln County at Road's End and Nelscott in the Lincoln City area, Devil's Punchbowl near Otter Rock, Agate and Nye Beaches in the Newport area, and two beaches near Mile 196 north of Yachats. Please contact info@coasst.org to see if they have more beaches.
To find out if someone is doing a route for a particular Lincoln County beach other than Loeffel's team for 4.6 miles north of Ona Beach or COASST, contact Roy Lowe, USFWS (867-4550, Roy_Lowe@fws.gov).
Marbled Murrelets are a species of concern. They rarely are beached during January-March as they were found in only 17% of years (Table 1). CoastWatch volunteers did not find any in March 2007 (Table 3). Loeffel's team counted two in January-March, 2007, which is tied for the most with 1991 (Table 1).
During April-July 2007, Loeffel's team did not find any more Marbled Murrelets (Table 7).
Parakeet Auklets are a northern species that are very rare here. CoastWatch volunteers did not find any in March 2007, but the BLM at Yaquina Head recorded one on March 9 (Table 3). Loeffel's team also found one during March 7-10 (Table 4), and this is the third highest year (Table 1).
During April-July 2007, Loeffel's team did not find any more Parakeet Auklets (Table 7).
Rhinoceros Auklets were found in 70% of January-March periods by Loeffel's team (Table 1), so it is not rare to find them. I have found reports of 71 Rhinoceros Auklets in 2007 (57 by Bob Loeffel's team during January-March and 12 by CoastWatch volunteers and 3 by BLM staff in March) (Tables 3 and 4). 2007 had the second most number of Rhinoceros Auklets--2006 had the most, so high numbers have been beached for two years in a row (Table 1).
But more Rhinoceros Auklets appear to be beached in Clatsop County as David Bailey found 101 on 20 March 2007 (Table 5). During this single survey, Bailey reported 10.2 Rhinoceros Auklets per mile compared to just 7.0 mile by Loeffel's team during three surveys during March 1-24 (Table 6). More would be expected to be found during more surveys.
Rhinoceros Auklets did not become more abundant on Lincoln County beaches after Bailey's March 20 survey. Loeffel's team surveyed their northern beach on March 22 and their southern beach on March 24 and each beach again on March 30 and 31, respectively, but found fewer than earlier in March (Table 4). CoastWatch Miles 245, 220, and 241 were surveyed on March 21, 25, and March 29/30, respectively, and no dead Rhinoceros Auklets were reported (Table 3).
During April-July 2007, Loeffel's team found 4 in April, 2 in May, and 0 in June and July (Table 7).
It is rare to find a live Horned Puffin in Oregon. They are abundant to the north of Oregon.
In 2007, the first beached, dead Horned Puffin was found on Jan. 9 at Little Whale Cove by Dick Demarest (Table 2); three days later one was discovered by Loeffel's team. For January-March 2007, 34 have been reported along Lincoln County beaches by CoastWatch volunteers, Loeffel's team, and others (sum of Tables 2, 3, and 4).
For January-March periods during 1978-2007, Loeffel's team discovered Horned Puffins in 30% of years (Table 1). The 2007 total (17) was the highest year (Table 1).
Loeffel's team found most Horned Puffins in January and during the first third of March (Table 4). A "freshly dead" Horned Puffin was reported as recently as March 19 on Rob Suryan's CoastWatch beach (Table 3). CoastWatch Miles 245, 220, and 241 were surveyed on March 21, 25, and March 29/30, respectively, and only 2 Horned Puffins were reported (Table 3).
In 2007, Roy Lowe of the USFWS reports that a few live, lethargic Horned Puffins have been found beached and taken for rehabilitation to the Oregon Coast Aquarium (South Beach, Lincoln County) and Wildlife Rehab Center of the North Coast (Astoria, Clatsop County).
In contrast to Lincoln County, David Bailey found 47 beached Horned Puffins on a Clatsop County beach on 20 March 2007 (Table 5). During this single survey, Bailey reported 4.7 Horned Puffins per mile compared to only 2.0 mile by Loeffel's team during three surveys during March 1-24 (Table 6). More would be expected to be found during more surveys.
During April-July 2007, Loeffel's team did not find any more Horned Puffins (Table 7).
For March 2007, CoastWatch volunteers reported 1 Tufted Puffin, and Loeffel's team counted 5 (Tables 3 and 4).
