Rare Bird Alert
Updated every Thursday, the Rare Bird Alert covers the entire state and details where and when rare birds have been spotted. This could be anything from an east coast bird that flew off course to an Oregon bird found in an unlikely location.
Have you seen a rare or out of place bird? Contact Brodie Cass Talbott to report your sighting: bcasstalbott@audubonportland.org.
*On Monday, March 23, the Oregon Governor issued an order to stay home, with some exceptions. Stay safe, and stay healthy, in these challenging times.
March 26, 2020
| Mountain Quail | Mountain Bluebird |
| Western Bluebird | Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker |
| Surf Scoter | Pacific Loon |
| Bonaparte’s Gull | Great Gray Owl |
| Tufted Duck | Black-and-white Warbler |
| Common Gallinule | Tri-colored Blackbird |
Notes on Sightings
Bold: Local rarity | CAPS: Statewide rarity
Philip Kline found a calling Mountain Quail in a clearcut out by Vedanta Retreat Center in the very NW corner of Multnomah County. These birds are probably better classified as “Rarely Detected” instead of “Rare” as they are no doubt breeding across the mountainous sections of the region. The same clearcuts also hosted a single Mountain Bluebird along with a couple Western Bluebirds, which traditionally migrate through the region in small numbers in March.
Elsewhere in Multnomah County, three different Yellow-shafted Flickers (the eastern subspecies of Northern Flicker) have been reported at various feeders, and a Surf Scoter was reported along the Columbia River in Portland. Upriver, a Pacific Loon and Bonaparte’s Gulls were found by Tom Meyers near St. Helens. Bonaparte’s were also reported at Koll Center Wetlands, suggesting some movement of these gulls. A Great Gray Owl was reported in Forest Grove on March 21, although the report was unconfirmed, and the bird has not been seen since.
Across the state, a TUFTED DUCK has continued for several days at Ankeny NWR, and Ona Beach in Lincoln City is yet again sporting a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. Meanwhile, the COMMON GALLINULE continues in Klamath County, and Nolan Clements and family found what appears to be a first-county-record Tricolored Blackbird in Harney County.
That’s most of it for this week. For reports, corrections, and tips, email Brodie Cass Talbott at bcasstalbott@audubonportland.org.