Philomath sewage treatment ponds
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Lisa Millbank
Nov 22, 2009, 11:38:18 PM11/22/09
to Mid-valley Nature
We took a ride out to the Philomath sewage
treatment ponds after hearing all the reports about the unusual birds showing up
there.
Along with the HEERMAN'S GULLS (who were departing
to the west around 4PM), COMMON GOLDENEYE, and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, we saw an
EARED GREBE. The phalarope sure was a cute, perky little guy,
spinning around and picking up delicious nibbles out of the poo lagoon. He
didn't care at all as we slowly walked by.
A congregation of NORTHERN
SHOVELERS, LESSER SCAUPS, RING-NECKED DUCKS, and AMERICAN WIGEONS
seemed to have found a rich food source in the middle of the south
pond. There were lots of RUDDY DUCKS, BUFFLEHEADS, AMERICAN
COOTS, and a few HOODED MERGANSERS.
We missed out on Barrow's Goldeneye, Red-breasted
Merganser, Leach's Storm-Petrel, and Bonaparte's Gull reported by others
today. I always worry about birds who get blown in by storms or otherwise
go off-course. I'd much rather they got on their way and back to where
they want to be, even if that means we don't get to see
them.
If you want to visit the ponds, the
Philomath Public Works Dept. wants everyone to check in at their office before
going out there. But, since they're closed on the weekend, I don't know if
anyone was able to follow the official rules today.
Lisa
Lisa Millbank
Nov 23, 2009, 12:16:15 PM11/23/09
to Mid-Valley Nature
Oops, there was a mistake in my last post. I got an email from Dave
Irons and one from Joel Geier saying that this bird was a Red
Phalarope, not a Red-necked. I've posted his email below. Sorry for
the misinformation.
I think we were already primed to look for a Red-necked Phalarope as
there had been two separate reports of one at the sewage pond that
morning (the bird we saw was in the north pond, on the east side).
When we found the single phalarope present, we noticed that in our
field guide, the juvenile Red Phalarope has an extensive buffy throat,
while Red-necked does not. I think we stopped there, noting the pure
white throat of the bird and a pattern of gray and dark-tipped
feathers on the back. I realize the field guide don't have room to
show the transition between the juvenile and winter plumages, and we
didn't give enough consideration to that possibility. Not having a
lot of experience with phalaropes, we did not take into account the
relative thickness of the bill. Also, this bird was enthusiastically
twirling around and picking with the bill constantly, making it
difficult to get a clear look at his bill. Had we carefully looked at
the photos afterward, we might have been able to tell that the bill
was not "needle-like" as in the Red-necked. I think from now on,
unless we have expert help or a really good photo, Don and I are not
going to be so sure of our ID on juvenile Red vs. Red-necked
Phalaropes!
Lisa
www.neighborhood-naturalist.com
----- Original Message -----
From: David Irons
To: Lisa Millbank ; Mid-Valley Birders
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 12:51 AM
Subject: RE: [birding] Philomath sewage treatment ponds
Hi Lisa,
Your image labeled "Red-necked Phalarope" is actually a hatch-year Red
Phalarope
that is transitioning from juvenile to its first basic (winter)
plumage. Note the
overall thickness of the bill and the rather thick neck of this bird.
Also, it does
not show any light (whitish) streaking on the back, which would be
shown by a
similarly plumaged Red-necked. A Red-necked Phalarope has a thinner
neck, a very
tiny head, and bill that is often described as 'needle-like" because
it is so thin.
A Red-necked Phalarope in Oregon at this time of year would be quite
unusual,
whereas Red Phalarope is the "expected"phalarope in Oregon after Nov
1st. Under
normal circumstances I would send this reply to you only, but I
noticed that Jamie
Simmons' summary of Sunday's rarities at the Philomath STP included a
Red-necked
Phalarope, which I found very surprising. Separation of Red and Red-
necked
Phalaropes in transitional hatch-year plumages is an under-appreciated
ID challenge
and one that is not covered well in some of the popular field guides.
