Date: 4/24/24 12:19 am From: Kevin Lucas via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] seeking Magnificent Frigatebird info
On August 19th of last year we'd traveled down to the Columbia River,
hoping to get a break from wildfire smoke in the Yakima Area. The air stunk
of smoke there too, and we found a "park" that we'll not bother visiting
again - Avery Recreation Area, but I'll never forget it. When I got out of
the car I saw a Magnificent Frigatebird flying upriver just off shore. Once
past, it u-turned overhead then headed back down river. It ignored the lone
gull that was resting on the river, not feeding. I suspected it was quite
lost in the smoke. It sure was hot enough for it. I'm pretty sure I've
never seen a loner before, and I've only seen them down Mexico way. I did
not have my camera with me, and I had my phone turned off and stored. I
didn't post about my sighting. I did submit my sighting to eBird:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S147648669 It was not accepted. I was asked to submit a report to the WBRC. I did. My
sighting was not accepted by the Washington Birds Records Committee (WBRC).
While it didn't clear their bars, my only question was whether it could
have been a different species of frigatebird than Magnificent.
Tonight I was reading about past reported sightings of improbable birds. I
followed a google search that lead to the Second Report of the WBRC,
published in Washington Birds 5:7-28, 1996. I read the account regarding
the species I'd chased down this rabbit hole, Piñon Jay, then scrolled to
the top to see the paper's title, authors, publication date, and such. As I
scrolled up, I caught sight of an account for Magnificent Frigatebird. It
notes "The immature photographed in the interior over the Columbia River at
Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, BE on 1 Jul 1975, TMc, +KMi (MAFR-75-11
was the first Washington record. Details were published (M 57:43-44)"
Umatilla is about 73 miles east up the Columbia River from where I saw the
frigatebird.
If there is anyone out there in Tweeterdom who saw, or heard of another
report of, a frigatebird last summer in Washington or Oregon, I'd sure like
to hear about it. Even one along northern California would be interesting.
Replying directly to me rather than copying Tweeters is fine.
I haven't searched for sightings. eBird's range map is
understandably useless for sightings that have not been "confirmed". I
don't know of an effective search strategy for this.
