International Brant Monitoring Project
Observation Logs:

2009/2010 Observations

Date Location Observers Count Percent Juveniles Notes
Aug 5 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 3 242
Aug 15 Izembek Lagoon, AK Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 13 n/a 134
Aug 25 Izembek Lagoon, AK Izembek National Wildlife Refuge >5,000 n/a 135
Oct 12 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 2 n/a 137
Oct 19 Izembek Lagoon, AK Izembek National Wildlife Refuge ~10,000 138
Oct 20 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 4-6 145
Oct 21 Izembek Lagoon, AK Izembek National Wildlife Refuge ? n/a 139
Oct 22 Izembek Lagoon, AK Izembek National Wildlife Refuge ~600 n/a 140
Oct 24 Izembek Lagoon, AK Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 4,000 n/a 141
Oct 28 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 9 22% 142
Oct 29 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 6 143
Nov 1 OTHER OTHER 1 0 144
Nov 4 Izembek Lagoon, AK Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 1,000 n/a 146
Nov 5 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 250 147
Nov 6 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 2-5 n/a 150
Nov 6 OTHER OTHER 367/hour 148
Nov 6 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 1000 149
Nov 7 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 3000 151
Nov 9 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 7000 152
Nov 10 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 10000 153
Nov 11 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 10000 154
Nov 12 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 50 155
Nov 12 OTHER OTHER 12 n/a 157
Nov 13 Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, Guerro Negro Lagoon, Baja California Reserve Students/ Pro Esteros 85 n/a 161
Nov 14 San Quintin Bay, Baja Cal. SANQUIBRANTA 100's n/a 162
Nov 15 Bodega Bay, CA Rod Hug 500 156
Nov 18 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 5000 158
Nov 19 Oak Bay, Port Hadlock WA Diane Mulholland 16 na 159
Nov 20 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 6-7 160
Nov 24 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 30 163
Nov 28 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 202 172
Nov 28 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 1000 164
Nov 29 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 8 n/a 165
Dec 3 Padilla Bay Reserve staff 6113 167
Dec 3 Oak Bay, Port Hadlock WA Diane Mulholland 75+ 10% 166
Dec 12 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 218 173
Dec 23 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 750 ~ 9% 168
Dec 23 California Coast Bill Henry 525 169
Dec 26 San Quintin Bay, Baja Cal. SANQUIBRANTA 30 n/a 177
Jan 7 Padilla Bay Reserve staff 10,054 181
Jan 8 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 50 - 100s 170
Jan 8 Padilla Bay Reserve staff ~6000 171
Jan 10 OTHER OTHER 6 n/a 178
Jan 10 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 240 174
Jan 10 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 15000 175
Jan 11 Bodega Bay, CA Rod Hug 375 176
Jan 15 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 15-30 179
Jan 19 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 135 15 185
Jan 20 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 1670 1 186
Jan 21 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 162 11 187
Jan 22 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 100-200 180
Jan 26 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 9 NA 182
Jan 26 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 227 183
Jan 27 Humboldt Bay, CA Steve Rosenberg 30000 184
Feb 5 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 40-50 188
Feb 8 OTHER OTHER >300 191
Feb 11 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 70-80 189
Feb 12 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 280 190
Feb 19 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 90-100 192
Feb 24 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 273 193
Feb 28 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 188 194
Mar 4 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 130 195
Mar 5 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 700 196
Mar 6 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 75 na 198
Mar 12 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 250 216
Mar 13 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 209 197
Mar 19 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 100-150 199
Mar 26 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 207 200
Apr 1 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 2000 223
Apr 7 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 167 na 202
Apr 11 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 268 203
Apr 14 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 700-1000 212
Apr 15 Oak Bay, Port Hadlock WA Diane Mulholland 325 na 207
Apr 15 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 700 na 206
Apr 16 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 7 na 210
Apr 16 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 3 215
Apr 16 Padilla Bay, WA Conway School 10-20 213
Apr 16 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 2225 na 209
Apr 18 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 1000s 222
Apr 18 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 69+ 208
Apr 20 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 75 na 211
Apr 21 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 1200 na 214
Apr 23 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 62 na 218
Apr 24 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 172-249 217
Apr 30 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 26 na 220
Apr 30 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 129 n/a 219
May 1 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 590 na 221
May 2 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 150 224
May 3 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 1,100/hour 230
May 8 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 405 231
May 10 Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AK Chris Nicolai Many 235
May 12 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 1 226
May 12 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 3 225
May 14 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 437 n/a 227
May 16 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 275 233
May 17 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 25 na 229
May 17 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 250 234
May 20 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 23 na 228
May 22 Yaquina Bay, OR Yaquina Birders & Naturalists 30-35 232
May 24 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 65 236
Jun 30 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 10 n/a 237
Jul 5 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 15 238
Jul 7 Coos Bay, OR South Slough NERR 1 NA 239
Jul 19 OTHER OTHER 300 241
Jul 21 Delta, B.C. Richard Swanston 15-20 240


Notes:

242 This evening on the falling tide at Brunswick Point - the western most point of Delta B.C.and the most southern arm of the Fraser River - three Brant were seen. One Brant was observed with a black band and white codes. The bird seemed to be impaired by the band, raising it's leg frequently and elevating it at a weird angle.


134 First brant for the fall were observed on August 15. I kayaked up to Kinzarof Lagoon and saw a flock of 13 brant flying past the barrier islands. Later, I spotted them on a gravel bar in NW Cold Bay about 1.5 miles south of Kinzarof Lagoon.

On Sunday, August 14, I spotted two brant flying over Izembek Lagoon while kayaking in Applegate Cove. Later, I saw two brant flying over Grant Point -- they may have been the same two birds.

Kristine Sowl
Izembek NWR

135 15 August – Kristine Sowl observes two brant flying SE over the Banding Islands in Applegate Cove, Izembek Lagoon. One to two hours later, two brant (same or different individuals?) were seen flying over Grant Point.

19 August – Ty Donnelly and Niels Dau observed six brant flying over Round Island in Izembek Lagoon.

21 August - Ty Donnelly and Niels Dau observed two flocks of brant (30 birds 20-25 birds) flying over the Banding Islands in Applegate Cove.

25 August -- Kristine Sowl and Jim Smith observed more than 5000 brant and 130 emperor geese from Grant Point to Birdsall Island. Most of these birds arrived within the last 24 hours as few brant were observed on August 24. Winds were from the NW most of the day at 10-25 mph.

Kristine Sowl
Izembek NWR

137 Today off the Beach Grove Lagoon I saw two brant geese. These birds might have been two of the few birds that spent the summer here in the Delta area.

Hoy yo lo veo dos branta negra cerca de la Beach Grove Lagoon. Es posible que estos pajaros vivieron aqui durante este verano.