Aside from
pelagic trips, opportunities to see these two species side-by-side in
Oregon are few
and far between.
I recently published a photo essay about plumage variation in Red
Phalaropes at this
time of year. It can be viewed at BirdFellow.com. It includes a photo
of a bird that
is near identical to the one in your image.
Dave Irons
Eugene, OR
Irons and one from Joel Geier saying that this bird was a Red
Phalarope, not a Red-necked. I've posted his email below. Sorry for
the misinformation.
I think we were already primed to look for a Red-necked Phalarope as
there had been two separate reports of one at the sewage pond that
morning (the bird we saw was in the north pond, on the east side).
When we found the single phalarope present, we noticed that in our
field guide, the juvenile Red Phalarope has an extensive buffy throat,
while Red-necked does not. I think we stopped there, noting the pure
white throat of the bird and a pattern of gray and dark-tipped
feathers on the back. I realize the field guide don't have room to
show the transition between the juvenile and winter plumages, and we
didn't give enough consideration to that possibility. Not having a
lot of experience with phalaropes, we did not take into account the
relative thickness of the bill. Also, this bird was enthusiastically
twirling around and picking with the bill constantly, making it
difficult to get a clear look at his bill. Had we carefully looked at
the photos afterward, we might have been able to tell that the bill
was not "needle-like" as in the Red-necked. I think from now on,
unless we have expert help or a really good photo, Don and I are not
going to be so sure of our ID on juvenile Red vs. Red-necked
Phalaropes!
Lisa
www.neighborhood-naturalist.com
----- Original Message -----
From: David Irons
To: Lisa Millbank ; Mid-Valley Birders
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 12:51 AM
Subject: RE: [birding] Philomath sewage treatment ponds
Hi Lisa,
Your image labeled "Red-necked Phalarope" is actually a hatch-year Red
Phalarope
that is transitioning from juvenile to its first basic (winter)
plumage. Note the
overall thickness of the bill and the rather thick neck of this bird.
Also, it does
not show any light (whitish) streaking on the back, which would be
shown by a
similarly plumaged Red-necked. A Red-necked Phalarope has a thinner
neck, a very
tiny head, and bill that is often described as 'needle-like" because
it is so thin.
A Red-necked Phalarope in Oregon at this time of year would be quite
unusual,
whereas Red Phalarope is the "expected"phalarope in Oregon after Nov
1st. Under
normal circumstances I would send this reply to you only, but I
noticed that Jamie
Simmons' summary of Sunday's rarities at the Philomath STP included a
Red-necked
Phalarope, which I found very surprising. Separation of Red and Red-
necked
Phalaropes in transitional hatch-year plumages is an under-appreciated
ID challenge
and one that is not covered well in some of the popular field guides.
Aside from
pelagic trips, opportunities to see these two species side-by-side in
Oregon are few
and far between.
I recently published a photo essay about plumage variation in Red
Phalaropes at this
time of year. It can be viewed at BirdFellow.com. It includes a photo
of a bird that
is near identical to the one in your image.
Dave Irons
Eugene, OR
Don Boucher
Nov 23, 2009, 4:16:05 PM11/23/09
to Mid-Valley Nature
Turns out we bird class instructors aren't perfect after all. I was so
distracted by the phalorope's cute twirling that I wasn't as careful
as I could have been. This is a good story to tell beginning bird
students, frustrated with the frequency of their errors, that even the
most astute birders will make a mistake with an unfamiliar bird.
Making mistakes is an effective way to learn!
Don Boucher
distracted by the phalorope's cute twirling that I wasn't as careful
as I could have been. This is a good story to tell beginning bird
students, frustrated with the frequency of their errors, that even the
most astute birders will make a mistake with an unfamiliar bird.
Making mistakes is an effective way to learn!
Don Boucher
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