Notes from the Field (Spring/Summer 2007):
Date: : May 28, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dan Miller, and Dave Murnen
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
5
(5 adults; 1 age unknown) |
Date: : May 20, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dan Miller, Tom Rowley, and Jennifer Schneider
Miller's Obiter Dictum
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
10
(6 adults; 4 juveniles) |
A crow keeps its distance while a raven feeds and a Bald Eagle pauses from feeding to look us.
Date: : May 18, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dave Murnen, and Dianna Moore
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
Peregrine Falcon |
8
(4 adults; 3 juveniles;
1 age undetermined) |
1 (juvenile) |
Year-old Peregrine Falcon on the beach this morning.
Bald Eagle feeds on a fish.
Date: : May 6, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dan Miller, Dave Murnen, and Suzanne Tomlinson
Miller's Obiter Dictum
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
Northern Harrier |
Peregrine Falcon |
6
(3 adults; 3 juveniles) |
1 |
1 |
Date: : April 29, 2007
Beach: Long Beach
Observers: Dan Varland, Suzanne Tomlinson, Rick Johns, Helle Andersen
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
2
immature, one adult |
Four-year-old Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle perched on a driftwood archway over a path through the dunes.
Date: : April 20, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dianna Moore, and Suzanne Tomlinson
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
Peregrine Falcon |
Merlin |
| 1 immature |
1 immature |
1 |
Copalis Rocks with the Copalis River in the foreground.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel conducting field research in the razor clam beds north of Ocean Shores. A 3-day dig starts tomorrow.
Date: : April 15, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dan Miller, and Dave Murnen
Raptor count:
Date: : March 31, 2007
Beach: Long Beach
Observers: Dan Varland, Scott Horton and Connie Macon
Comments: We saw the highest number of Bald Eagles ever recorded during a Comprehensive survey.
The second highest count was 13 on February 29, 2004.
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
14
(2 adults; 12 juveniles) |
Snowy Plover at the north end of the Long Beach Peninsula
Date: : March 30, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dan Miller, Dianna Moore and Ellen Pickell
Miller's Obiter Dictum
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
4
(3 adults; 1 juvenile) |
Adult Bald Eagle perched on driftwood in front of the Best Western Lighthouse Hotel this morning.
Date: : March 18, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland and Dianna Moore
Individuals Banded:
| Bald Eagle |
Merlin |
Peregrine Falcon |
6
(4 adults; 2 juveniles) |
1 |
1 |
Marked Individuals Observed:
| Species |
Color Band Code |
| Peregrine Falcon |
W/M |
Date: : March 4, 2007
Beach: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dan Miller, Dave Murnen, and Tom Rowley
Comments: We captured our second Merlin of the study, a first-year female. We gave her a yellow leg
flag marked with the visual identification code AC. The four outer primaries on her left wing were badly
damaged.
Raptor count:
| Bald Eagle |
Northern Harrier |
Merlin |
Peregrine Falcon |
8
(5 adults; 3 juveniles) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Individuals Marked:
| Species |
Color Band Code |
| Merlin |
AC |
Marked Individuals Observed
| Species |
Color Band Code |
| Peregrine Falcon |
W/M |
Merlin, marked with leg flag AC.
Measuring tail length, with leg flag and band showing.
The damaged primaries. We were unable to determine the cause of the injury,
but were certain it was not the result of capture and marking. We saw her capture prey about
an hour before we caught her, so we knew she was flying well enough to hunt. We decided not
to take her to a rehabilitation center, despite her problems with aerodynamics.
Dorsal view of the damaged feathers.
Close-up of the damage.
Dave Murnen (left) with Stef Pummell and RJ. RJ is a Boy Scout and Stef is
scout leader. From the Mount Baker area, they were hiking the beach and happened to see us
during the capture and banding of AC.