138 Monday morning, October 19, 2009 John Maxwell observed thousands, possibly 10 thousand, brant fly up off the water in one big wave across the lagoon.
Lucretia Fairchild, Izembek NWR

145 English:
Between 4 to 6 brant were observed at the Pump House Boundary Bay Regional Park in Tsawwassen. I was looking for leg bands when a dog off it's leash sent them and probably about 500 Waterfowl and 200 Gulls and shore birds off into the middle of the bay. Four brant returned to the Pump House area.

Spanish:
Entre 4 y 6 brantas se observaron cerca de la Pump House Boundary Bay Regional Park in Tsawwassen. Estuve buscando bandas de patas cuando uno perro que no tiene una correa asustaba las brantas, y mas o menos 500 pajaros y 200 gaviota adentro el centro de la bahia. Cuatro branta regresado a la zona.

139 Evening of Thursday, October 21, 2009 Spencer Berg observes group after group, 50-100 in each group, flying low over a lowspot of land near Grant Point, all heading SW toward Applegate Cove.
Lucretia Fairchild, Izembek NWR

140 Thursday October 22, 2009 Lucretia Fairchild and Niels Dau, within a half hour see about 8 groups of 50-100 brant flying low over that same lowspot of land near Grant Point, all heading SW toward Applegate Cove.
Lucretia Fairchild, Izembek NWR

141 Saturday October 24, 2009 Bruce Casler observes a total of about 4000 brant flying high in lines at Grant Point, all heading SE.
Lucretia Fairchild, Izembek NWR

142 first sighting of the year north winds the day before and still blowing

143 Janet Lamberson saw 6 Brant on Oct. 29 at Idaho Flats, east of the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center Nature Trail in Yaquina Bay. They are the first of the season for Yaquina Bay.
Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists

144 Español: El fotógrafo Enrique Fuentes salió al estero de Punta Banda, al sur de Ensenada, con el propósito principal de fotografiar al Rascón picudo (Rallus longirostris). Durante su búsqueda observó una branta solitaria en la zona. Supongo que iba viajando hacia el sur. Mañana voy al estero con un grupo de estudiantes y estaré observando en busca de más brantas.
Iván Manríquez, Pro Esteros.
English: Photographer Enrique Fuentes visit Punta Banda Estuary in Ensenada México. His aim was to take some pictures of the Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris). Early in the morning he saw one lonely Brant on the water. I think the bird was traveling south.
Tomorrow I will go to the estuary with some junior high students. I'll be looking for more Brant.
Iván Manríquez, Education Coordinator, Pro Esteros

146 November 4th...1 pm.
John Maxwell reported hearing and seeing at least 1,000 brant (possibly close to 2,000) heading south (He was only outside a few minutes). They were spotted during breaks in the cloud cover. Many Canada geese were also viewed, flying lower, below the clouds.
Weather here is in mid 30s-low 40s with predictions of Northwest winds of 35-50 mph gusting to 65 mph through Friday.
Audrey Bohl

147 the izembek news was right on. arrival in midday against south winds- ocean very rough- warm, light rain

150 ENGLISH:
We saw 2, possibly 5, brant today in Padilla Bay from Bayview State Park. It was extremely windy and rainy, but we finally found them bobbing up and down between the white caps. They were near flocks of ducks, as well as islands of floating eelgrass. We also happend to see what looked to be harbor porpoise swimming near by!

ESPANOL:
Vimos 2, posiblemente 5, brant hoy en Bahía de Padilla del Parque de Estado de Bayview. Fue muy ventoso y lluvioso, pero nosotros por último los encontramos que cortando arriba y hacia abajo entre las tapas blancas. Ellos estuvieron cerca de multitudes de patos, así como islas de eelgrass flotante. ¡Nosotros también sucedimos ver lo que miró para ser marsopa de puerto por que nada cerca!

148 During a 6:30-9:30 AM seawatch on Nov. 6 at Boiler Bay State Park along the open central coast of Oregon in Lincoln County, Phil Pickering counted 1,100 Brant (flocks up to 80 Brant). They appear to have just started to move along the Oregon coast because Phil also did a 6:45-7:45 AM seawatch at Spanish Head in Lincoln City on Nov. 4 and a 6:45-8 AM seawatch at Boiler Bay on Nov. 5 and did not see any Brant.
Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists

149 by noon today the brant population doubled. it is 4pm and i just saw 500 more fly in from the incredibly rough ocean. it is so rough salt haze covers the bay and sea, so observation is difficult. no doubt these are the same birds pickering observed at newport this morning, 300 miles away. incredible!

151 brant season opened today and there are a lot of happy brant hunters as the bay was loaded. my count is a rough estimate. brant were in the air at all times. one flock left the bay that was a thousand strong. most are gone now due the intense hunting pressure. i will be enjoying roast brant tonight! the ocean is still huge 20-25 foot swells

152 the bay is loaded with even more new arrivals. the hunters are happy and have mostly gone home already this am then the brant attacked the sand spit to grit loaf and preen at low tide-quite a delighful site.

153 juveniles appear abundant this year. brant still migrating, population thinned dramatically after the morning hunting pressure on the 10th

154 juveniles appear abundant this year. brant still migrating, population thinned dramatically after the morning hunting pressure on the 10th

155 the mass is not in the bay this am. coreection of footnotes 153 and 154. the dates were nov 10 and 11 respectively

157 While attending a meeting in San Diego I saw a small group of brant in San Diego Bay. It was an exciting surprise to see these friends while I was away from home.
Glen "Alex" Alexander
Padilla Bay Reserve
Mount Vernon WA 98273

161 ESPAÑOL (English below): Estuve participando este fin de semana en el Festival Infantil de las Aves que se llevó a cabo en el Refugio para Aves de Guerrero Negro. Por la mañana, observé un grupo de 85 brantas cerca del área donde se desarrolló el festival. Había también distintos tipos de garzas (morena, blanca, nívea y tricolor), un pelícano blanco y varios cafés, cormoranes y gaviotas, además de una águila pescadora, un zarapito y otras aves.
Iván Manríquez - Pro Esteros
ENGLISH: I was part of the Children's Bird Festival in Guerrero Negro, Mexico, last weekend. The festival took place on the Bird's Refuge of Guerrero Negro (a natural area designed for birdwatching). On the morning I saw a group of 85 Brant, close to the festival. There was also diferent kinds of herons and egrets (great blue and tricolored heron; snowy and great egret), one white pelican and several brown pelicans, cormorants, and gulls (ring-billed, california, western). Also an osprey, a whimbrel and other birds.
Iván Manríquez - Pro Esteros

162 ESPAÑOL (English below): A mi regreso del Festival Infantil de las Aves en Guerrero Negro, me detuve en el Panteón Inglés de San Quintín. La marea estaba muy baja, por lo que las brantas estaban demasiado lejos de la orilla. Podía escucharlas, pero no pude contarlas, porque además tenía el sol en contra. Calculo que pudieron ser 600, pero no me atrevo a asegurar que todas ellas fueran brantas.
Iván Manríquez - Pro Esteros
ENGLISH: When I came back from the Bird's Festival in Guerrero Negro, I made a stop on the English Cemetery San Quintin, Mexico. This is a very old cemetery just aside the coast. The tide was very low, so the Brant were too far from the shore. I hear the sound of Brant, but couldn't count them, since they where between the sun and me. I think they could be 600, but I cant assure they were all Brant (there could be another kind of birds among them).
Iván Manríquez - Pro Esteros

156 About 60 White Pelicans were feeding in the bay.

158 another large migration after the frontal passage the birds poured into the bay just after daybreak and new arrivals trickled in for several hours. it was a brilliant and energetic day

159 16 Brant flew over Oak Bay late morning. This is our first of the season. Could not tell how many were juvs as did not land where I could see them. Weather was rainy and windy.