For January-March periods during 1978-2007, Loeffel's team only found Tufted Puffins in 13% of years, so they were rarer then than Horned Puffins (30%)(Table 1). The 2007 total (5) was the second highest number of Tufted Puffins (Table 1).
In contrast to Lincoln County, David Bailey found 18 beached Tufted Puffins on a Clatsop County beach on 20 March 2007 (Table 5). During this single survey, Bailey reported 1.8 Tufted Puffins per mile compared to 0.4 mile by Loeffel's team during three surveys during March 1-24 (Table 6). More would be expected to be found during more surveys.
During April-July 2007, Loeffel's team found one Tufted Puffin in May (Table 7).
We can be reasonably certain that an exceptionally high number of beached birds were found in Lincoln County in 2007.
However, the cause for this high number is uncertain and could be a result of one or a combination of at least the following factors:
1) BIRD DISTRIBUTION. If birds were closer to shore this year, then more could be expected to wash ashore rather than sink or decompose at sea. However, data about seabird distribution off the Oregon Coast during January-March are limited. January and March 1990 surveys along the Oregon Coast were done by Briggs, K. T., D. H. Varoujean, W. W. Williams, R. G. Ford, M. L. Bonnell, and J. L. Casey (1992. Seabirds of the Oregon and Washington OCS, 1989-1990. Chapter III in J. J. Brueggeman (ed.), Ebasco Environmental, Bellevue, Washington and Ecological Consulting, Inc., Portland, Oregon. Prepared for Pacific OCS [Outer Continental Shelf] Region, Minerals Management Service, U. S. Dept. of the Interior, Los Angeles, CA. OCS Study MMS 91-0093).
They had few or no sightings of Horned Puffins in their report (their p. 3-17), and, in January and March 1990, Tufted Puffin sightings were confined to waters 200 m or deeper (their p. 3-143).
Greg Gillson's Bird Guide has pelagic trips to Perpetua Bank, 32 miles off Yachats, and occasionally farther offshore (Lincoln County). The maximum water depth is not stated but a map suggests that trips go beyond 183 m (100 fathoms)(Gillson's Perpetua Bank: Oregon Albatross Hotspot). During January-March, these trips were on 5 February 2000, 24 March 2001, 23 March 2002, 1 March 2003, and 18 March 2006 and the results are archived at http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/archive_perpetua.htm. They also had pelagic trips 20-23 miles off Depoe Bay or Newport (Lincoln County) on 11 March 1995, 16 March 1996, 17 February 1997, 28 February 1998, and 19 March 2005 and 16 miles off Depoe Bay on 20 March 1999 that are archived at http://thebirdguide.com/pelagics/archive_misc.htm.
Horned and Tufted Puffins were not recorded during these 11 Bird Guide pelagic trips in February and March, but in a March 26 posting to Oregon Birders OnLine, Gillson gave a preliminary report for their 25 March 2007 report:
"Rhino numbers were high. I estimate about 500 birds, though there may easily have been more. Some were in view nearly all day, with some small flocks. ... We recorded an Oregon record 7 live HORNED PUFFINS from 15-33 miles offshore, and 2 dead ones floating about 15 miles offshore. Adding to the fun, we saw 3 TUFTED PUFFINS between 20-30 miles offshore."
2) BIRD ABUNDANCE. If birds were more numerous this year, then with normal mortality rates, more could die and wash ashore. Data about abundance off the Oregon Coast during January-March are lacking.
3) WINDS, WAVES, AND SURFACE CURRENTS. If weather and oceanographic conditions were more conducive to washing dead birds ashore in 2007, then more could be expected to beach than in years when these conditions favor pushing or keeping bird carcasses offshore. Some data may be available but will take time to analyze and may not be definitive.
4) MORTALITY RATES FOR BIRDS ARE HIGHER THAN NORMAL. If the proportion of birds that died in 2007 was greater than normal, then more could be beached. However, data on mortality rates and cause of death are lacking.
In 2007, I have not seen any reports that beached birds were oiled, entangled in fishing gear, shot, or appeared to have external injuries. For the large oil sheen reported off Coos Bay in September 2005, COASST (http://www.coasst.org/default.cfm?fa=What&fsa=Breaking%20News) cautioned:
"DO NOT TOUCH ANY OILED BIRDS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES AS IT IS DANGEROUS AND CAN INTERFERE WITH ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS. SIMPLY PHOTOGRAPH ANY OILED BIRDS YOU SEE FOR FUTURE IDENTIFICATION AND/OR SALVAGING."
