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11 Mar JOURNEY THROUGH AUSTRALIA: BIRDS, MAMMALS, LANDSCAPES, PEOPLE ["katemarianchild" ] 11 Mar Sooty Grouse ["Jerry White" ] 10 Mar Hooded Mergansers in Potter Valley [Matt Brady ] 9 Mar Great Blue Herons ["Robert J. Keiffer" ] 7 Mar No on the Swamp Sparrow ["Jerry White" ] 06 Mar 3/6 UWTP Swamp Sparrow [Chuck & Barbara Vaughn ] 5 Mar Red x Slate-color Fox Sparrow - Ocean Meadows MEN [Karen Havlena ] 06 Mar Bald Eagle seen in Albion/Osprey in Anchor Bay ["jackson_us" ] 05 Mar Re: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ["jackwbooth" ] 05 Mar Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ["richhubie" ] 04 Mar Journey through Australia: Birds, Mammals, Landscapes, People ["katemarianchild" ] 3 Mar Birdseye app for iPhone? ["kw" ] 3 Mar Lake County ["Jerry White" ] 2 Mar Re:..Hummingbirds? [Becky Stenberg ] 01 Mar ..Hummingbirds? ["jarlyus" ] 25 Feb Burrowing Owl Virgin Creek Continues ["richhubie" ] 24 Feb Burrowing Owl continues ["Lisa Walker \(Feather\)" ] 22 Feb Mendocino Co - 22 Feb [Kathryn Parker ] 21 Feb South Coast birds 2/20 [Chuck & Barbara Vaughn ] 20 Feb Crofoot Ranch waterfowl ["Bob Keiffer" ] 19 Feb Inland and Coast- February 16th, 17th and 18th ["Jerry White" ] 18 Feb Ukiah Geese [George Chaniot ] 18 Feb "Al" is still at Pt Arena ["RandyL" ] 17 Feb Birding Help ["Jesse L" ] 14 Feb Re: "Vega" Herring Gull & Other Birds Fort Bragg & North ["Lisa Walker \(Feather\)" ] 14 Feb "Vega" Herring Gull & Other Birds Fort Bragg & North [K A Havlena ] 12 Feb Mendocino Audubon Program ["Charlene McAllister" ] 12 Feb Highway 162, Round Valley, eastern Mtns ["Jerry White" ] 12 Feb Bald Eagle ["Bruce" ] 11 Feb Ten Mile Area Birds Update [Karen Havlena ] 09 Feb Hudsonian Godwits, Heermann's Gulls, and Tricolored Blackbirds ["richhubie" ] 7 Feb Yellow-breasted Sapsucker continues in Fort Bragg ["David Jensen" ] 6 Feb Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Fort Bragg ["John Luther" ] 6 Feb YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER ["Jerry White" ] 5 Feb Potter Valley to Montgomery Woods ["Jerry White" ] 05 Feb Bat Ma'am coming to Ukiah...with live bats ["katemarianchild" ] 4 Feb FW: Bald eagle at Mackerricher ["Ron LeValley" ] 3 Feb Yellow-bellied Sapsucker [Arthur Morley ] 2 Feb Ft Bragg (MEN) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and others continue [Matt Brady ] 2 Feb Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ["Jerry White" ] 31 Jan Various Geese on Ten Mile River [Karen Havlena ] 31 Jan Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Picture ["richhubie" ] 31 Jan Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Fort Bragg 1/31 [K A Havlena ] 30 Jan geese @ CroFoot's ["Bob Keiffer" ] 31 Jan Cackling Geese ["richhubie" ] 29 Jan Rock Sandpiper, Com Moorhen, Wht-winged Scoter [K A Havlena ] 28 Jan Cattle Egret and Al ["John Luther" ] 27 Jan egrets [] 27 Jan Point Arena Sightings ["Rich T" ] 26 Jan Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival -- April 23-26, 2010 -- Registration Open ["will_w04" ] 24 Jan Banded Western Gull [George Chaniot ] 21 Jan Snow Geese and others ["Bob Keiffer" ] 20 Jan Harlequin Duck(s) and 2nd year Bald Eagle on Eel River ["Cate" ] 19 Jan Ukiah Valley--Wet Birds [Matt Brady ] 19 Jan Red Phalarope in Potter Valley [Matt Brady ] 18 Jan Brown Pelicans Today on the Coast - 257 ["Rick & Jeanne Jackson" ] 18 Jan Brown Pelicans Today on the Coast - 257 ["Dave" ] 17 Jan Lake County ["Jerry White" ] 16 Jan Photo of the Albino Rock Pigeon ["jackson_us" ] 16 Jan Snow Geese- Garcia Flats ["richhubie" ] 16 Jan Adult Snow Goose ["Dave" ] 15 Jan Snow Goose (Greater) at Ten Mile [Erica Fielder ] 14 Jan Eurasian Wigeon ["Dave" ] 14 Jan "Birding the Stans" - slide presentation by Matthew Matthiessen, Jan 21 ["katemarianchild" ] 14 Jan Re: Icelantic Photos Found ["Gunn" ] 13 Jan Laysan Albatross, Rock Sandpiper, et al. [George Chaniot ] 13 Jan Lake County [Floyd Hayes ] 13 Jan Re: Icelantic Photos Found [Floyd Hayes ] 13 Jan Clear Lake CBC FINAL Results ["dhecomovich" ] 13 Jan Icelantic Photos Found [] 13 Jan Iclantic Searchers, with Photo's, Hopefully [] 12 Jan Icelantic Searchers [] 12 Jan Re: Eurasian Wigeon in Potter Valley [George Chaniot ] 12 Jan Eurasian Wigeon in Potter Valley ["Jerry White" ] 12 Jan North Coast - MEN [Karen Havlena ] 11 Jan continuing Lawrence's Goldfinch ["Robert J. Keiffer" ] Subject: JOURNEY THROUGH AUSTRALIA: BIRDS, MAMMALS, LANDSCAPES, PEOPLE From: "katemarianchild" <katem AT mcn.org> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:02:54 -0000 Thursday, March 18, 7 p.m., Ukiah Civic Center by Kate Marianchild Swans in Australia are black. Some Australian mammals lay eggs. Australian people invite virtual strangers to stay with them in their homes. Roger Foote, retired biologist and former president of Peregrine Audubon Society, will share fascinating facts and images from "Down Under" during a slide presentation entitled "Journey through Australia: Birds, Mammals, Landscapes, and People" on Thursday, March 18, at 7 p.m., at the Ukiah Civic Center. Roger spent nine weeks in Australia last fall, traveling from the tropics in the extreme north to the temperate southern tip of Tasmania. His talk will focus on Australia's birds and mammals, and will touch on the evolutionary history of Australia's flora and fauna. He will also include several photographs of aboriginal art, including ancient pictographs, and will describe the warmth, friendliness, and hospitality of modern-day Australians. Audio and video clips will illustrate several of the more memorable aspects of the trip. "Marsupials, the dominant class of mammal in Australia, sometimes resemble our placental mammals," Roger explains," but they have evolved independently and are actually extremely different." In addition to photographs of well-known herbivorous marsupials such as Wallabies and Kangaroos, he will show slides of carnivorous marsupials such as Quolls and Tasmanian Devils. He also photographed the Spiny Anteater, a member of the egg-laying class of mammals known as "monotremes," as well as several placental mammals such as dingos and water rats. Roger found Australia's foliage, which is dominated by numerous eucalyptus and acacia species, to be exotic. But it was the strange and different birds that captured most of his photographic time and attention. Australia boasts colorful wild birds that are found mainly as cage birds in the United States: parrots, lorikeets, cockatoos, galahs, and rosellas. The country is also home to penguins, cranes, swans, kookaberras, honey-eaters, night jars, pardalotes, and megapodes. Megapodes are birds with big feet that build mounds of compost and leave their eggs in them to be incubated by the heat generated by decomposing organic matter. The Spotted Pardalote, a tiny bird with contrasting black and white spots and orange highlights, was the trip's "jewel among jewels." Spotted Pardalotes were nesting in their bank-side burrows while Roger was there. This Peregrine Audubon Society presentation is free to the public, though donations will be welcome. The Ukiah Civic Center is at 300 Seminary Avenue. To join Peregrine Audubon Society and receive a newsletter with regular announcements about programs and field trips, please send $15 to PAS, P.O. Box 311, Ukiah, CA 95482. For more information please go to www.peregrineaudubon.org. Subject: Sooty Grouse From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:53:00 -0800 Tuesday March 9th I spent about an hour plus in the morning looking for and listening for Sooty Grouse in the vicinity of the second cattle guard on Low Gap Road with no success. Then on the drive back down towards Ukiah there was a male SOOTY GROUSE on the road. It immediately took flight and disappeared into the forest below. This was about 2.6 miles west of the intersection of Low Gap and Pine Ridge Road and about .5 miles west of milepost 16.97. At the Ukiah Treatment Ponds there were 6 to 8 Northern Rough-winged Swallows; the first ones I had seen this year. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Hooded Mergansers in Potter Valley From: Matt Brady <podoces AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:55:38 -0800 (PST) Hello birders. I made a quick stop by the pond just north of the cemetery along West Road in Potter Valley. I was pleased to see 23 HOODED MERGANSERS (6 males and 17 females), as well as single pairs of CANADA GOOSE, RING-NECKED DUCK, MALLARD and AMERICAN WIGEON, as well as three pairs of BUFFLEHEADS. This is the same pond that hosted two male Eurasian Wigeons earlier this year. Good birding, Matt Brady Potter Vallet [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Great Blue Herons From: "Robert J. Keiffer" <rjkeiffer AT ucdavis.edu> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 17:47:59 -0800 9 March 2010 - For over 40 years I have kept an eye on a Great Blue Heron nesting colony that is located near the Old river Road near Hopland. As a youngster, from around 1968 to 1974 I spent time watching this colony, even collecting egg shell fragments from the ground after the chicks hatched. During that era I recall numerous nests, definitely in excess of 40 or 50 nests atop the high Cottonwood trees. The Valley Oaks Ranch, which at the time was owned by Fred Haas, is the location of this colony, and is now owned by Browns Foreman Corp./Fetzer Winery. I knew Fred Haas personally, and Mr. Haas and I had a verbal agreement that the colony was important and was to be protected. After the Fetzer family purchased the Valley Oaks Ranch, I again, using the Peregrine Audubon Chapter as a platform, brought the nesting colony to the attention of John Fetzer and Paul Dolan. Under their direction, they agreed to protect the colony, and the Peregrine Audubon gave them a "Conservation Recognition Award". This important riparian grove is still undisturbed and protected by the current managers of the Browns Foreman Corp-Valley Oaks/Fetzer Winery. In that early 1960s/1970s era I sadly visited the colony one time after poachers had illegally shot numerous adults from the nests with shotguns and the ground was littered with carcasses. Over the years I have witnessed this nesting colony diminish in size, gradually dropping to fewer than 15 nests in recent years. What I saw today is even more shocking. I could find ZERO nests in the tall cottonwoods of the traditional riparian grove . a first to my knowledge. I did find two nests very near the Old River Road in a tall Calif. Valley oak tree, and another three nests that I could see at a distance to the east of the winery itself . again atop oak trees. Possible there are a few more that I could not see. I cannot even guess as to why this change has taken place. I do know, that for some reason, the resident population of Great Blue Herons in the Sanel Valley has plummeted over the last 40 years. I speculate that it might have something to do with the change of waterflow and timing of waterflow in the Russian River but I cannot say for certain. there may be other factors like changes in ag land practices, changes in fish populations, a drop in open pasture land (where they feed for rodents, etc.). I do NOT think it has anything directly to do with the Brown-Foreman/Fetzer vineyards operation . as they are doing a great job of not disturbing this pristine riparian grove. I do not intend this to be a "blog-type" report, but I thought folks would be interested in the background behind my current observations. Good birding. Bob Keiffer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: No on the Swamp Sparrow From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 15:51:54 -0800 John Luther, Nikki White and I tried this morning for the Swamp Sparrow at the Ukiah Treatment Ponds with no success. The best birds we found were Cliff Swallows, Violet-green Swallows and a Wilson's Snipe. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: 3/6 UWTP Swamp Sparrow From: Chuck & Barbara Vaughn <cevaughn AT pacific.net> Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:54:04 -0800 Greetings Mendobirders- This morning at 845 I saw a SWAMP SPARROW at the Ukiah Wastewater Treatment Plant. The bird was in the thick vegetation along the cyclone fence which borders the south levee from the (former) pear orchard to the south. The bird was half way down the levee, easterly, towards the Russian River. It was in the company of Lincoln's and Song Sparrows. Other birds of local interest out there were 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and at least 3 CLIFF SWALLOWS, the first I have seen this spring. Chuck ********************************* Chuck and Barbara Vaughn Ukiah, CA 95482 cevaughn AT pacific.net Subject: Red x Slate-color Fox Sparrow - Ocean Meadows MEN From: Karen Havlena <jkhavlena AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 18:03:03 -0800 (PST) Fri, 5 March 2010 -- Today there was a vagrant FOX SPARROW that had characteristics of both the Eastern RED and the Canadian SLATE- COLORED races.  It was NOT just a P.i. zaboria. If you look in your Sibley guide, he shows an intergrade between Red and Slate that hybridizes in the Canadian Rockies.  The spotting on the white breast and belly was really RED!!!  The auriclulars had a wash of red over gray/brown.  The mantle was very smooth gray, as was the crown and nape. There was some reddish on the wings, the rump and dorsal side of the tail. The bill showed very little difference between the upper and lower mandible, DULL, not yellow/pink. I sent two awful pics to Bob Keiffer.  It was very cloudy, and I had to take the photos from my "low-e" tinted windows.  Neither Jim nor I saw it this afternoon.  I'll look again in the morning. Karen & Jim Havlena North of Fort Bragg, MEN, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Bald Eagle seen in Albion/Osprey in Anchor Bay From: "jackson_us" <jackson2 AT mcn.org> Date: Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:20:22 -0000 3/3/10 Chris Skyhawk just sent me his sighting of a BALD EAGLE on Wednesday, March 3rd. He wrote, "I saw one over the hills here in Albion. We were going to town around 11 AM and about to drop down the hill towards the highway when I saw a very large group of vultures, about 30-35 or so, flying together in a large spiral. I noticed one bird that did not quite have the typical shape of a vulture. With binoculars I could clearly see its eagle body with the white head. The eagle suddenly pulled away from the vultures and headed south toward Salmon Creek." 3/5/10 And this morning an OSPREY landed on a tree at my place in Anchor Bay. It was wonderful hearing its calls. Jeanne Jackson Subject: Re: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker From: "jackwbooth" <jack AT cinnamonbearfarm.com> Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:13:40 -0000 They nest in the fan palm on Cromwell Drive (off Eastside Calpella Road) just north of Ukiah. It is really obvious they nest all over Ukiah and Redwood Valley. Jack Booth --- In Mendobirds AT yahoogroups.com, "richhubie" wrote: > > Thu Mar 4, 2010---I was able to hang around the Rose Memorial Cemetary (Fort Bragg) this morning for about an hour. Easily found the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER in the Banksia(sp.) Trees as previously reported. Also found a male RUFUS HUMMINGBIRD and an EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE gathering nesting material. The Eurasian Collared Dove is listed as not observed nesting in Mendocino. It's almost certain that they do. Let's find a nesting pair and fill in that box in the checklist. Bob let us know if that's been done. > > Richard Hubacek > Little River > Subject: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker From: "richhubie" <richhubie AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:12:24 -0000 Thu Mar 4, 2010---I was able to hang around the Rose Memorial Cemetary (Fort Bragg) this morning for about an hour. Easily found the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER in the Banksia(sp.) Trees as previously reported. Also found a male RUFUS HUMMINGBIRD and an EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE gathering nesting material. The Eurasian Collared Dove is listed as not observed nesting in Mendocino. It's almost certain that they do. Let's find a nesting pair and fill in that box in the checklist. Bob let us know if that's been done. Richard Hubacek Little River Subject: Journey through Australia: Birds, Mammals, Landscapes, People From: "katemarianchild" <katem AT mcn.org> Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:24:39 -0000 Slide presentation on Thursday, March 18, 7 p.m., Ukiah Civic Center Roger Foote, retired biologist and former president of Peregrine Audubon Society, spent nine weeks in Australia last fall traveling from the tropics in the north to the temperate zone in the south. He will give a slide presentation of his trip on Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Ukiah Civic Center. The program, which will include some video and audio features, will focus primarily on Australia's interesting and beautiful birds, but will also include Australia's three classes of mammals (monotremes, marsupials, and placentals) as well as other forms of wildlife such as crocodiles and crayfish. "It's an incredible country–biologically very different from ours," says Foote. "Everything there seems exotic, including the foliage and the people. Their hospitality is amazing." Black Swans, Little Penguins, and Megapodes are but a few of the many unusual birds Foote photographed. His mammalian scores include Wallabies, Kangaroos, Tasmanian Devils and Quolls (the last two are carnivorous marsupials). This Peregrine Audubon Society presentation is free to the public, though donations will be welcome. The Ukiah Civic Center is at 300 Seminary Avenue. To join Peregrine Audubon Society and receive a newsletter with regular announcements about programs and field trips, please send $15 to PAS, P.O. Box 311, Ukiah, CA 95482. For more information please go to www.peregrineaudubon.org. Subject: Birdseye app for iPhone? From: "kw" <kwandrei AT pacific.net> Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 20:39:28 -0800 Has anyone with an IPhone used the birdseye app? I am curious how well it works. Could it replace carrying Sibley with you? I imagine the biggest drawback might be when your bird in areas with no signal. Karin Wandrei, PhD, LCSW Consulting for the 21st Century www.pacificsites.com/~kwandrei/ 707-272-4074 Subject: Lake County From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2010 10:59:32 -0800 There were 2 GREAT-TAILED GRACKLES this morning at about 9:30 on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff Road at the Rodman Slough Bridge. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re:..Hummingbirds? From: Becky Stenberg <sugarsmom53 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:36:40 -0800 >>I have not seen any hummingbirds here in southeastern Potter Valley for weeks >>and I haven't filled my feeders in even longer. >>Anyone else noticing this? Any ideas as to why? >>Jim Armstrong I'm noticing the same thing here, at least they're not using the feeders. I am seeing some taking advantage of the cotton I hung out in the garden last year and never removed. I even put out more. Up on the ridges, the manzanita is blooming like gangbusters, maybe they're there. Things are different this year... I have a growing flock of Purple Finches, and already 3 Band-tailed Pigeons. Becky Stenberg GlenBlair Subject: ..Hummingbirds? From: "jarlyus" <jimarm AT pacific.net> Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:08:48 -0000 I have not seen any hummingbirds here in southeastern Potter Valley for weeks and I haven't filled my feeders in even longer. Anyone else noticing this? Any ideas as to why? Jim Armstrong Subject: Burrowing Owl Virgin Creek Continues From: "richhubie" <richhubie AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:23:59 -0000 Wed Feb 24, 2010--I found the BURROWING OWL at Virgin Creek this afternoon. This owl was found by "Toby" on November 24, 2009. The owl was not in it's usual location as reported back then. It was approx. 6 or 7 yds to the North. Better viewed on the North side of the bridge. I saw it from near the "Wildlife Refuge" sign North of the bridge. Is this a Burrowing Owl invasion? Richard Hubacek Little River Subject: Burrowing Owl continues From: "Lisa Walker \(Feather\)" <feather7023 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:46:51 -0800 (PST) The Burrowing Owl I semi-reported last week continues on the mill property behind Glass Beach's Site #2, in the same location, near a low shrub on the property beyond the fenceline looking east from the south trail past the pipe. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Mendocino Co - 22 Feb From: Kathryn Parker <jandkparker AT mindspring.com> Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:32:08 -0800 This morning and this afternoon, the bright male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER continues in the banksias at the Rose Cemetery at the east end of Spruce St. in Fort Bragg. Also seen this morning was a female BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. Early this morning there were no white geese with the goose flock at the old Masonite Plant in Ukiah. There were, however, 3 CACKLING GEESE and 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. The pond at the corner of Hwy 1 and Fern Creek Rd. in Caspar had 2 ROSS'S GEESE and another GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. Did not find any egrets in the Garcia River Bottom, but a FERRUGINOUS HAWK swooping low over the bluffs on the south side was a nice consolation prize. Lastly, the 3 PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS continue in the vicinity of the guesthouses at the Pt. Arena Lighthouse. Two of them are actually golden! Stunning. Kathy Parker Los Gatos Subject: South Coast birds 2/20 From: Chuck & Barbara Vaughn <cevaughn AT pacific.net> Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:17:05 -0800 Greetings Mendobirders- Yesterday 8 Peregrine Audubon members travelled to the South Coast for a day of birding. We started at Arena Cove...alas no "Al". We did see some nice birds in the cove, however, including BRANT, PEREGRINE FALCON, RHINOCEROS AUKLET, and 25+ BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES swirling just beyond the buoy. We walked out to the Garcia River mouth and among several hundred gulls found 2 GLAUCOUS GULL: a first-cycle bird, and a second cycle individual molting in contrasting pale gray back feathers. Three PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS continued at the Lighthouse grounds. Scoping the Brush Creek area from Bristol Road, we saw 51 TUNDRA SWANS, 3 more BRANT, 7 CACKLING GEESE, 3 CINNAMON TEAL, and 2 TREE SWALLOWS. On the bluffs above Alder Creek we had long looks at a very accommodating FERRUGINOUS HAWK. We meandered north up Hwy 1 ending the day at the mouth of the Navarro River. For a more coherent account of the trip, and a complete checklist, check out George Chaniot's field trip report at peregrineaudubon.org. Chuck ********************************* Chuck and Barbara Vaughn Ukiah, CA 95482 cevaughn AT pacific.net Subject: Crofoot Ranch waterfowl From: "Bob Keiffer" <rjkeiffer AT wildblue.net> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 07:51:57 -0800 Friday - 19 February 2010 - At the Crofoot Ranch (painted white fence east of Hwy 101 about 4 miles north of Hopland) were 97 Canada Geese, 4 Cackling Geese (Aleutians), and a new arrival of an adult Greater White-fronted Goose. This last goose has very heavy black "speckling" (more like horizontal blotchy bars) on the breast. To those that don't know, hunters commonly refer to this species as "Speckle Bellies". Good birding. Bob Keiffer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Inland and Coast- February 16th, 17th and 18th From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 08:02:04 -0800 On Tuesday February 16th I made an owl trip to Montgomery Woods and Orr Springs Road. At Montgomery Woods as it got dark a Northern Saw-whet Owl called for about 2 minutes. A little later 2 Great Horned Owls called from a distant location. Then at 6:20 PM a nearby BARRED OWL started calling and continued for a couple of minutes. I made several stops on Orr Springs Road and at one of the first stops heard another Saw-whet Owl. At around 7:40 PM at my last stop there was a calling LONG-EARED OWL. This bird was still giving its low soft hoot call 5 minutes later as I left. On Wednesday February 17th I saw a 1st cycle GLAUCOUS GULL on the beach at the Garcia River outlet. There were 2 PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS (continuing birds) not far from the entrance gate on the Pt Arena Lighthouse property. On Thursday February 18th the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was at Rose Memorial Park in Ft. Bragg. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Ukiah Geese From: George Chaniot <chaniot AT pacific.net> Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:05:04 -0800 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 -- This evening I saw a white goose from 101, stopped to take a look at the flock of geese in the field by the old Masonite property in Ukiah, and saw the following : Canada Geese, 71; ALEUTIAN CACKLING GEESE, 2; GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, 1; SNOW GOOSE, 1. -- George Chaniot Subject: "Al" is still at Pt Arena From: "RandyL" <chenrossii AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:32:54 -0000 Having postponed going up to see the Laysan Albatross for many years, Janet and I saw him on the afternoon for Feb 15. When we arrived, the barista at the coffee shop told us that she hadn't seen him in four days. Having driven from Milpitas, I was going to look anyway. "Al" was on the north side of the fishing pier about 40 yards out. I thought I'd let people know for those keeping track of arrival/departure dates. I let "Miss Barista" know also. Randy and Janet Little Milpitas, CA Subject: Birding Help From: "Jesse L" <jesse AT wente.org> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:44:54 -0000 I am the Camp Director at Wente Scout Reservation located in Willits. One of the badges we offer is Bird Study. One of the requirements for the badge is Do ONE of the following: Go on a field trip with a local club or with others who are knowledgeable about birds in your area. -Keep a list or fill out a checklist of all the birds your group observed during the field trip. -Tell your counselor which birds your group saw and why some species were common