160 English: It was a very windy day, but the students managed to spot a small group of brant in the midst of the waves. They were seen on the outskirts of a large group of ducks out in the middle of the bay. That same day, while out looking for brant, the students spotted an eagle swoop down from its perch and cause an uproar of thousands of ducks and grebes!

Espanol: Fue un día muy ventoso, pero los estudiantes lograron marcar un pequeño grupo de brant en el medio de las ondas. Ellos fueron vistos en las afueras de un grupo grande de patos fuera en medio de la bahía. ¡Ese mismo día, mientras fuera buscar brant, los estudiantes marcaron una calada de águila hacia abajo de su percha y causan un alboroto de miles de patos y colimbos!

163 saw 7 swans this am. the first of the season.2 were juveniles. the brant have thinned dramatically-hunting pressure has been intense

172 I counted all Brant at Yaquina Bay embayments. None were west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists,
Newport, Oregon

164 a 40 mph norwester-like the old days - buffeted the coast today- after significant early am rain- brant poured off the sea into the bay- only to leave and return again the next am after a nite in the malestrom- just to prove their tenacious maritime nature- most of these late migrants are seasoned adults- and know the game- so the take is minimal-this is the best brant use fall in at least 40 years here-is it weather- is it the short fall hunt- is it the hunting pressure in mexico- the absence of commercial enterprise in this once booming coastal community- now dominated by transients and pot growers- who is to say- but it is great to see

165 Nov. 29th 2009 Good Day to you all. I just read that in Nanaimo B.C. Canada, a Group of birders on a field trip to Rathtrevor Park reported seeing 8 Brant . Brant used to winter in this area Years ago. HOPEFULLY these birds are the start of a new wintering population.

Richard Swanston, Delta B.C.

167 These numbers were taken from a Department of Fish and Wildlife flyover to look for brant.

SKAGIT COUNTY

Fidalgo Bay- 0
Padilla Bay- 215
Samish Bay- 2,570
Brant Point- 0

WHATCOM COUNTY

Lummi Bay- 3,008
Birch Bay- 320
Blaine Harbor- 0
Drayton Harbor- 0

Total Brant: 6,113

166

173 Wayne Hoffman saw a pale-bellied Brant west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge by itself. Later that day, I counted 217 Brant at Yaquina Bay embayments and saw the pale-bellied Brant west of the Bridge. Pale-bellied Brant are rarely reported here, but Brant are often too distant to determine if any pale-bellied Brant are present, so pale-bellied Brant may be more common here than our records indicate. Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon

168 After several trips to Boundary Bay I finally had a chance to gather information on Brant WITHOUT Bald Eagle interference.

12/23/09 Boundary Bay Metro Regional Park, Tsawwassen, B.C Canada. Wind out of the east-northeast. Tide approximately 10.5 feet and falling. Overcast sky.

13:32 On approach to the area of the Pump House, a bald eagle crossed near the beach causing a disturbance of the flock of an estimate of 280 - 300 brant. Some left the area but most returned.

13:42 Of 151 brant counted, 41 were grey belly brant. Many more brant were in the water and I was not able to tell whether they were black brant or grey belly brant

13:50 Of 51 grey belly brant observed, none were juvenile, all adults.

13:52 Observed a three-bird-flight of black brant

13:54 Of 252 brant, 22 were juveniles. Approximately 20 brant were observed for bands but none were seen.

13:56 A bald eagle flew by and all brant departed.

13:56 46 return but approximately 150 brant leave the area heading south.

14:05 Did a rough count of the brant in the northern section of the bay. In some areas brant were densely packed. Counted about 750 brant in the western part of the bay.

14:09 Saw another 3 Bird Flight, this time they were grey belly brant.

14:12 Of 47 brant, 2 were juveniles.

14:15 A bald eagle flies near the flock and they swim out into the Bay.

14:17 2 black brant adults join the flock. I departed after the bald eagle flew in closer scaring the brant further out.


169 San Diego County, CA
Dec 23, 2009 following a winter high tide:
Along the western shore of South San Diego Bay, I observed 230 brant feeding in scattered groups while the Navy helicopters flew by.
None flushed.

Later that morning I surveyed the San Diego River channel and counted another 110+ brant feeding with American wigeon.
While commercial Jetliners roared loudly overhead.

Minutes later, on Mission Bay I estimated 185, most were tucked in the NE corner of the bay tipping for eelgrass.
These birds were amazingly calm...while boaters cruised by within 100 yds.

Total brant: minimum 525.

Bill

177 Español: Aproximadamente 30 brantas se encontraban comiendo en el área cercana a la chorera.
Englis": About 30 Brant were eating close to the place known as “la chorera”.


181 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Brant Flight conducted 1/7/10:

Fidalgo Bay: 19
Padilla Bay: 3010
Samish Bay: 2973
Total Skagit County: 6,002

Whatcom County (Lummi Bay*, Birch Bay, Blaine): 4052
(*Lummi Bay: 3700)

GRAND TOTAL: 10,054 brant

170 ENGLISH:
Early in the day we thought we saw a large group of Brant near the forefront of Hat Island, but they were too far away to properly identify. Later on, we stopped by a ridge overlooking Samish Bay and saw quite a few Brant close enough to identify. The first group we saw was about 35-40 birds traveling all together in a line. Further back, we saw another group of about 14 birds. Way off in the distance we could see hundreds of black birds which we assumed to be Brant, but cannot be completely sure. Overall, it was a very successful day!

SPANISH:
Temprano en el día en que pensábamos que existía un gran grupo de Brant, cerca de la vanguardia de la Isla del Sombrero, pero estaban demasiado lejos para identificar correctamente. Más tarde, nos detuvimos en una cresta que domina la bahía de Samish y vio bastante cerca Brant pocos suficiente para identificar. El primer grupo que vimos fue de 35-40 aves que viajan todos juntos en una línea. Más atrás, vimos a otro grupo de cerca de 14 aves. Camino a lo lejos pudimos ver cientos de aves negro que supone que Brant, pero no puede estar completamente seguro. En general, fue un día muy exitoso!