If there is a "large die-off or suspected oil/chemical spill" with dead birds, contact Mike Szumski, Natural Resource Damage Assessment/Spill Response,
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
2600 S.E. 98th Ave., Suite 100
Portland, OR 97266-1398
Phone: 503-231-6179 Fax: 503-231-6195
Spill Response Cell Phone: 503-705-5747
mike_szumski@fws.gov
Some of the beached birds in 2007 were noted as being emaciated, which suggests starvation as the ultimate cause of death. Starving birds are weakened, so they would be vulnerable to disease or other stessors. Thus, the proximate cause of death could be disease or even drowning (e.g., a seabird may not be able to hold its head out of the water). Starvation could be a result of low food abundance, low food availability (e.g., storms may make finding food more difficult), patchy food distribution that makes finding food more difficult, and/or increased metabolic demands.
Bill Peterson's research group with NOAA Fisheries conducts zooplankton surveys along the Newport Hydrographic line. However, to relate their findings to seabirds that were dying, information is needed about the distribution and diet of these birds during January-March--this information is lacking. Birds may have starved far offshore of the zooplankton survey, and the diet of seabirds is best known during the breeding season, not in winter.
In an April 3 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Glen Martin discusses food shortage and global warming as leading to more beached birds in California and Oregon.
Lincoln County beached birds are not being necropsied. Necropsies sometimes but not always can determine a cause of death. On March 21, Roy Lowe of the USFWS notes that Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge volunteers collected some fresh Horned Puffin carcasses, and those were sent by Refuge Manager Dave Ledig to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, where they can be necropsied. The ability of the USFWS to monitor events such as this has been limited by inadequate budgets (e.g., Evans, Jason. 2007. Wildlife Refuges Suffer from Lack of Funding. March 16, Newport-News-Times).
In their March 27 email to me, Diane and Dave Bilderback (Coos County Coordinators for CoastWatch) reported that David Ledig sent them the preliminary results of the necropsies:
"Preliminary results back from the puffin necropsies produced the suspected cause of death as starvation. No fat, thin keel/lack of muscle, empty stomachs. Bacterial cultures are being done on a few of the carcasses. As soon as I get results I'll let you know."
With all the interest in phenomena related to global warming, it is important to try to put the 2007 mortality into perspective. Bob Loeffel's information does so well, starting in 1978.
Prior to 1978, few beached bird records are available for the Oregon Coast. This may be because of few surveys and/or the surveys are not accessible. See my incomplete compilation of Oregon coast beached bird records through 1983 are at ScholarsArchive@OSU.
The 2007 event has been of keen interest because of many beached Horned Puffins. There were also pre-1978 records of beached Horned Puffins; perhaps the most noteworthy include:
* one at Netarts (Tillamook County) on 7 March 1916 (p. 319 in Ira N. Gabrielson and Stanley G. Jewett 1940. Birds of Oregon)
* a male and female on a Lane Co. beach on 15 March 1919 (Gabrielson and Jewett 1940:319)
* many dead along north coast beaches from 27 Dec. 1932 until Feb. 1933 (see following)
* 3 dead on beach south of Newport (Lincoln Co.) on 19 Feb. 1959 (1960 Audubon Field Notes 14:335).
The 1932-1933 event is intriguing because more than Horned Puffins were beached. The following is from Gabrielson and Jewett's (1940:319) account about Horned Puffins:
"On December 27, 1932, Gabrielson found dozens of dead and dying birds on the beach north of Netarts [Tillamook County]. Many, badly oil-soaked and thus rendered helpless, drifted in on each high tide. In two days 35 specimens were saved. Many dozens more were so badly torn and injured by the gulls that no attempt was made to save them. Among this lot were many Horned Puffins, Ancient Murrelets, and other species that do normally winter in numbers on our coast. Two days later Jewett was on the beaches a few miles north and had the same experience. From that time until mid-February every bird observer who visited the beaches reported the same condition."Curiously enough, Tufted Puffins remained through the winter in far greater numbers than usual. We can find nothing in weather conditions on the Oregon coast or in Alaskan waters to account for the visitation of puffins, murrelets, auklets, and kittiwakes in numbers far exceeding anything we had previously known. The only logical explanation that comes readily to mind is a change in food conditions. A marked decrease in the normal supplies in northern waters and a comparative abundance on the Oregon coast would logically explain both the southward movement of northern birds and the unusual abundance of Tufted Puffins and other resident birds. We have no evidence, however, to substantiate this surmise."
