Date: November 18, 2019
Location: Long Beach
Observers: Dan Varland, Rich Van Buskirk, Scott Ford and Sandra Miller.
Photos by Dan Varland.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Peregrine Falcon
|
6 adults |
2 adults |
Individuals Marked
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
P/2 |
Marked Individuals Observed
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
R/7 |

A one-year-old male Peregrine Falcon we captured, banded
and tissue-sampled during our survey. Look closely and you
will see brown feathers still remaining from his immature
plumage.




Immature feathers are visible on both wings in this photo.

Date: November 16, 2019
Location: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dave Murnen, Bill Morgan and Kat Bryant.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Northern Harrier
|
Peregrine Falcon |
8 adults |
1 age uncertain |
2 adults |
Marked Individuals Observed
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
35/B |

Coyote.

35/B.
Date: November 1, 2019
Location: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Susan Burchardt, Maranda Beerbower, and Claire Sides.
Photos by Dan Varland.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Peregrine Falcon
|
3 adults, 1 immature |
1 adult, 1 immature |
Marked Individuals Observed
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
35/B |
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We recaptured 35/B, a female Peregrine Falcon banded by
Coastal Raptors on October 30, 2018. Her bands needed a
cleaning!
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Voila! 35/B is the only Peregrine Falcon among 259 banded
so far with white talons (two on the right foot).
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Susan Burchardt with 35/B. Coastal Raptors obtains blood and feather samples
from peregrines at banding and, when possible, once annually thereafter. Our
capture today is the 24th sighting since she was captured and banded.
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Date: October 27, 2019
Location: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dave Murnen, Bob Plotnick and Gay Jensen.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Rough-legged Hawk
|
Peregrine Falcon |
3 adults, 1 immature |
1 age uncertain |
1 immature |
Marked Individuals Observed
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Bald Eagle |
M/Z |

We ran across this Stellar's Sea Lion washed up on the beach. The cause of
death was not evident.We looked for gunshot wounds but could not find any.

Sanderlings.

Enjoying the day.

Dunlin.

A pair of Bald Eagles, with the male on the right, on the wooden salmon perch.

Bald Eagle feeding on a Black-winged Scoter. We identified the food item
by returning to the location after the survey and finding remains under the
perch.
Date: October 26, 2019
Location: Grayland
Observers: Dan Varland, Dan Miller, Tom Rowley and Pam McCauley.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Peregrine Falcon |
2 adults |
1 adult, 2 immatures |
Individuals Marked
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
P/D |

Sunrise over a creek a few miles south of our start point at Grayland.

Pam McCauley with a first-year female Peregrine Falcon
we captured and banded.

The bands.



They tried a drink of water but gave up on that quickly, as expected.

There was enough of a surf for a little surfing.

Property on Washaway Beach south of our Grayland study area.
Date: October 18, 2019
Location: Grayland
Observers: Dan Varland, Bill Morgan, Sandra Miller and Maranda Beerbower.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Merlin |
Peregrine Falcon |
4 adults |
1 age uncertain |
1 immature |
Individuals Marked
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
28/B |

First-year female Peregrine Falcon. Dan Varland photo.

Her bands. Dan Varland photo.

Taking the blood sample. Sandra Miller photo.

Sandra Miller photo.

Sandra Miller with 28/B. Dan Varland photo.
Date: October 14, 2019
Location: Long Beach
Observers: Dan Varland, Meagan Campbell, and Pat Tollefson.
All photos by Dan Varland.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Northern Harrier |
Peregrine Falcon |
6 adults |
1 age uncertain |
2 immatures |
Individuals Marked
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
22/B |

We came upon a frog hopping toward the ocean in an effort to evade a crow.


We rescued the frog injury or worse. We proceeded north and long-time Coastal
Raptors volunteer Suzy Whittey met us at the Cranberry Road beach access. She
drove him inland for release in a freshwater wetland.

Meagan Campbell with a first-year female Peregrine Falcon we captured,
banded, and tissue sampled.

Her bands.

22/B.

First-year Bald Eagle perched with an adult. Bald Eagles molt to adult plumage
in 3-6 years with most completing it in 5.

We saw many shorebirds during this survey.

Semipalmated Plovers.

Shorebirds in tire tracks to escape the wind.

North Head at the south end of the Long Beach Peninsula.
Date: October 13, 2019
Location: Long Beach
Observers: Dan Varland, Meagan Campbell, Pat Tollefson.
Comments: We did not do a complete survey of the beach today due to time
limitations so there is no raptor count to share. We did manage to capture and
band a Peregrine Falcon so it was a good run. All photos by Dan Varland.
Individuals Marked
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
27/B |


Harbor Seal pup.