171 ENGLISH:
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife report from January flyover:
Just over 6000 Brant counted, distributed evenly through Padilla and Samish Bay. Last year they were mostly found in Samish Bay. The numbers are down this year, but the 6000 bird quota was met and there will be a hunting season for Brant. There will be more information to come.

SPANISH:
Washington Departamento de Pesca y Animales Salvajes de informe a partir de enero de sobrevuelo:
Un poco más de 6000 Brant contados, distribuidos uniformemente a través de Padilla y Samish Bay. El año pasado fueron en su mayoría se encuentran en Samish Bay. Los números han disminuido este año, pero la cuota de 6000 de aves se cumplió y habrá una temporada de caza de Brant. Habrá más información muy pronto.

178 Español: Los días 9 y 10 realicé un recorrido de trabajo por algunos de los esteros de Bahía Magdalena, en Baja California Sur. El último día de mi recorrido estuve en el poblado de La Poza Grande, y visité el sitio conocido como Santa Rita, donde observé a seis brantas nadando cerca de la orilla, entre el manglar.
Platicamos acerca de la posibilidad de incluir a la telesecundaria local en el programa de de avistamiento de branta.
Iván Manríquez - Coordinador Educativo - Pro Esteros
English: On January 9th and 10th I made a field trip along some of the estuaries of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The last day of my trip I visited on “La Poza Grande” town a place called “Santa Rita”. There I saw six Brant, swimming close to the shore, between the mangroves.
We talked about the possibility of include this place in the Brant Monitoring Project.
Iván Manríquez - Environmental Educator - Pro Esteros

174 I counted 240 Brant at Yaquina Bay embayments east of the Yaquina Bay Bridge, and none west of the Bridge. On Dec. 22, Owen Schmidt saw and photographed a pale-bellied Brant at Yaquina Bay embayments with the other Brant. On Jan. 10, they were too distant for me to determine if there were any with pale-bellies. Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon

175 this is a conservative count. there are so many ducks and brant it is difficult to monitor. this is south humboldt bay only and does not include north bay, but there are plenty there too. these birds are using this bay like tha "old days"

176

179 ENGLISH:
On this extremely blustery day, three Conway School students, a parent and a member from Padilla Bay staff set out to search for Brant. Despite the wind blowing directly into our eyes, rain beating on our heads and our scopes falling all over the place, we finally came across a few scattered Brant. At our last stop we found thousands of ducks with a few Brant interspersed throughout the flocks. With a Brant in our scope, an eagle dove down from a nearby tree and disrupted every duck and Brant in our view. After the disturbance, it was difficult to see many more Brant.

ESPANOL:
En este día muy ventoso, tres estudiantes de la Escuela de Conway, un padre y un miembro de personal de la Bahía de Padilla se dispuso a buscar Brant. A pesar del viento que sopla directamente a nuestros ojos, la lluvia golpeando sobre nuestras cabezas y nuestros ámbitos comprendidos por todo el lugar, que finalmente llegó a través de una Brant dispersos pocos. En nuestra última parada se encuentra a miles de patos con un Brant pocos intercaladas en los rebaños. Con un Brant en nuestro ámbito, un águila paloma de un árbol cercano y perturbado cada pato y Brant, en nuestra vista. Después de la perturbación, es difícil ver más Brant muchos.

185 Boundary Bay Metro Park Tsawwassen, Delta B.C. Canada
Conditions: Tide 11.7 feet and falling fast
SE 10 with an Overcast sky

Today a long standing Wintering resident Re Sight Banded Brant was observed - White Band R/L Blue Codes Z1S - which was featured in the notes below from 2008. Still no sign of it's Mate Z6K whom was equipped with a surgically implanted radio.

Arrived off the Pump House and found about 135 Brant Geese near shore with 93 Brant viewed for Bands:
L/L Green Band White Codes Y5N ab 2.5
L/L Green Band White Codes Y32

12:51 A Bald Eagle flew in, making an attempt to grab an injured Scaup which flew from the beach a short distance into Very Shallow water. It managed to survive several 4 to 5 attacks by the Eagle. The Brant flew out over a 1000 feet toward the middle of the bay. Some flew off to the Northern shore.
12:56 5 Brant Return 2 Western Arctic Brant Haul out No Bands
12:58 Bald Eagle Dist all dep.
13:04 Counted 88 Of which 9 were Juvs
13:11 109 Counted 13 Juvs
13:14 140 Counted 21 Juvs
13:19 5 Brant Out of the Water No Bands Bald Eagle Dist. All Depart
13:21 Est. Of 60 to 75 Brant Arrive 800 Feet Off the Beach
13:33 Total Counted 97 Of which 15 Were Juvs
13:34 Disturbed ??? All Brant fly out 200 Feet - Plus 60 Brant arrive
13:44 Total 171 Of which 18 were Juvs
13:57 White Band Blue Codes Z1S R/L
13:58 Bald Eagle disturbed - All Brant move off Mid Bay

186 Arrived at the Boundary Bay Metro Park Delta , B.C. Canada The 12th Ave. Pump House Tsawwassen. Tide 11.2 and falling. Wind SE 6 to 8. Switching over to ESE 10 later. Overcast Sky. I found a LARGE Number of Brant out of the water on the beach at close quarters.

Black Band R/L White Codes -AZ
Aqua R/L Black Codes Y7N
Green Band L/L White Codes ZTH
Green Band L/L White Codes ZRG
Green Band L/L 1?E

407 Brant Obs for Bands.
One more L/L G/W band that was WORN, the codes no longer visible
Estimated flock size off pump house: 470
Estimated flock size in the NW Bay: 1200
Observed a Western Arctic Brant with L/L Blue Band
Heart Shape the first code OF 228
99 Gray bellied brant observed, only 3 were Juveniles.

Before I could complete the count, a combination of things happened. A large dog was running the beach on the North side of the lagoon and the Pump started on the Dyke. ALL the Brant left!
Later, 141 Brant, of which 15 were juvenile, started to move back into the pumphouse area. A Bald Eagle scared them Mid Bay to the Northern side of the Bay.

For the next 12 to 18 minutes, eagles scared off Brant approaching the pumphouse area. They were attempting to take an injured scaup, possibly the same bird sighted yesterday. I left returning there an hour later and the eagles were still active.

187 Wind: ESE 8 Knots
Tide: 11 feet and falling fast
Over Cast sky

12:48 - 136 Brant just off shore, 9 juveniles
Blue Bands White Codes L/L
White Banded Blue Code R/L >S6 and >T4
One Brant with a Crippled Right Leg
13:11 Of 100 Brant observed, 35 were Western Arctic Brant GBB
13:18 Total Counted 162 of which 18 were Juvs
13:21 Counted 31 GBB No Juvs
13:24 1 GBB Observed with a Blue Band L/L

PAIR ? Black Band R/L White Codes /0Z
Green Band L/L White Codes ?9S

13:29 bald eagle disturbance - all brant depart
13:31 42 Return 5 Juvs
13:50 Another disturbance, all depart

I stuck around until after 14:00. Two Helicopters, possibly military machines practicing for the Olympics made repeated passes over the Bay, scaring off any brant. This went on for more then twenty minutes and they were still playing when I left.