Gabrielson and Jewett (1940:298, 315) also discussed the abundance of Black-legged Kittiwakes and Ancient Murrelets during the 1932-1933 event.
Jewett's account in 1933 Bird-Lore 35:111 about the December 1932-February 1933 event stated:
"On December 29 and 30 [1932] accompanied by Game-Protector C. A. Leichhardt, some time was spent each day along the Pacific beaches and about the bays in Tillamook County. Great numbers of dead and dying, oil-soaked California [Common] Murres, and many dead Horned Puffins, Rhinoceros Auklets, Cassin's Auklets, Ancient Murrelets, and Western Grebes lined the beach, while one each of Tufted Puffin and Pacific [Black-legged] Kittiwake were found. ..."On December 27, I. N. Gabrielson, while walking the 2-mile stretch of beach just north of Netarts Bay, found the beach 'was strewn with dead birds of many species,' California [Common] Murres and Rhinoceros Auklets predominating. Many of these were oil-soaked. The writer and other observers have visited the beaches along the northern Oregon coast-line several times during the past three months, and all have reported an unusual number of sea-birds dead on the beach. The most interesting observations show an unprecedented abundance of Horned Puffins, the greatest number observed during the past thirty years; also great numbers of Tufted Puffins, Cassin's Auklets, Western Grebes, Ancient Murrelets, Marbled Murrelets, several Pacific [Black-legged] Kittiwakes, and one Paroquet [Parakeet] Auklet at Depoe Bay, on February 5."
Jewett also wrote in 1933 Bird-Lore 35:165:
"On February 23 [1933], near the mouth of the Columbia River, many dead California [Common] Murres, Tufted Puffins, Horned Puffins, and Western Grebes were noted, also 4 Pacific [Northern] Fulmars and one each of the Slender-billed [Short-tailed] Shearwater and the Pacific [Black-legged] Kittiwake."
At the start of the 1932-1933 event, it is clear that many were oil-soaked, so that would have probably been the cause of death. But it is not clear afterwards how many, if any, were oiled. I would guess that if many continued to have been oiled that Gabrielson and Jewett would have said so and have emphasized the oiling more. Instead they discussed the probable reduction in food conditions, similarly to us over 60 years later.
So the 1932-1933 event is intriguing.
1/9/2007. Little Whale Cove south of Depoe Bay by Dick Demarest--1 Horned Puffin.
2/28/2007. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area by BLM Staff--1 Horned Puffin.
2/28/2007. CoastWatch Mile 218 (just south of Yaquina Head) by Kathy Malarkey--2 Horned Puffins.
SUM OF ONLY HORNED PUFFINS: 4
3/3/2007. Nye Beach between Yaquina Bay State Park and Don Davis Park in Newport by Terry Morse--2 Horned Puffins, 7 Rhinoceros Auklets, 2 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, 1 light-phase Northern Fulmar.
3/3/2007. CoastWatch Mile 244 by "J Wilson"--0 dead birds.
3/3/2007. CoastWatch Mile 213 by "Skimmer"--"three sea birds, one small shore bird."
3/4/2007. CoastWatch Mile 245 (Roads End State Park) by Kathleen Nickerson--1 Horned Puffin, 1 Rhinoceros Auklet.
3/5/2007. CoastWatch Mile 244 by "Millie and Carl"--1 partly decomposed Tufted Puffin, and 1 "greatly decomposed" unidentifiable bird.
3/9/2007. CoastWatch Mile 198 (Beachside State Park) by Betty Bahn and Sally Lockyear--1 Horned Puffin, 3 Northern Fulmars, 2 Black Turnstones, 2 Common Murres, 1 Rhinoceros Auklet, and 1 unidentified gull.
3/9/2007. CoastWatch Mile 208 (south of Ona Beach) by Kitty Brigham and Range Bayer on Brigham's CoastWatch Mile--2 Horned Puffins, 1 dark-phase Northern Fulmar, 1 Rhinoceros Auklet, 2 Black-legged Kittiwakes, 1 Glaucous-winged/Western Gull.
3/9/2007. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area by BLM Staff--1 Parakeet Auklet, 1 Horned Puffin, 2 Rhinoceros Auklets, 1 Common Murre.
3/11/2007. CoastWatch Mile 192 by "McRobbins"--0 dead birds.