Meagan Campbell with a first-year female Peregrine Falcon.

Her bands.

27/B.

Date: October 11, 2019
Location: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Dave Murnen, and Denny Hieronymus.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Merlin |
Peregrine Falcon |
Northern Harrier |
3 adults |
1 age uncertain |
2 immatures |
3 age uncertain |
Individuals Marked
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
36/B |
Marked Individuals Observed
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Common Raven |
LSGRGO |
Crossing Conner Creek north of Ocean Shores.
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Dave Murnen holds a first-year female Peregrine Falcon that we captured today.
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She received visual ID band 36/B.
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36/B.
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Common Ravens feeding on a seal carcass, with one on the right a bird we
banded on May 5, 2015. Today's sighting of LSGRGO is the 12th since banding
day. The banded one, a male, has removed two bands we applied to his right
leg.
his right leg (
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Merlin.
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Patriotic beach walker.
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Date: October 6, 2019
Location: Long Beach
Observers: Dan Varland, Dale Larson, Sophie Garcia-Heras, Hankyu Kim,
Rich Vroman, Glenn Marquardt, and Claire Sides.
All photos by Dan Varland unless otherwise noted.
Raptor Count
Bald Eagle |
Peregrine Falcon |
2 adults |
1 adult, 2 immatures |
Marked Individuals Observed
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Peregrine Falcon |
R/7 |
Common Raven |
RSYLOG |

Dale Larson (left) and Rich Vroman (right): onward to Ocean Park.
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Our destination: The George Johnson House, a Bed and
Breakfast in Ocean Park, Washington.
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The breakfast table. Our most excellent breakfast was prepared and served by
Charlotte Killien, our hostess and proprietor of the George Johnson House.
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With clear skies and the temperature in the mid-60's, the weather couldn't have
been better! Many were out enjoying the day.
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Hankyu Kim with R/7, a female Peregrine Falcon we had captured and banded
on the Long Beach Peninsula on January 14, 2019. We re-captured her today,
1.1 miles from where she was banded, to collect blood and feather samples.
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R/7 has just about completed her molt to the blue-gray plumage characteristic
of peregrines after age one; this molt typically begins around 10 months of age
and, as with R/7, is nearly complete at about 15 months of age. In this photo,
a few brown feathers are visible on her back and wing.

Natasha Peters with R/6 on banding day, January 14, 2019.

The shiny new bands on banding day.
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This photo of R/7 feeding on a gull was taken on the Columbia River's East
Sand Island, which is south of the Long Beach Peninsula. On this date, June 14,
2019, R/6 was still very much in immature plumage. Photo by Tim Lawes.

Sophia Garcia-Heras releases R/7. Claire Sides photo.
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Banded male Common Raven in the wrack line. Though not clearly visible in this
photo, he was wearing a silver US Geological Survey band above a yellow band
on his right leg and a gray band on his left. He also had an orange band on his
left leg, but removed it sometime between our last sighting of him and this one.
This raven is identified as RSYLOG: right leg Silver over Yellow, left leg Orange
over Gray. We have not changed his identifier, despite his shedding a band.

Here his three bands are clearly visible. Hankyu Kim photo.

We saw RSYLOG during a survey on August 18, 2017. He was 1.3 miles from
where we found him today; all four bands were present back then. Photo by
Victor Estrada.

Snowy Plover. We counted 56 Snowy Plovers at the north end of the Peninsula.
We identified four as banded, thanks to photos taken by Hankyu. The photos
will be sent to Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, which has an active program of
research and monitoring of the species on the Peninsula. Hankyu Kim photo.

Another banded Snowy Plover. Hankyu Kim photo.
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Mount Rainier as seen from the north end of the Long Beach Peninsula.
Date: September 13, 2019
Location: Ocean Shores
Observers: Dan Varland, Tom Rowley, Dan Miller and Sandra Miller.
Photos by Dan Varland.
Raptor Count
Marked Individuals Observed
Species |
Color Marker Code |
Bald Eagle |
B/O |

Bald Eagle at liftoff. This eagle wears identification band B/O; Coastal Raptors
banded him on June 12, 2015. We see him often during surveys, always on
the Ocean Shores study area where he was banded.

Brown Pelican and gulls.

Engine trouble offshore resulted in this cabin cruiser standing.

Another standing! The front wheels of this van were stuck. The driver,
unconcerned, was having his morning coffee.