180 ENGLISH:
Finally a beautiful day for our Brant field trip! Our first stop of the day was on a bluff overlooking Samish Bay. The sun was shining and the water was slightly rough. We spotted many groups of Brant out in the distance. Some where in groups of 20-30 and others were off on their own. We estimated at least 100 Brant in this section of Samish Bay. Our next site was on the eastern side of Padilla Bay. We saw plenty more Brant, atleast 30-50, out in the bay. They were spread out amongst grebes, cormorant and various ducks. It was an exciting day overall!

SPANISH:
¡Por último, un hermoso día para nuestro viaje de campo Brant! Nuestra primera parada del día fue sobre un acantilado con vista Samish Bay. El sol brillaba y el agua era un poco áspero. Hemos visto muchos grupos de Brant en la distancia. Donde en algunos grupos de 20-30 y otros fueron por su cuenta. Estimamos por lo menos 100 Brant en esta sección de Samish Bay. Nuestro sitio siguiente estaba en el lado oriental de la Bahía de Padilla. Vimos muchos más Brant, por lo menos 30-50, en la bahía. Que se extendían entre los somormujos, cormoranes y patos diferentes. Fue un día emocionante en general!

182 Mike Graybill reported a small flock of brant on the water near Fossil Point on lower Coos Bay.

183 I found separate flocks of 9, 16, and 202 Brant at embayments of Yaquina Bay. There were no Brant west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. At least 6 Brown Pelicans were still lingering and perched on the tip of the first rocky finger west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Some of the pelicans were in breeding plumage. Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists,
Newport, Oregon

184 the northward migration is on- i observed many juveniles today while sculling for ducks-the brant are in the way! this bay is absolutely glutted with brant.as the sand showed on the spit at half tide, the brant bombarded the spit. i rowed within 200 yards of 3000 on one sand point alone. picking up my binocs, i could see a solid mass of brant from there north for 2 miles!- and there were still brant dotted every where else in the rest of the bay. the count is a rough estimate. there are so many that at no time hunting was i not on the outskirts of shotgun range of brant. many were sleeping. their sounds fill the air.some are performing mating flights as are the widgeon and pintails.the mallards are all paired up, and the japanese "brant trees" are in full pink bloom, along with the cornubia rhododendrons.

188 English: The first stop of the morning was Samish Bay. It is this overlook where we have had most of our Brant sightings. They are usually hugging the Chuckanut Ridge side of the bay. On this particular day, all the Brant where lined up like one big chorus line!

Español: La primera parada de la mañana se Samish Bay. Este es el pasar por alto donde hemos tenido la mayoría de nuestros avistamientos Brant. Por lo general son abrazando el lado Chuckanut Ridge de la bahía. En este día especial, todas las Brant donde alineados como una línea de coro grande!

191 I was in San Diego last week attending the AOU meeting and had some observations of brant.

2/8/10, 7:30 a.m. - I saw 62 brant in the mouth of the San Diego River near Robb Field as the tide was dropping.

2/13/10, 7:30 a.m. - 24 brant were swimming in San Diego harbor along either Shelter Island or Harbor Island.

2/14/10, 1:00 p.m. - A flock of 10 flew over San Diego Harbor and 12 were swimming next to the island at North Island Naval air station.

2/14/10, 3:00 p.m. - More than 300 were foraging along the beach (both swimming and standing) at the Chula Vista Nature Center. They were mixed in with American wigeon, long-billed curlews, marbled godwits, and a variety of other birds. Because of the late afternoon glare and lack of a spotting scope, I was not able to get an accurate count. The tide was relatively low and there were several thousand waterbirds and shorebirds foraging on the mudflats and in the shallows.

Kristine Sowl
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge

189 English: We saw the Brant again on Samish Bay near the Chuckanut Ridge. There were many other birds out in the bay, including about ten eagles flying near the area where the Brant were. At this particular time, the Brant didn't seem to be disturbed by the eagles.

Spanish: Vimos el Brant de nuevo en Samish Bay, cerca de la Chuckanut Ridge. Hubo muchas otras aves en la bahía, incluyendo una decena de águilas volando cerca de la zona en la que se Brant. En este momento particular, el ganso de collar no parecía ser perturbado por las águilas.

190 On Feb. 7, I counted 96 Brant west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge, the first report of them there this season. They usually show up there during spring migration.
On Feb. 12, I censused 285 Brant at Yaquina Bay embayments east of the Yaquina Bay Bridge, where they normally overwinter. I did not find any west of the Bridge.
Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon

192 English:
This was the closest we've seen the Brant to shore yet. It was a beautiful day and the water was calm. We saw them right off the shore at Camp Kirby with three eagles - two adults and one juvenile - sitting right on the end of the spit. The eagles did not seem to be hunting and the Brant did not seem phased by the eagles.

Español:
Fue lo más cercano que hemos visto el Branta a la orilla todavía. Era un día hermoso y el agua estaba en calma. Vimos cerca de la costa en Camp Kirby con tres águilas - dos adultos y un menor - sentado en la playa cerca de las Branta. Las águilas no eran de caza y el Branta no fueron molestados por las águilas.

193 I counted 273 Brant at Yaquina Bay embayments, and none west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge, where they often appear during spring migration. Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon

194 I counted 188 Brant at Yaquina Bay embayments, and none west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. 17 adult and 3 immature Brown Pelicans were perched at the rocky portion of the west end of the Newport Bayfront at dusk--they continue to linger her. Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon

195 English:
In the morning we saw about 40 Brant in Samish Bay near the Chuckanut Ridge. We also many other ducks, great blue herons and a harbor seal. In Padilla Bay we spotted about 90 Brant very close to shore. They were separated into two groups and munching on eel grass.

Español:
En la mañana vimos unos 40 Brant en Samish Bay, cerca de la cordillera Chuckanut. Tenemos también muchos otros patos, garzas azules y una foca. En Padilla Bay, vio cerca de 90 Brant muy cerca de la costa. Ellos fueron separados en dos grupos y comiendo la hierba de la anguila.

196 English:
A great day for viewing Brant! We saw about 650 Brant near the Chuckanut Ridge of Samish Bay. They were eating eel grass and basking in the sunshine. Our next stop at Padilla Bay, we again saw about 50 Brant very near the shore. They did not seem to be disturbed by us or the 6 eagles that were hanging out near by.

Español:
Un gran día para ver Brant! Vimos a unos 650 Brant cerca de la cordillera de Chuckanut Samish Bay. Estaban comiendo la hierba de la anguila y tomando el sol. Nuestra siguiente parada en la Bahía de Padilla, se volvió a ver a unos 50 Brant muy cerca de la orilla. No parecían ser molestado por nosotros o por los 6 águilas que volaban cerca.


