First Record of the Hudsonian Godwit for Oregon

NOTES

FIRST RECORD OF THE HUDSONIAN GODWIT FOR OREGON

MARK EGGER, 16005 N.E. 175th Street, Woodinville, Washington98072

On 23 August 1978 Tom Lund found a lone gray-backedgodwit (Limosa sp.), which he tentativelyidentified as a HudsonJanGodwit (L. haemastica),near the pondsat the baseof the South Jetty of the ColumbiaRiver, ClatsopCounty, Oregon. However, he was unableto observethe colorationof the underwingsand the extent of the white stripe on the upper wing surfacesrequired to distinguishthe HudsonJan Godwit from the similar Black-tailed Godwit (L. limosa) of Palaearctic distribution. Lund describedthe bird as being in full basicplumage, with a plain gray back (pets. comm.). Tad Finnell and Brian Eggerobtained brief viewsof what appeared to be the same bird on 24 August, but they, too, were unableto note the criticalfield marks. The bird could not be located after that date. On 10 September 1978 Nancy Mesner and I found and identifiedwith certaintya HudsonJanGodwit with a group of approximately50 Marbled Godwits (L. fedoa) alongthe edge of the mudflatson the north spitof the CoquilleRiver estuary,north of Bandon, Coos County, Oregon. The Coquillebird appearedto be stillmolting its back feathersand was noticeablymottled in that region, makingit, most likely, a different bird than the one observedin Clatsop County. The Coquille bird was considerably smallerthan the Marbled Godwits and was about the same sizeas or slightlysmaller than the Willets (Catoptrophorussemipalmatus) which were alsopresent. The Hudso- njan's bill was upcurved but shorter than those of the Marbled Godwits. The bill was dull reddishtoward the baseand dark in the distalportion. In flight, a broad blackband near the end of the white-tipped retrices, a white rump and basal portion of the retrices,and narrow white stripeson the open wingswere clearlyvisible. Dark underwings were noted as the bird turned in flight. Several of the above mentioned characters,especially the limited white wing stripesand dark underwings,served to distinguishthe bird from the Black-tailedGodwit. The flock flushedand disappeared before photographscould be obtained. However, on 17 SeptemberTad and Kathy Finnell, Jeff Gilligan, David Ironsand I relocatedthe Coquille bird. It was studied closelyby all those present and was photographedextensively by Gilligan(Figure 1). Additionalfield markswere notedon this date, includingsome rusty feathersnear the base of the bill and a broad white superciliaryline anteriorto the eye. The neckand upperchest were a duskygray; the belly, a lightershade. The legswere dull greenish-brown.The bird was observedfor about 30 minutesfeeding with up to 100 Marbled Godwits. During the week following 17 Septemberthe Coquille bird was seen by severalother observers,including Tom Crabtree, who photographedit on 19 September (Figure2). The HudsonJanGodwit breeds in north-centralCanada through extreme north- easternAlaska and wintersmostly in the southernthird of South America. Its usual migrationroutes take it up throughthe Great Plainsin springand, sparingly,to the Atlanticcoast in fall. Most autumn migrantspass over North America withoutstopping (Palmer1967). There are a few recordsfor thisspecies in California,Washington and BritishColumbia, and the occurrenceof the bird reported here constitutesthe first substantiatedrecord for Oregon. The scarcityof records for the western North American coast would seem to preclude the existenceof any regular movement throughthe region. The Coquillegodwit occurred in Oregon in the sameperiod when unprecedentednumbers of the Buff-breastedSandpiper (Tryngitessubruficollis), a specieswhose usual migratory pathways are somewhatsimilar to the HudsonianGod- wit'sroutes, were beingrecorded all alongthe Pacificcoast (Hunn and Mattocks1979, McCaskie 1979, Winter and Laymon 1979).

Western Birds 11: 53-55, 1980 53 NOTES

Figure 1 Hudsonian Godwit (right) and Willet (left), Coquille River estuary, Coos County, Oregon, 17 September 1978. Photo by Jeff Gilligan

Figure 2. Hudsonian Godwit, Coquille River estuary, Coos County, Oregon, 19 September 1978. 300 mm lens, f8, 1/500 sec. Photo by Tom Crabtree

54 NOTES

The Coquille River estuaryprovides excellent habitat for many migratory shorebirds,with large concentrations, especially of thelarger species, gathering there. The firstthree Bar-tailed Godwits (L. lapponica)found in Oregon,one in 1976 and two in 1977, wereseen in thissame location (Crowell and Nehls 1977, Hunnand Mattocks1978). The CoquilleRiver estuaryis in need of carefulmanagement to preserveit asa valuablenatural area and refuge for migratorybirds.

LITERATURE CITED

Crowell, J.B., Jr. and H.B. Nehls. 1977. The fall migration.Northern Pacificcoast region. Am. Birds 31:214. Hunn, E.S. and P.W. Mattocks,Jr. 1978. The fall migration.Northern Pacificcoast region. Am. Birds32:247. Hunn, E.S. and P.W. Mattocks,Jr. 1979. The autumn migration.Northern Pacific coastregion. Am. Birds 33:207. McCaskie,G. 1979. The autumn migration.Southern Pacific coast region. Am. Birds 33:214. Palmer, R.S. 1967. Appendix. Pp. 181-183 in G.D. Stout, ed. The shorebirdsof North America. Viking Press,New York. Winter, J. and S.A. Laymon. 1979. The autumn migration. Middle Pacific coast region. Am. Birds 33:210.

Accepted 4 February 1980