and some were present in small numbers. -Tell your counselor what makes the area you visited good for finding birds. If there are any birders out there who would be able to come up during the week to take a group of 8-12 Boy Scouts out on a bird hike around camp we would love to have you. We do have a number of staff who are knowledgable about birds but it would be nice for the Scouts to have more interaction with people outside of our staff. We get a new group of Scouts each week. They arrive on Sunday and leave on Saturday. The Bird Study Class runs from Monday to Thursday. Our camp operates from June 26 to August 14. If you would be interested in coming up please contact me at jesse AT wente.org. Subject: Re: "Vega" Herring Gull & Other Birds Fort Bragg & North From: "Lisa Walker \(Feather\)" <feather7023 AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:59:19 -0800 (PST) Last evening there was another Burrowing Owl in the old mill property field directly behind Glass Beach's Site #2. I wasn't able to get a shot (too far away) but the swiveling head and yellow eyes were visible even at that distance (around 50 years). The bird would hunch down in an attempt to hide once in a while. I am wondering if its the same bird that was spotted near the Pudding Creek Trestle in recent weeks? --- On Sun, 2/14/10, K A Havlena wrote: From: K A Havlena Subject: [Mendobirds] "Vega" Herring Gull & Other Birds Fort Bragg & North To: Mendobirds AT yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, February 14, 2010, 4:22 PM   Sun, 14 Feb 2010 --  Todd Easterla and Lisa Jorgensen found a 1st cycle "VEGA" race HERRING GULL at Virgin Creek mouth.  They also saw the BURROWING OWL in the logs NE of the bridge crossing the Haul Rd over Virgin Ck.  Todd will post photos of the "Vega" Gull to the calgulls listserv in a couple of days. They also viewed the continuing YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER at Rose Mem'l Park at N Franklin & Spruce, Fort Bragg.  Further north, they saw an ALEUTIAN CACKLING GOOSE and the 7-9 GTR WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at the Westport STP.  Just a short way east on Branscomb Rd, Todd and Lisa found a  WILSON'S WARBLER in a large, mixed flock on De Haven Creek. For Todd Easterla, (K Havlena) North of Fort Bragg, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: "Vega" Herring Gull & Other Birds Fort Bragg & North From: K A Havlena <kahavlena AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:22:27 -0800 (PST) Sun, 14 Feb 2010 --  Todd Easterla and Lisa Jorgensen found a 1st cycle "VEGA" race HERRING GULL at Virgin Creek mouth.  They also saw the BURROWING OWL in the logs NE of the bridge crossing the Haul Rd over Virgin Ck.  Todd will post photos of the "Vega" Gull to the calgulls listserv in a couple of days. They also viewed the continuing YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER at Rose Mem'l Park at N Franklin & Spruce, Fort Bragg.  Further north, they saw an ALEUTIAN CACKLING GOOSE and the 7-9 GTR WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at the Westport STP.  Just a short way east on Branscomb Rd, Todd and Lisa found a  WILSON'S WARBLER in a large, mixed flock on De Haven Creek. For Todd Easterla, (K Havlena) North of Fort Bragg, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Mendocino Audubon Program From: "Charlene McAllister" <charmac AT mcn.org> Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:10:57 -0800 Mendocino Coast Audubon Society Event Date: Monday, February 15th 7 pm Location: Fort Bragg Town Hall Mendocino Audubon Program: Counting Cormorants: The Benefits of Citizen Science In 2007 The Sea Ranch Task Force, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management and the Madrone Audubon Society, began monitoring a nesting colony of approximately 100 nests of Brandt's Cormorant and other seabird species on Gualala Point Island in northern Sonoma County. This was in response to a local fireworks display that had adversely affected reproductive success the year before. In 2008 they expanded this effort to include aerial photographic monitoring of a second island with approximately 250 nests in southern Mendocino County. In 2009, volunteers from Mendocino Audubon Society extended the monitoring to a third Brandt's Cormorant Colony of about 400 nests off the Mendocino Headlands and two Pelagic Cormorant colonies, one on Point Cabrillo and one at the entrance to the Noyo Harbor each with about 20 nests. This monitoring, performed primarily by local volunteers and using high resolution photography illustrates the value and cost effectiveness of citizen science efforts. Ron LeValley, local biologist and photographer will talk about this project and how it has provided valuable data on the reproductive success of these cormorants and how this information aids in our understanding of ocean conditions as they relate to seabird nesting off our shores. Join Audubon members on Monday, February 15th at 7 pm at Fort Bragg Town Hall. The meeting is open to the public at no charge, but a donation to offset the cost of presenting programs is always welcomed. For more information call 937-4463 or got to www.mendocinocoastaudubon.org. Audubon programs are open and free to the public, though a small donation to offset costs is always appreciated. Membership in your local Audubon Society helps present programs like this and conduct educational activities with our schools. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Highway 162, Round Valley, eastern Mtns From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:38:50 -0800 Tuesday February 9th; while walking the train tracks under the Dos Rios bridge I saw 2 WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS. On Dobie Lane in Round Valley there was a PRAIRIE FALCON. There was a total of 7 LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS on the day; 6 of those were along Dobie Lane. Wednesday February 10th; I drove to the snow line on Mendocino Pass Road at dawn and birded back down. There was 1 Cassin's Finch, 2 Townsend's Solitaires and 2 calling Northern Pygmy-Owls. About a mile west of the Eel River Station on Hwy 162 there were 3 Rufous-crowned Sparrows. For the 2 days there were 4 Golden Eagles and on the 10th a Bald Eagle at the east end of Round Valley. In the afternoon I drove up road M1 that goes northwest at the intersection at Eel River Station. This is a paved road and I was able to drive about 7 miles before the snow line. On the way up I saw 2 Mt. Quail. At the snow line there were 2 more Townsend's Solitaires, a Red-breasted Sapsucker (doing a "mew" call), and a single Mt. Chickadee. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Bald Eagle From: "Bruce" <gmtranch AT willitsonline.com> Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:40:38 -0000 Thurs. 11 Feb. 2010. There was an adult Bald Eagle that came to feed on a deer carcass in Willits today. It made it's appearance about 1:20pm along with a mob of Ravins and 8-12 T.Vs. The carcass was fresh this AM so I would expect them to be hangin around for the next couple of days. One can likely catch a look 2-300yrds north of (across a flooded field) from the "Skate Park" on East Commercial St. approx. 1 mile east of Hwy-101, past the movie theater and the Public Library. the immediate location of the dead deer is on private City owned property but one can park in the parking lot at the new Ball Fields near the skate park and walk north through the gate along the Rail Road tracks (Roots of Motive Power). There were also 9 Cinnamon Teal, several Bufflehead, Ring-Necked Ducks, Wood Ducks and two Hooded Merganser Males in the flooded field between the skate park and the tree line the Eagle came to rest in. Bruce G. L-ville/Dos Rios Subject: Ten Mile Area Birds Update From: Karen Havlena <jkhavlena AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:03:35 -0800 (PST) Thur, 11 Feb 2010 --  The wintering FERRUGINOUS HAWK is still across Hwy 1 from mm 70.32.  About 5 TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS are still coming to feed in the yard here in Ocean Meadows.  Today, I took a walk along Ten Mile River along the road with the small, low bridge near where the two forks converge.  I saw 4 GTR WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, but the Snow Goose has apparently left the area.  