198 These are the first brant we've seen this spring although their were reports last week of brant on the bay. This flock was across the bay near the ocean along the shore of North Spit.

216
An estimate of 250 Brant were off the Pump House and ONE Brant was separated from the rest of the flock. It was preening constantly - a bad sign just after the 10 Day Brant Hunt - it was also banded.

Black Band R/L White Codes TEG. I would not count on seeing this bird in Alaska this summer. I strongly believe this is a winter resident bird.

Later, the injured Brant TEG was well away from the flock alone and preening constantly again.



197 During a late afternoon census, I found 209 Brant at Yaquina Bay embayments, and none west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge, where they have often been during spring migration in the past. There were also 49 Brown Pelicans, an unusually high number at this time of the year. Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon

199 English:
A BEAUTIFUL day for Brant watching! Our first stop of the morning was the overlook on Samish Bay. We saw 100+ Brant across the bay at their usual spot along the Chuckanut Ridge. They seemed to be just relaxing in the sunshine and nibbling on eelgrass. We then headed to Padilla Bay to check on the spot where there have been large groups right near the shore. Today there were no large groups, but just 5-10 individuals scattered about. There was a juvenile eagle at the end of the spit. We hypothesized that the Brant were not present at the time either because of the eagle presence, a lack of eelgrass or they had just simply moved on.

Español:
Un hermoso día para Brant viendo! Nuestra primera parada de la mañana fue el alto el Samish Bay. Vimos 100 + Brant través de la bahía en su lugar habitual a lo largo de la cresta de Chuckanut. Parecían estar simplemente relajarse bajo el sol y comiendo en eelgrass. A continuación, se dirigió a la Bahía de Padilla, para comprobar sobre el terreno los grandes grupos donde se han registrado cerca de la orilla. Hoy en día no hay grandes grupos, pero sólo a los individuos 5-10 esparcidos. Hubo un águila de menores al final de la orilla. Nuestra hipótesis es que el Brant no estaban presentes en el momento, ya sea por la presencia de águila, no tienen eelgrass, o que simplemente se había ido.


200 I counted 32 Brant at embayments east of the Yaquina Bay Bridge and 175 west of the Bridge on the Rock Shelf. Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon

223 There was quite the wildlife spectacle off the East Side of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal on the falling tide this afternoon. At least 2000 Brant. Many were being pushed about again by the Crab Fisherman and power boaters . Luckily the One Para surfer showed up later on the rising tide. Again Bald Eagles were the most frequent cause of disruptions though!

At one point there was a good size flock that closed in on the beach on the exit lane from the ferry causeway, which is one of the few beach areas without crab fishermen. They hauled out and were preening but heavy trucks discharged from the ferry seem to have scared them off .

Strangely, at one point when there was about 80 Brant on shore feeding and preening and the last crab fisherman had moved North, THE WHOLE FLOCK ALMOST made a RUSH for the beach in front of me - a Band Reader dream. They flew in waves toward me as I sat on the beach. This lasted about THREE Minutes before a passing Bald Eagle flew over and ALL the Brant departed toward the East and Point Roberts.

Managed to read about 23 Brant Bands.

202 We observed a continuous flock of brant out near the channel at Pigeon Point on lower Coos Bay. The weather was partly cloudy with a light wind from the south. There were several different kinds of ducks and seabirds mixed with the flock, but the brant stayed together for the most part. Another large flock of birds was observed further out on the bay, but it was not clear that they were brant.

reported by Gabriel and Tom Gaskill

203 West of the Yaquina Bay Bridge, I saw 266 Brant on April 9 and 268 on April 11. On April 10, Roy Lowe counted 120 flying into Yaquina Bay from the south. Brant have also been seen at Lincoln County sites where they are only seen during migration: on April 6, Pat Wood found 6 at Seal Rocks, and on April 9, Roy Lowe spotted a dozen at Alsea Bay.
Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists

212 English:
Today was the first day in a while that we did not see Brant in Samish Bay, although we did see many other birds, along with a Harbor Seal. We headed out to the spit at Camp Kirby and saw a few flocks of Brant off shore. Before we could get our scopes out, a truck drove down the spit and scared off the whole group! Although the disruption was frustrating, it worked to our benefit because the small group flew off and lead us to a group of hundreds to a thousand Brant!

Español:
Hoy fue el primer día en un tiempo que no veíamos Brant en Samish Bay, aunque sí vimos muchas otras aves, junto con una foca. Nos dirigimos al la playa de Campo de Kirby y vio a un manadas algunas de Brant de la costa. Antes de que pudiéramos llegar a nuestros binoculares, un camión que conducía por la playa y ahuyentado a todo el grupo! A pesar de la interrupción fue frustrante, que trabajó en nuestro beneficio, porque el pequeño grupo salió volando y nos llevan a un grupo de cientos y miles Brantas!


207 April 15
Oak Bay
Port Hadlock, WA
11am
52 degrees, cloudy, light wind

The last few days has seen a gradual building of the Brant population. Since February, we have had at most, 225 Brant. Most often we have had 75-100 on a daily basis, usually seen in groups of 50 around the bay. Today is the largest count for this winter season, with 325+ Brant at 11am low tide along with 200+Mew Gull, 1 Bonaparte's gull and 5 Dowitcher species.

Diane Mulholland

206 The weather is clear and a bit warmer today than it has been, about 10 degrees C in the mornings. At Fossil Point, on the lower bay, I observed at least 700 brant and dozen or more Greater scaup along the edge of the channel in the water at low tide. I counted 21 Semi-palmated plovers (a small shorebird), two Great egrets, and one Great blue heron, on the tide flats near the point where I was making my count.

-Tom Gaskill, South Slough NERR

210 7 Brant were observed near the sewage treatment plant on the lower part of Coos Bay.

Other birds also seen in the area were:

Common Loon
Pigeon Guillemot
Greater Scaup
Surf Scoter
Rock Dove
Bufflehead
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Double-crested Cormorant

Tom Gaskill, South Slough NERR

215 A few adult brant were seen just off the boat docks in the main water channel of Charleston, OR around 6pm. The weather was mild and and the wind was calm.

213 English:
Again, on this very windy day, we did not see the flock in Samish Bay. In Padilla Bay, the tide was very far out, the water was choppy and we were only able to see a few Brant gliding in the waves.

Español:
Una vez más, en este día con mucho viento, no vimos la manada en la Bahía de Samish. En Padilla Bay, la marea estaba muy lejos, el agua estaba agitado y sólo pudimos ver a unos cuantos Brant se mecieron entre las olas.