3/12/2007. CoastWatch Mile 212 by "J. Lamberson"--1 freshly dead Rhinoceros Auklet.
3/13/2007. CoastWatch Mile 219 by Linda Taylor--1 Common Murre, 1 gull, 1 Horned Puffin, 1 Rhinoceros Auklet.
3/13/2007. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area by BLM Staff--1 Rhinoceros Auklet.
3/15/2007. CoastWatch Mile 206 by "Seaweed"--0 dead birds.
3/16/2007. CoastWatch Mile 215 by "Newport Nancy"--1 Western Grebe, 2 birds "too decomposed to identify."
3/16/2007. CoastWatch Mile 233 by "D McKeel"--0 dead birds.
3/16/2007. CoastWatch Mile 193 by "RAHHESS"--0 dead birds.
3/19/2007. CoastWatch Mile 217 by "Sea Gypsy"--1 Horned Puffin, 1 unidentified bird.
3/19/2007. CoastWatch Mile ? (between Nye Beach and Agate Beach) by Rob Suryan--1 "freshly dead" Horned Puffin, 0 other birds.
3/21/2007. CoastWatch Mile 245 by "Terry"--0 dead birds.
3/25/2007. CoastWatch Mile 220 by "LMABEGGS"--0 dead birds.
3/29/2007. CoastWatch Mile 241 by Jean Nichols--1 dead Horned Puffin.
3/30/2007. CoastWatch Mile 241 by Jean Nichols--1 dead Horned Puffin and 1 dead adult male Surf Scoter.
3/30/2007. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area by BLM Staff--1 Horned Puffin.
SUMMARY: 1 Surf Scoter, 1 Western Grebe, 5 Northern Fulmars, 2 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, 2 Black Turnstones, 3 gull sp., 2 Black-legged Kittiwakes, 4 Common Murres, 1 Parakeet Auklet, 15 Rhinoceros Auklets, 13 Horned Puffins, 1 Tufted Puffin, 8 unidentified birds.
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2007____________________________________________
March___________________ Sum______
Jan. Feb. 7-10 15-17 22-24 30-31 Jan-March
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Western Grebe 3 3 0 0 0 0 6
Northern Fulmar 2 1 3 0 2 0 8
Short-t. Shearwater 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Fork-t. Storm-Petrel 1 1 9 3 0 1c 15
Brandt's Cormorant 1 1 0 0 1 1c 4
American Coot 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Black Turnstone 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
phalarope sp. 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Mew Gull 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Western Gull 0a 1 0b 0 0 2c 3ab
Glaucous-winged Gull 2a 2 0b 0 0 0 4ab
Glaucous Gull 1a 0 0b 0 0 0 1ab
unknown "large" gulls 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
immature gulls 4 0 0 0 2 1c 7
Black-leg. Kittiwake 0 1 6 0 0 1c 8
Common Murre 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
Marbled Murrelet 1 0 1 0 0 0 2
Cassin's Auklet 1 1 1 1 0 0 4
Parakeet Auklet 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
Rhinoceros Auklet 4 13 24 4 4 8c 57
Horned Puffin 3 1 7 1 1 4c 17
Tufted Puffin 0 0 0 2 0 3c 5
unidentified birds 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SUM 26 27 56 11 10 21c 151
a Some of the unidentified immature gulls may have been one of the "large" gulls (e.g., Western, Glaucous-winged, or Glaucous Gulls).
b Some of the unidentified "large" gulls may have been Western, Glaucous-winged, or Glaucous Gulls.
c With the exception of 1 Brandt's Cormorant and 1 Tufted Puffin, Bob Loeffel notes that all carcasses found in the last week of March were "relics, pretty much skin, bones and some feathers." They did not find any freshly dead birds.
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Clatsop Beaches, Clatsop County, Oregon (March 20, 2007) (David C. Bailey )
Census type: Beached/Deceased Bird Survey Counters: 1 Hours counted: 0.3
Wind direction: SW
Percentage of sky covered by clouds: 70%
Precipitation: drizzle
Note: Auto survey from Gearhart to the wreck of the Peter Iredale. All birds were from the wet line. Tides have been the highest for the month. Fresh birds were the majority, including some still in rigor. No live Alcids or other seabirds other than typical gulls were seen. All intact birds appeared to be emaciated. I suspect that something less than optimal is going on with the nutrients required for plankton growth this late winter/early spring which is affected the higher level consumers all the way up to puffins.