I suspect that the SNGO reported by Toby Tobkin is the same bird originally found a few days earlier by Erica Fielder, closer to the river mouth. Karen Havlena North of Fort Bragg, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Hudsonian Godwits, Heermann's Gulls, and Tricolored Blackbirds From: "richhubie" <richhubie AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:48:45 -0000 Mon Feb 8, 2010--- The California Bird Record Committee has accepted the HUDSONIAN GODWITS seen from August 26, 2009 on Glass Beach through September 29, 2009 on Virgin Creek Beach. They also accepted the 10 Mile Beach records of August 30th-September 3rd. Sun Feb 7, 2010-- I found 2 HEERMANN'S GULLS in "breeding" plumage on Van Damme Beach. There have been a number of Heermann's Gulls seen this winter. Maybe the same conditions keeping the Brown Pelican's here this winter are keeping the gulls here. Sat Feb 6, 2020-- Saw at least 8 TRICOLORED BLACKBIRDS in the blackbird flock at Albion Inn. Talked to Toby and she has seen few of these birds this winter. Richard Hubacek Little River Subject: Yellow-breasted Sapsucker continues in Fort Bragg From: "David Jensen" <djensen AT mcn.org> Date: Sun, 7 Feb 2010 11:19:47 -0800 Sunday, 7 February 2009. The YBSA was found again at 10:40 this morning at Rose Memorial Park in Fort Bragg. Chuck and Barbara Vaughn, Geoff Heinecken, Cheryl Watson and I saw the bird in the Banksia tree where John Luther had seen it yesterday. As you enter the cemetery, go to the central drive that leads to the cemetery office. You will come to a pair of Banksias on the right with many fresh wells that are tended by a Red-breasted Sapsucker. Look east down a connecting drive to the first Banksia on the right (south) of that road, which is located directly behind a sign that states "Non Endowment Care." I watched the Bullock's Oriole feeding on the Banksia flowers yesterday, but did not see it this morning. Dave Jensen [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Fort Bragg From: "John Luther" <aplomado-falcon AT worldnet.att.net> Date: Sat, 6 Feb 2010 20:43:19 -0800 Today, Feb 6, the adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker continued in Fort Bragg at the Rose Memorial Park at the east end of Spruce St as reported by others. A nice Mendo bird for me. I heard and then saw it at about 11AM. It was first in the Banksia tree just behind the Non Endowment Care sign, then flew to the Banksia tree just north of there and then flew north into the eucalyptus grove. I later returned with Tobi and we saw a Red-breasted Sapsucker, but did not refind the YB Sapsucker. At Virgin Creek up stream from the haul road bridge Tobi and I saw a Burrowing Owl at the left edge of all the dead wood. Tobi had seen one earlier at another spot so there are at two in the area. John Luther Oakland Subject: YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Sat, 6 Feb 2010 04:34:23 -0800 Toby Tobkin called to say that the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was still at Rose Memorial Park in Ft. Bragg as of yesterday. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Potter Valley to Montgomery Woods From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 11:46:33 -0800 On Wednesday February 3rd; there were 2 GOLDEN EAGLES at the end of Burris Lane. On Marina Drive at the north end of Lake Mendocino at midday there was a bat flying and hunting which I watched for at least 2 minutes. My guess is it was a California Myotis? But I understand even bat experts have a difficult time identifying these mammals in flight. At the treatment ponds in Ukiah there was a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. At Montgomery Woods there were at least 2 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and 2 GREAT HORNED OWLS. A Northern Saw-whet Owl started calling at sunset and there was still one calling when I walked out of the Groves at 7:15 PM. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Bat Ma'am coming to Ukiah...with live bats From: "katemarianchild" <katem AT mcn.org> Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:38:31 -0000 BAT MA'AM COMING TO UKIAH...WITH LIVE BATS (to see photo please sign up on my email list by sending me an email with "list" in the subject line" Thursday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m., Ukiah Civic Center "Bat Ma'am" will be coming to Ukiah soon to redeem the reputation of the furry little mammals known as bats. In her presentation "Wings in the Night: A Celebration of Bats," Sonoma County resident Patricia Winters, aka "Bat Ma'am," explains that bats, far from being "winged rodents," are actually closely related to primates on the evolutionary tree of life. Only three out of about 1100 species of bats in the world are vampire bats, and those three species lap, rather than suck, the blood of mammals. Bats are vital members of the ecosystem, dispersing seeds, pollinating flowers, and consuming nocturnal insects. Winters describes the alarming worldwide decline in bats as "serious planetary damage." She will bring live bats to the presentation. Audience members will be able to closely observe but not touch the bats. The presentation will take place on Thursday, February 18, at 7 p.m. at the Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Avenue. Rather than believe the negative stereotypes and misconceptions about these relatives of ours, Patricia Winters chose to live with them, learn about them, and take them under her wing. She acquired her first bat fifty years ago, learned through trial and error how to nurture orphaned and injured bats, and today operates a bat rehabilitation facility in Sonoma County. She is one of the few individuals in California licensed to possess live bats for educational purposes and is a full-time educator and wildlife rehabilitator with the California Bat Conservation Fund. This Peregrine Audubon Society presentation will be free to the public, though donations will be accepted. To join Peregrine Audubon Society and receive a newsletter with regular announcements about programs and field trips, please send $15 to PAS, P.O. Box 311, Ukiah, CA 95482. For more information please go to www.peregrineaudubon.org. Subject: FW: Bald eagle at Mackerricher From: "Ron LeValley" <ron AT madriverbio.com> Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 14:07:14 -0800 Renee Pasquinelli forwarded me this note. The picture attached with it was clearly a Bald Eagle being dived on by an Osprey. Both pretty unusual this time of year! Ron Ron LeValley Mad River Biologists Mendocino Office P.O. Box 332 Little River CA 95456 Office:: 707/937-1742 Cell: 707/496-3326 ron AT madriverbio.com _____ From: Taylor, Marston Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 1:04 PM To: Mendocino Dist Subject: Bald eagle at Mackerricher There is a bald eagle visiting MacKerricher on 01-29-10. I ended up getting a photo of him being harassed by an osprey. I hope you enjoy. Marston Taylor State Park Peace Officer MacKerricher State Park phone: 707-961-0404 fax: 707-961-1287 mtaylor AT parks.ca.gov [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker From: Arthur Morley <agmorley AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 14:16:40 -0800 I saw the Y-B Sapsucker today at about 11 am and watched it for about 2 minutes until it flew; a county bird for me. It was in the large pine about 60' due south of the "Non Endowment Care" sign. The bottle -brush trees mentioned are called Banksia according to the cemetery groundskeeper, and they are popular with hummingbirds and other passerines. Yesterday, I saw a Yellow-breasted Sapsucker in one of the Banksias to the west of the mentioned sign. Art _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469226/direct/01/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Unsubscribe: mailto:MENDOBIRDS-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MENDOBIRDS Listowners: mailto:MENDOBIRDS-owner AT yahoogroups.com For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses: Turn off email delivery: mailto:MENDOBIRDS-nomail AT yahoogroups.com Resume email delivery: mailto:MENDOBIRDS-normal AT yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mendobirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mendobirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: Mendobirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com Mendobirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Mendobirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Ft Bragg (MEN) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and others continue From: Matt Brady <podoces AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 17:26:38 -0800 (PST) Hello all. Today my parents and I drove over to the coast, to look for some of the recently reported birds. At Lake Cleone, the adult male WHITE-WINGED SCOTER continues, though we could not find the Common Moorhen. Off Laguna Point were two Red-necked Grebes. Although there was a sizable flock of Surfbirds and Black Turnstones at the Point, the Rock Sandpiper was not amongst them; we didn't find it until about 3:00 (two hours after high tide) on the rocks just north of Virgin Creek Beach. Also at Virgin Creek were two Sanderlings. At Rose Memorial Park, at the end of Spruce Street in Fort Bragg we easily refound the adult male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER in one of the weird, yellow flowered Bottlebrush-like trees. It seemed like most of the trees had Sapsucker wells in them, but we first saw the bird in one of the two shorter trees at the north end of the cemetery that flank a large headstone that reads 'Jordan'. He also frequented several of the pines. He was quite flighty, and I only managed to get some distant record shots, but I think I surprised him when I first found him. Also of note at the cemetery were an Orange-crowned Warbler and an SY male Bullock's Oriole, probably the same one found by Jerry White a few weeks ago. Good birding, Matt Brady Potter Valley [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 06:23:07 -0800 I spoke with Toby Tobkin by phone last night and she found the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER yesterday in the same area as described in the previous emails. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Various Geese on Ten Mile River From: Karen Havlena <jkhavlena AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:54:03 -0800 (PST) Sun, 31 Jan 2010 -- Dorothy Tobkin called to say that she saw 1 Snow Goose, 4 Greater White-fronted Geese, and 1 minima Cackling Goose inland where two forks of the Ten Mile River come together near a small bridge.  There are fields to the east and southeast where the mentioned geese were feeding with some Canada Geese. This is generally considered a private road, but there are many residents on this road, and no logging is presently being conducted. For Dorothy Tobkin (Karen Havlena) North of Fort Bragg, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Picture From: "richhubie" <richhubie AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:29:35 -0000 Sun Jan 31, 2010--A picture of the YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER has been posted. The bird was last seen in the trees mentioned by Karen next to a sign that stated, "NON-ENDOWMENT SECTION". Richard Hubacek Little River Subject: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Fort Bragg 1/31 From: K A Havlena <kahavlena AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:19:30 -0800 (PST) Sun, 31 Jan 2010 -- Jerry White phoned to tell me that he had found an adult male YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER at Rose Memorial Park, Spruce & N Franklin in Fort Bragg.  When I arrived, Jerry noted that the bird was very flighty and not attached to a particular tree.  We refound it on the north-central part of the cemetery in one of several exotic trees with strange looking flowers that look like teasles.  It flew for a while to the tall eucalypus grove above Pudding Creek.  We could not see it in those trees, but it finally flew back to the exotic trees.  Richard Hubacek arrived and got some photos of it. The bird is very clean in its markings and much lighter overall than a Red-naped or Red-breasted.  This bird called a few times with a medium-loud, whiny mew. Thanks, Jerry!  MEN County birds for both Richard and me! For Jerry White (Karen Havlena) Fort Bragg, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: geese @ CroFoot's From: "Bob Keiffer" <rjkeiffer AT wildblue.net> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:01:21 -0800 29 January 2010 - Saturday Today, at the Crofoot Ranch (east side of Highway 101 with white fence) between Hopland and Ukiah there were 94 Canada Geese (moffitti), 13 Aleutian Cackling Geese (leucopareia) and 1 Ridgway Cackling Goose (minima). On the dug pond nearest Highway 101 were at least 2 Hooded Mergansers. The immature and mature Snow Geese from a couple weeks ago were not to be found. The wet pasture field had a minimum of 1000 American Robins on it. At least 3 Canvasback are still on the Old River Road pond south of Talmage at the intersection with Gielow Lane. Good birding. Bob Keiffer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Cackling Geese From: "richhubie" <richhubie AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 02:31:58 -0000 Sat Jan 30, 2020-- While birding at the botanical garden today, two groups of CACKLING GEESE flew by heading south. The first group had over 400 geese in it (I counted them in the picture I took). The second group had approx. 120. This happened just after 12 noon. From the pictures, many of the geese had ALEUTIAN type white neck-rings. Richard Hubacek Little River Subject: Rock Sandpiper, Com Moorhen, Wht-winged Scoter From: K A Havlena <kahavlena AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:44:50 -0800 (PST) Fri, 29 Jan 2010 -- Dorothy Tobkin called in to say that after the high tide at Laguna Point, she saw one ROCK SANDPIPER.  Back down the road at Lake Cleone, she saw the COMMON MOORHEN and a male WHITE-WINGED SCOTER on the lake, both toward the west end. These birding spots are in MacKerricher SP.  Drive west from Hwy 1 on Mill Creek Dr. For Toby Tobkin (K Havlena) North of Fort Bragg, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Cattle Egret and Al From: "John Luther" <aplomado-falcon AT worldnet.att.net> Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:45:57 -0800 Thursday Jan 28 at about 11 AM I saw the continuing Cattle Egret in the Garcia River bottoms. It was in a flock of at least 72 Great Egrets on the east side of highway 1 south of the bridge. At 1 PM the Laysan Albatross was snoozing on the water northwest of the pier at Pt Arena. John Luther Oakland Subject: egrets From: john_e_hunter AT fws.gov Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 08:24:28 -0800 Birders, I counted 74 Great Egrets and 1 Cattle Egret (a Mendo Co. bird for me) in the Garcia River bottoms first thing on 1/26/10. John Hunter Arcata, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Point Arena Sightings From: "Rich T" <rich_trissel AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:46:41 -0000 Point Arena 26 January 2010 This afternoon, Nancy and I did a quick survey of Point Arena with the following highlights: Cattle Egret on the east side of Highway 1 in Garcia Flats area. Eurasian Wigeon (male), Gadwall (apparently uncommon on the coast), Cackling Geese (20+), Greater White-fronted Geese (4) on the west side of Highway 1 in Garcia Flats adjacent to Miner Hole Road. These birds were most easily observed with a scope from the lighthouse road. There was a nice assortment of waterfowl in these flocks including: Scaup, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Canada Geese, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Merganser and Bufflehead. Brown-headed Cowbirds (3) off the lighthouse road. Al (Laysan Albatross) was at his regular haunt north of the pier at 5p. Good Birding, Rich Gualala Subject: Point Reyes Birding & Nature Festival -- April 23-26, 2010 -- Registration Open From: "will_w04" <will_w04 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:06:16 -0000 The first Point Reyes Birding and Nature Festival (April 23-26, 2010) is now open for registration! Some of California's preeminent birders will be leading trips, including Rich Stallcup, Steve Howell, Keith Hansen, Jules Evens, David Wimpfheimer, Ron LeValley and Lisa Hug. There will be walks, boat trips, classes, demonstrations, and a pelagic trip to Cordell Bank. To register online, go to www.pointreyesbirdingfestival.org and sign-up for the walks, events, lectures, and classes that you find most exciting. Some of these trips will be fully subscribed very quickly and registering early is advised. Enrollment will be limited. The Festival is sponsored by the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin in cooperation with PRBO Conservation Science, Marin Audubon Society, Madrone Audubon Society, American Birding Association, Point Reyes National Seashore and many other groups. If you have any questions about the Festival, send an email to prbnfestival at gmail.com (use AT symbol) or call the Festival Headquarters at 415-663-9312. You can help make the Festival successful by forwarding this message to your birding and other friends with an interest in nature and the outdoors -- and you can help publicize the Festival by putting a link to it on your website or Facebook page. If there are websites you think the Festival should contact to establish a link, please send an email to prbnfestival at gmail.com (use AT symbol). Also, if you find any problems with the website, please let the sponsors know at once by sending an email to prbnfestival at gmail.com (use AT symbol). Hope to see you at the Festival! Will Wilson Corte Madera Subject: Banded Western Gull From: George Chaniot <chaniot AT pacific.net> Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:19:14 -0800 On January 2, 2010, I and several other people saw a banded, adult WESTERN GULL on the beach at Van Damme State Park. Chuck Vaughn and I read the band number, 2406 01341, through telescopes at close range. It also has a black color-band on the left leg above the numbered aluminum band. As I was writing a report to the Bird Banding Lab, I realized that this is the same number that I reported on