209 The weather was warm and clear and the brant were located in two areas near the mouth of the bay. A flock of 125 was feeding on algae (sea lettuce) and eelgrass along the rocky shore of Fossil Point. A second larger flock was eating eelgrass along the tide flats between Fossil Point and Pigeon Point. As I watched, a juvenile Bald Eagle flew over the Brant and landed to the north on the tide flats. Shortly after that, an adult Bald Eagle flew over the flock and continued to the east. Small groups of Brant lifted off the water, but returned to the area after the eagles had passed over.

At the same location, I also observed:
27 Semi-palmated plover
12 Greater scaup
2 Western Sandpiper
2 Belted Kingfisher
3 American Crow
2 Great Blue Heron
20 Bufflehead
12 Western Gull

Tom Gaskill, South Slough NERR


222 April 18th 2010 08:58 I started the day at Boundary Bay Metro Park spending an hour watching Brant attempting to come into the Western Portion of the Bay while over 15 Bald Eagles flew about the area attempting to recover TWO dead waterfowl floating out on the falling tide at the Eastern Point. Conditions were PERFECT for Brant to use the Bay - ESE wind at about 7 Knots,fast falling tide. From the Eastern point I could see flocks of hundreds of Brant far out in the Bay!!

At the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal it was different. THOUSANDS of Brant were counted on the Western side of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal between the Westshore Container Terminal / Roberts Bank Coal Port. Several Large flocks of Brant crossed over the Ferry Terminal Causeway at around 11:00. No doubt they were scared out of the Eastern Portion of the Tsawwassen Ferry Causeway Between Pt. Roberts / Tsawwassen Bluffs as weekend recreational boat traffic increased with the fair weather !

208 During a 6:30-7:15 AM seawatch at Boiler Bay along the open coast about 13 miles north of Yaquina Bay, Phil Pickering saw 18 Brant flying north.
At Yaquina Bay during 10-11 AM, I did not find any Brant at embayments east of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. When I arrived at the Bridge, I saw about 50-100 Brant flying west of the Bridge, but 69 remained on the Rock Shelf on the north side of the channel. One of these Brant had some whitish feathers on its head. The shape, size, and coloration of the rest of this bird was like the rest of the Black Brant that it was with. But it had maybe 10% whitish feathers in its crown and roughly 50% white feathers on both sides of the head behind the forehead/eye and above the white neck marking. It looked similar to the leucistic Brant in the photo at http://www.redgage.com/photos/becauseuarehere/partially-leucistic-brants-05.html except the Brant I saw appeared to have all black feathers in front of the eye and mostly black feathers on the crown. It was an odd-looking Black Brant! Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists

211 The weather was cold and rainy at Fossil Point with temperatures of 48 degrees F and the wind was steady out of the North-Northeast and gusting out of the North at 21 mph. The bay was white-capping and the Brant were all huddled close together along the shoreline near a rocky terrace. 4 Black oyster catchers were foraging along the rocky shore. Usually these birds are found on the outer coast, not inside the estuary. I'm guessing that the severe weather caused them to come into the bay.

Tom Gaskill, South Slough NERR

214 I watched and counted several large flocks of brant north of where we typically see them on the bay. They were congregated on open water near a point of land that is referred to as Sitka dock for the pulp mill that once stood there. The weather was clear with a steady wind blowing from the northwest. The brant were restless and several smaller flocks rose off the water and then settled back down. Other flocks of gulls, scoters, and ducks were also in the area, each staying with their kind rather than mixed as I usually see them.

Tom Gaskill
South Slough NERR

218 I observed two similar sized flocks of brant along the edge of the tidal channel in an area called Crab Flats. This is north of where the brant are usually seen on lower Coos Bay.

Two people were out on the flats letting their two dogs run loose. The dogs didn't appear too interested in the brant as they played with each other. The brant moved slightly offshore and then came back to the eelgrass they were feeding on.

Tom Gaskill
South Slough NERR

217 On April 23, I counted 249 Brant west of the Yaquina Bay Bridge, and on April 24, I did not find any Brant east of the bridge at embayments where Brant overwinter, but I found 172 Brant west of the Bridge on the rock shelf, where they appear during spring migration.
Brant were occasionally seen migrating along the Oregon Coast as determined by seawatches at Boiler Bay (about 13 miles north of Yaquina Bay). On April 21, Phil Pickering counted 284 Brant (flocks to 45) during 6:15-7:30 AM. On April 22, Phil spotted 19 Brant during 6:15-7:45 AM. On April 23, Phil counted 8 Brant during 6:15-7:30 AM. On April 24, Phil and Wayne Hoffman tallied 600 Brant (flock size up to 110) during 6:15-8:15 AM. On April 25, Phil saw only 1 Brant during 6:00-7:30 AM.
Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon


220 These brant were observed feeding at low tide on lower Coos Bay near Fossil Point.

Tom Gaskill
South Slough NERR


219 On a low tide, I observed two different flocks of brant (26 in one location + 103 in another nearby) feeding on eelgrass. The weather was slightly rainy with a light breeze. Following this sighting, I met with 3 classes of 4th grade students from Madison Elementary to introduce them to the brant project. They will be out in the field next week!

Tom Gaskill
South Slough NERR

221 As a part of our International Migratory Bird Day celebration, we held a special field trip to look for the brant. We also saw:

Surf scoter, White-winged scoter, Mallard, Western grebe, Great blue heron, Great egret, Common loon, Belted kingfisher, Caspian tern (first of the year!), Canada goose, Western sandpiper, Osprey, Bald eagle, American crow, Barn swallow, Eurasian collared dove, Band-tailed pigeon, European rock dove, Turkey vulture, Western gull, Glaucous-winged gull, and Red-breasted merganser.

Tom Gaskill & international migratory bird day team
South Slough NERR


224 B.C. Ferry Causeway, Delta B.C. Canada:

The wind was at about 20 to 22 Knots from the SSE and the tide was about 11.7 and falling fast. Conditions that I was not suspecting to once again see Brant using an interesting Compensation Habitat created at the Ferry Terminal. After a hiatus of a few years, several years ago this area was used by several hundred Brant in spite of it's location next to the BUSIEST FERRY TERMINAL IN NORTH AMERICA!!! With semi-trailers and trucks screaming by at great speed! In the past this area was used during high tide periods! What was interesting today was that TEG was present with a number of other Brant that appeared to be injured and or in bad shape.

Sunday is a SLOW day in the early A.M. with some sailing canceled and traffic volumes slow. This MIGHT have prompted use of this area by the vanguard sick birds luring other Brant in ??

Another interesting detail was the PROXIMITY OF BALD EAGLES - 3 Bald eagles shared the breakwater that forms the small lagoon, which has a smaller ROCK spit that flows to the North. This spit is FREQUENTLY used by brant at most stages of tide above 5 Feet. There was a flock of + - 150 Brant that repeatedly attempted to roost on this area but interestingly the Eagles movement scared them off consistently. I gave up attempting to get bands and counts of the number the disturbances of this flock on the spit. YET THE BRANT IN THE LAGOON PERSISTED UNTIL THERE WAS A DIRECT FLY OVER OR VERY CLOSE APPROACH BY AN EAGLE.