A "?" indicates the species was seen, but not counted
8 Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)
2 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma furcata)
1 Brandt's Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus)
5 Glaucous-winged x Western Gull (Larus glaucescens x occidentalis)
2 Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)
7 Common Murre (Uria aalge)
1 Cassin's Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus)
101 Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) [1]
47 Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) [2]
18 Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) [3]
Footnotes:
[1] Rhinoceros Auklet: two still in rigor
[2] Horned Puffin: two in rigor
[3] Tufted Puffin: a couple immature birds with smaller bills than the adults.
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Bailey's Loeffel's Team
March 20_____ March 1-24 Sum
Birds/ Birds/
Birds mile Birds mile
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Northern Fulmar 8 0.8 5 1.1
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 2 0.2 12 2.6
Brandt's Cormorant 1 0.1 1 0.2
phalarope sp. 0 0 1 0.2
Glaucous-wng. x West. Gull 5 0.5 - -
gull sp. - - 4a 0.9
Black-legged Kittiwake 2 0.2 6 1.3
Common Murre 7 0.7 1 0.2
Marbled Murrelet 0 0 1 0.2
Cassin's Auklet 1 0.1 2 0.4
Parakeet Auklet 0 0 1 0.2
Rhinoceros Auklet [1] 101 10.2 32 7.0
Horned Puffin [2] 47 4.7 9 2.0
Tufted Puffin [3] 18 1.8 2 0.4
SUM 192 19.4 77 16.7
a Gull sp. may have been Glaucous-winged x Western Gulls.
* Table 5 for David Bailey's 20 March 2007 survey in Clatsop County.
* Oregon CoastWatch: ALERT--Puffins and Auklets Wash Up on Oregon Shores, Thu, Mar 22, 2007 by Diane Bilderback, CoastWatch Coos County Coordinator.
* To see CoastWatch's online beached bird records for Oregon Counties, see http://oregoncoastwatch.org/milereports.php5.
* Birdnotes.net also has records that do not appear to include those for CoastWatch. But one must register first. Then, to see Horned Puffin records, select "List all counts which include a given species" at http://birdnotes.net/ and then select "Horned Puffin."
* COASST's Breaking News" has not been updated since March 2006, but they may include records for January-March 2007 in the future.
* Martin, Glen. 2007. Struggling Seabirds: Dead Murres, Auklets Washing Ashore with Little in Their Stomachs. April 3, San Francisco Chronicle article.
* 3 April 2007 evening news brief on Eugene public radio KLCC by a correspondent in Washington that included interview with Julia Parrish about southern Oregon Coast beached birds.
* Evans, Jason. 2007. Unusual Seabird Mortality Recorded on the Oregon Coast. April 6, Newport News-Times.
*Milstein, Michael. 2007. Recent Deaths of Seabirds Leave Scientists Puzzling: Birds Uncommon in Oregon Have Been Washing up Dead on the Coast in High Numbers. p. A1 and A3 of April 10 Portland Oregonian. [Includes photo of live and dead Tufted Puffin and a "Fact Box."]
* Associated Press and The Daily Astorian. 2007. Seabird Die-off Baffles Scientists. An Unusually Large Number of Birds Have Washed Up on North Coast Beaches Dead. April 10, Daily Astorian. [Includes photo of Mike Patterson.]
Live Horned Puffins are rare along the Oregon Coast, but singleton live Horned Puffins were reported along the Lincoln County Coast during April-July 2007 on May 28 about 1/4 mile off Boiler Bay by Wayne Hoffman and on July 5 near the first rock finger (groin) west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge by Darrel and Laura Faxon.
During April-July 2007, Loeffel's team found an unusual number of Rhinoceros Auklets, but there were few or no Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, Marbled Murrelets, Horned Puffins, or Tufted Puffins that were unusually numerous during the January-March 2007 event (Table 7). Beached Common Murres were not unusually abundant during January-March 2007 (only 2 were recorded).
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TABLE 7. Number of selected bird species found during April-July 2007 by Bob Loeffel's team of observers along 4.6 miles of beach north of Ona Beach, Lincoln County, Oregon.
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Fork-t.
Storm- Common Marbled Rhino. Horned Tufted other
2007 Petrel Murre Murrelet Auklet Puffin Puffin birds
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April 1 3 0 4 0 0 16
May 0 3 0 2 0 1 9
June 1 7 0 0 0 0 11
July 0 50 0 0 0 0 14
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