January 8, 2006, and earlier in March 1996 at the same location. I believe Demian Ebert photographed the same bird sitting on the Vam Damme entrance sign on the east side of the road some time in the 90's. I have a previous report from the BBL indicating this gull was banded as a juvenile too young to fly on June 24, 1989 "near Farallon Islands CA". This bird is now in its 21st winter and may have been inhabiting this same location even longer than a famous albatross has been visiting Arena Cove. Keep your eyes open. How long can we keep sighting this gull? It's fairly easy to pick up on it with its black color-band. George Chaniot Potter Valley, MEN, CA Subject: Snow Geese and others From: "Bob Keiffer" <rjkeiffer AT wildblue.net> Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:46:29 -0800 21 January 2010 - Thursday - Today at the white-fenced Crowfoot Ranch along Highway 101 between Ukiah and Hopland there were two Snow Geese, one immature and one mature, mixed in with the approximately 100 Canada Geese. Also present were mallards, about 20 American Wigeon and about 20 Hooded Mergansers. Over by Talmage, at the Beckstoffer Talmage Pond, there was a rooster Ring-necked Pheasant on the north side of the Beckstoffer Road ...just across from the NW corner of the pond. This is a small area of green grass and scattered live oak trees and the rooster pheasant was seen both in the morning and afternoon. This appears to be a "wild" bird (not recently released from captivity) because of its scittish behavior and extremely long tail and crisp plumage. Look for it feeding in the green grass which is about as tall as the bird. Northern Shovelers, Lesser Scaup and Ruddy Ducks were on the pond. Good birding. Bob Keiffer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Harlequin Duck(s) and 2nd year Bald Eagle on Eel River From: "Cate" <thorn91 AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:35:52 -0000 On Thursday January 14, we saw a male harlequin duck on the main fork of the Eel River about a 1/2 mile above the confluence of the main and middle fork. There may have been 3 others, but we didn't get a clear look at them. We have been regularly seeing bald eagles including a second year bird along this stretch of the river. On Thursday, the second year bird flew low over us and landed on a rock along the river's edge just across from us. Here's a link to a photo of the bird. http://liquidfusionkayaking.smugmug.com/Mendocino-Coast/Wildlife/P1142553/768848457_urRKV-L-2.jpg Happy birding, Cate Subject: Ukiah Valley--Wet Birds From: Matt Brady <podoces AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:47:40 -0800 (PST) Hello birders. Inspired by the Red Phalarope I saw this morning, I ventured out between rainshowers, to see what I could find. At the north end of Lake Mendocino, I saw one adult THAYER'S GULL, as well as 35 or so California and Ring-billed Gulls. There were quite a few coots and Mallards there, as well as about 60 American Crows, foraging on the lake shore. I also had very distant views of a Duck that could have been a Tufted Duck, but I'm not even sure it was an Aythya! It was quite white-sided and dark-backed/headed, though. At Lake Mendocino Dam, there were fewer birds overall, but there was a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE in amongst the domestics, and in the Gull flock (which was larger than the flock at the north end), I noticed one adult MEW GULL and three BONAPARTE'S GULLS. The only non-domestic duck here was an adult American Wigeon. At the Ukiah Sewage Treatment Plant, I ran into Chuck Vaughn, and together we saw a ROSS'S GOOSE that had a silver USFWS band on the left leg and an ALEUTIAN CACKLING GOOSE with a flock of 26 Canada Geese. On the southern, flooded pond, in amongst 80+ American Green-winged Teal was one male EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL, whose horizontal white stripe was pretty obvious. There was also one bird that could have been an intergrade. On the Beckstoffer Vineyard Pond, off River Road in Talmage, were 14 CANVASBACKS, as well as several Lesser Scaup, Northern Shovelers, Ring-necked Ducks, etc. At Gielow Lane Pond was one more Canvasback. Good birding, Matt Brady Potter Valley [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Red Phalarope in Potter Valley From: Matt Brady <podoces AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:34:38 -0800 (PST) Hello all. With the massive rainstorm of the past day or so, the field across the street from my house on East Rd in Potter Valley has become flooded. Yesterday I noticed a few Mallards and a large flock of Canada Geese foraging around it, so I decided to keep my eye on it. This morning, I checked it again, and found more Mallards, as well as four new yard birds: an AMERICAN WIGEON, several WOOD DUCKS, a RING-NECKED DUCK, and, best of all, a RED PHALAROPE, swimming around in circles! This was a complete surprise for me; it was my first Sandpiper for the yard. Has anyone else seen one in inland Mendocino County due to this storm? Are there any other Potter Valley records? Has anyone checked out Lake Mendocino today? Also, the LEWIS'S WOODPECKER continues at the corner of East Road and Burris Lane. Matt Brady Potter Valley, MEN [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Brown Pelicans Today on the Coast - 257 From: "Rick & Jeanne Jackson" <jackson2 AT mcn.org> Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2010 07:40:04 -0800 Hi All, In Tom Stienstra's column in the SF Chronicle yesterday it was reported that Brown Pelicans have been seen migrating NORTH. The speculation is the herring that drew the Sea Lions to Oregon is luring the Brown Pelicans too. Interesting. Jeanne Jackson [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Brown Pelicans Today on the Coast - 257 From: "Dave" <algott AT comcast.net> Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:45:46 -0000 Today I went to Ft. Bragg to see my son, so I stopped a few places to bird. There were no species of note except maybe a Wilson's Snipe at Caspar Pond. What struck me were the sheer numbers of Brown Pelicans. I saw 13 at Lake Cleone, 85 at Mendocino Headlands and 159 on the beach at Van Damme SP. In addition, the flock at Mendocino was about as large as the one at Van Damme, but it was way out on the rocks. When I counted the ones at Van Damme, I was amazed at how many there were because they were packed so close together. Are other people noticing these numbers also? Is this a new trend or is this normal for this time of year? Subject: Lake County From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:24:07 -0800 The male WILLIAMSON'S SAPSUCKER was working on a Gray Pine on Perini Road across from the intersection with the road to Snow's Lake mid-morning. There was a SNOW GOOSE at Austin Park in Clearlake. The YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was at Lakeside Park this afternoon. Also, because of a computer problem, I was not able to post a EURASIAN WIGEON found January 7th on a pond visible from the pullout at 1830 Nice-Lucerne Cutoff. Today there were no wigeon there at all. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Photo of the Albino Rock Pigeon From: "jackson_us" <jackson2 AT mcn.org> Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:37:18 -0000 Betty Bailey took the walk that Dave Jensen mentioned on the Stornetta Lands last weekend. She got a photo of the albino Rock Pigeon and has given me permission to post it here. She also said Dave was very patient with the budding birders. Subject: Snow Geese- Garcia Flats From: "richhubie" <richhubie AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:28:45 -0000 Fri Jan 15, 2010--There must have been a SNOW GOOSE episode today. I spotted 8 SNOW GEESE from the Garcia River Mouth overlook. They were with a large flock of Canada Geese (40 plus) in the middle section of Garcia Flats west of highway 1. Richard Hubacek Little River Subject: Adult Snow Goose From: "Dave" <algott AT comcast.net> Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 01:06:16 -0000 This afternoon I visited the Ukiah Water Treatment Plant. There was one adult Snow Goose with 24 Canada Geese. They were at the northwest corner, outside the fenced in pond area over near the grapes. Other spp. included: American Wigeon 7 Mallard 48 Northern Shoveler 6 Northern Pintail 1 Green-winged Teal 32 Ring-necked Duck 10 Bufflehead 13 Ruddy Duck 124 Turkey Vulture 2 White-tailed Kite 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Red-tailed Hawk 2 American Coot 97 Killdeer 6 black Phoebe 3 Common raven 9 Marsh Wren 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler 2 Song Sparrow 3 Red-winged Blackbird 72 Lesser Goldfinch 9 Subject: Snow Goose (Greater) at Ten Mile From: Erica Fielder <efielder AT mcn.org> Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:28:30 -0800 Hi All, I spotted a snow goose from my window on