I arrived at 08:55 to find the Brant in the LAGOON. Counted a total of 132 Brant at 09:29. Saw the first disturbance of Brant IN the Lagoon at 09:34, whereas the flock not far away was continually being scared off the Spit. At that an estimate of 29 Brant returned almost within minutes!

It was noted that the Brant In the lagoon were not just preening but actively graving some vegetation in the Lagoon.

On TWO occasions this Spring Brant have BRIEFLY wandered into the Lagoon but Bald Eagles or Herons have disturbed them out of the Lagoon very quickly.




230 On May 3, during a total of 5.0 hours of morning and afternoon seawatches at Boiler Bay State Park (about 13 miles north of Yaquina Bay) and Lincoln City (north of Boiler Bay), Phil Pickering estimated that 5,500 Brant flew by. This is an average of 1,100/hour.
Also on May 3, during a 1.75 hour seawatch in the afternoon south of Boiler Bay near Boiler Bay, Don Stein counted 706 Brant heading north (average of 403/hour).
During 9 days of morning seawatches at Boiler Bay from May 4-20 by Phil and sometimes Wayne Hoffman, the only other averages of more than 100/hour were on 5/7 (141/hour), 5/8 (138/hour), and 5/11 (163/hour). On May 20, Phil saw an average of 22/hour still passing Boiler Bay during a 1.25 hour long seawatch.
Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists, Newport, Oregon

231 On May 8, I counted 405 Brant on the Rock Shelf at the northwest side of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. This is the high count of Brant this winter and spring.
Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists

235 Brant showed up at Tutakoke last Monday, May 10. Should have the first eggs this Thursday or Friday. I'll be heading up on June 11 to work on the Kigigak colony. A slightly late year for arrival.


226 Today I had fleeting look at a band on a Brant. It was on the RIGHT LEG, but it was either a very faded black band OR possibly a BLUE Band with white codes. The ODD thing was that it looked like it was V8P.

Yes the last code looked like a P, not a 9. I tried to catch a photograph but the bird liked the water and after it hauled out a short time, it made a bee line to the water. It did come briefly out again and I spent tooo much time trying to see the last codes. Just to make sure it looked like a P.

Any suggestions? Could this be a P or do the earlier 9's look like a P?

Blue Bands are generally on the Left Leg !



225 Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal: Today I saw yet another weirdly plumaged brant. There was a frosting of white pigment similar but not nearly as vivid as a Pacific Loon. Two other brant including leg banded birds had a neck collar that extended in a line down the back of the neck into the back of the bird Another banded bird with a white slash of colour plainly visible where there should be dark black!


227 437 brant STILL here in Delta, British Columbia !!!

233 Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal - Further south of my previous position, north of the boat ramp an estimate of 60 Brant were starting to haul out around 11:00 am. As I went down the embankment to get out of the wind, the flock took off - had I scared them? Most of the Brant around lately have not been so flighty! Five Brant returned immediately though!

I counted the Brant between the Ferry Terminal and The Tsawwassen Bluffs and Point Roberts, Washington - 213 Brant remain. After watching them for sometime, a group of crabbers came and scared them off. The flocks mid way out took off and flew in several arc's then a dead run right toward me landing in front of me!

Lots of people in the area throughout the day seemed to scare the Brant off.



229 These brant were observed on the ocean near Cape Arago State Park. The water was choppy and the brant were staying close to each other as they bobbed up and down on the waves.
Observed by Tom and Sophia Gaskill

234 Tsawwassen Ferry Causeway - we STILL have 238 Brant in this area. Point Roberts Washington - There I found NO Brant. Five Brant were observed flying toward the Ferry Terminal and of course there were many off shore between the Light House Park area and the Ferry terminal. Interesting that so many Brant are still around. Nesting must be starting in Alaska?

Interestingly the winds were NW today for part of the A.M. Yet the Brant, although they did cross the Causeway to the west side, they did not linger on this side that was seeing heavy use earlier in April!


228 7th grade students from Sunset Middle School observed two small flocks of brant on Coos Bay at locations near Empire boat dock. The students were studying birds, intertidal life and water quality. 16 brant were foraging along the edge of the tide flats and another 7 were observed across the bay near North Spit.

Tom Gaskill and Jamie Fereday's students from Sunset Middle School
Coos Bay, Oregon

232 On May 22 at Yaquina Bay, Wayne Hoffman counted 30 Brant in the morning and in the afternoon I counted 35.
Brant often land at coastal sites in Lincoln County in May, and this May has not been an exception with 60-100 at Alsea Bay on 5/11 (Jean Weakland), 38 at Yachats Bay on 5/11 (Betty Bahn), 34 at Seal Rocks on 5/14 (Laimons Osis), and 4 at Otter Rock on 5/20 (Don Stein).
Range Bayer for Yaquina Birders & Naturalists

236 One group of about 35 Brant and another of 34. I Was looking for bands. I scanned the area off shore but it was choppy with glare so there could have been more Brant off toward Point Roberts.

Aqua Band, Black Codes, R/L: ENS
White Band, R/L, Blue Codes: +93 - bird was limping on banded leg
Black Band, R/L, White Code: HOV -yellow twist tie on band?

Just speculation on my part, but after some disturbance both flocks combined and I bet ALL the Brant were seen out of the water. Judging from the regular sightings of SOME bands that were not observed today, there may well be another group of Brant lingering in Boundary Bay OR the Point Roberts area.

237 Ten brant seem to be spending the summer in Delta BC, Canada. Richard writes, "It would be interesting to see if these geese make it through their molt alive. I could not see if these birds could still fly but they were very ragged. One bird was seen for the last few days on the high tide at Tsawwassen Ferry terminal."

238 The number of Brant in Delta has now increased to about 15. I observed them flying, so they are still capable of flight. Of course, they are in poor condition plumage wise.

239 One of South Slough's volunteers, an experienced birder, observed a solitary brant in the ocean near the coast at Cape Arago State Park. This is an odd time of year to see brant near Coos Bay! But then again, with the warm weather along the coast and ocean conditions reflecting El Nino, this is an odd year.

submitted by Tom Gaskill, South Slough NERR



241 Got a call last week that ~300 brant arrived maybe 2 weeks ago to the Salton Sea, an inland lake in Southern California, maybe 150 miles from the coast. One bird was easily approachable and was captured. It happened to be a click clack banded bird from 1986. She has been a very regular breeder at Tutakoke for many years. I guess she wanted to celebrate her 24th birthday in a more southern locale?
Chris Nicolai

240 Reports of a Brant being sighted in the Parksville / Nanaimo area.

15 or more Brant sighted here in the Delta / Richmond area .

2 Brant observed today at Brunswick Point Delta B.C. - both checked for bands but none seen.

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