the Ten Mile estuary on the east side of the bridge. I called Karen Havlena, who went to the bridge with her scope to find that it might be the larger, or greater snow goose. She described the large bill and long grin. Erica Fielder ************************************************ For more information on interpretive panels created in Erica Fielder Studio, please visit: http://www.ericafielder-ecoartist.com For information on the Bird Feeder Hat Interpretive Project, and how to make your own Bird Feeder Hat, go to: http://www.birdfeederhat.org Erica Fielder Studio P.O. Box 1075, Mendocino, CA 95460 707-964-1467 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Eurasian Wigeon From: "Dave" <algott AT comcast.net> Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:37:37 -0000 The Eurasian Wigeon was still there ( 9:30 - 10:45 am) at the Christmas Star Pond, north of the Potter Valley Cemetary on West Road. I went too early and had to wait for the fog to burn off a little before I could see, so avoid the early morning fog if you go. Other birds seen included: Amer Wigeon 51 Mallard 2 Ring-necked Duck 7 Bufflehead 14 Common Merganser 2 Ruddy Duck 2 California Quail 45 - just south of the pond Double-crested Cormorant 3 Belted Kingfisher 1 Northern Flicker 2 Black Phoebe 1 Wester Scrub-Jay 1 Common Raven 2 White-crowned Sparrow 3 Golden-crowned Sparrow 2 Red-winged Blackbird 6 Brewer's Blackbird 2 Subject: "Birding the Stans" - slide presentation by Matthew Matthiessen, Jan 21 From: "katemarianchild" <katem AT mcn.org> Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:30:38 -0000 "BIRDING THE STANS" - SLIDE PRESENTATION ON THE BIRDS, LANDSCAPES, AND PEOPLE OF KYRGYZSTAN AND KAZAKHSTAN BY MATTHEW MATTHIESSEN Thursday, January 21, 7 p.m., Ukiah Civic Center by Kate Marianchild Last spring, birder, photographer, and speaker Matthew Matthiessen spent two and a half weeks hiking, driving, and camping in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, ancient countries that once were a part of the former Soviet Union. During the trip Matthew photographed birds, scenery, wildlife, and people, and learned something of the culture and history of the two countries. Matthew will share photographs and stories of his trip on Thursday, January 21, 7 p.m., at the Ukiah Civic Center. The first leg of the adventure began with a hike, with five companions and local guides, into the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked nation bordered by Kazakhstan, Uzebekistan, Tajikistan, and China. Kyrgyzstan, in Matthew's words, is "vertical, steep, rugged, craggy, and snowy." The shining "Tian Shan" range, whose name translates as "Celestial Mountains," covers eighty percent of Kyrgyzstan. The highest peak in the country, which is on the Chinese border, rises to 24,400 feet–10,000 feet higher than the highest peak in California's Sierra Nevada. The country also contains Lake Issyk-kul, the second largest mountain lake in the world. Large vultures known as Lammergeiers, found only in wild and mountainous regions of Asia, Europe, and Africa, made daily appearances during the trip and will appear in the slide presentation as well. White-browed Tits, lovely birds with white, blue, and purple plumage, White-throated Dippers, and Rose Finches are some of the other birds of Kyrgyzstan that Matthew was able to photograph. The second leg of the trip took place in Kazakhstan. "The country is reputed to have mountains, but I didn't see them," explains Matthew. "It was flat, like I imagine Mongolia to be." He and his companions explored grasslands, desert, and a small forested area. Highlights were the McQueen's Bustard, a long-legged and endangered bird of the grasslands, as well as the Faxaul Sparrow, the Persian Nuthatch, and 3-4 species of Wagtails. Matthew will also include scenes of the people of Kazakhstan going about their daily lives, as well as their photographs of their ubiquitous horses and camels. While Matthew refuses to accept any special kudos, everyone who has attended his presentations recognizes that he is in a league of his own. He is able to keep his audience riveted while he clicks through two hundred slides in the course of an hour. He flawlessly delivers the names of countless birds without notes, and always seems to know which slide is coming next and when to begin setting the stage for his next joke. Matthew is also known for the "Know-Your-Local-Birds" slideshow that he created to assist local bird-watchers in preparing for the Christmas Bird Count, and for generously sharing his birding knowledge and skills with anyone interested. He has almost single-handedly put "dragonflying" (dragonfly-watching) on the map in Mendocino County, and has added several species of dragonflies and damselflies to the county list. Peregrine Audubon Society is sad to announce that Matthew Matthiessen will soon be leaving us and moving to Florida. His departure represents a huge loss to the organization and the community. Peregrine wishes to thank him for his contributions and inspiration, wish him the best in his new life, and express our hope that he will be able to return as a guest presenter from time to time. The upcoming presentation is free to the public, though donations will be welcome. The Ukiah Civic Center is at 300 Seminary Avenue. To join Peregrine Audubon Society and receive a newsletter with regular announcements about programs and field trips, please send $15 to PAS, P.O. Box 311, Ukiah, CA 95482. For more information please go to www.peregrineaudubon.org. Submitted by Kate Marianchild Writer, Editor, Publicist 707-463-0839 Subject: Re: Icelantic Photos Found From: "Gunn" <gashawk AT mcn.org> Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:35:54 -0000 Gunn, he is incorrect on his call. The gull was NOT the size of a huge GWGU. It was a tad bit smaller than a Herring Gull...about Thayer's Gull sized. I have sent the photos to many so-called gull experts and everyone agrees it is a first cycle Kumlien's Iceland Gull. Good Birding, Steve --- In Mendobirds AT yahoogroups.com, Floyd Hayes wrote: > > Gunn, thanks for posting the photos. Unfortunately it's just a pale 1st-cycle Glaucous-winged Gull, which is much more common, is larger and has a heavier bill. Many (if not all) of us have made the same mistake--repeatedly! A 1st-cycle Iceland Gull is smaller with a more rounded, dove-like head, a dainty bill, and usually has spotting on the tertials and tail feathers. Because of its variability and apparent hybridization with Thayer's Gull, it is very difficult to be certain of the identity of most gulls resembling Iceland Gull. But don't stop looking: it is quite possible to find one there, and if you find a good candidate, try to get photos of its head and bill compared with other species of gulls, plus photos of the outstretched wings and tail. >   > For those of you who are interested in learning more about Iceland Gull in California, I have a website dedicated to Iceland Gulls in California which you might find useful. Unfortunately it needs some updating (some links are broken; more recent records not included; some subsequently accepted and rejected by CBRC) which I don't have the time to do at the moment. The website is here: >   > http://web2.puc.edu/Faculty/Floyd_Hayes/californiakumlieni/ >   > Floyd Hayes > Hidden Valley Lake, CA > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > Subject: Laysan Albatross, Rock Sandpiper, et al. From: George Chaniot <chaniot AT pacific.net> Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:00:54 -0800 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 -- John Lamey, a visiting birder from Ontario, reports seeing the LAYSAN ALBATROSS at Arena Cove yesterday in the afternoon. He also saw a ROCK SANDPIPER at Laguna Point. We also saw the continuing EURASIAN WIGEON at the Christmas Star Vineyard pond north of the cemetery on West(side) Road in Potter Valley. We also found a distant LEWIS'S WOODPECKER in oaks north of the end of Burris Lane. An OSPREY was circling near the pond. George Chaniot Potter Valley, MEN, CA To reach the Christmas Star pond (no sign) from 101 turn east on route 20. In about 5 miles turn left onto Potter Valley Road. In about 2.25 miles turn left on Westside Road. In about 2 miles park at the cemetery on the right. Walk 200-300 yards north along the road to the pond on the right. You can step through a cut-out in the fence, but you risk putting the ducks to flight. Best viewing is from the shoulder of the road. Subject: Lake County From: Floyd Hayes <floyd_hayes AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:18:46 -0800 (PST) Yesterday (Tuesday the 12th) Doug Weidemann and I did our monthly gull survey around Clear Lake. The numbers of most waterbirds (RUDDY DUCK is an exception) are disappointingly low this winter. Our best bird was an immature SNOW GOOSE alone on the beach at Austin Park in Clearlake, which was found by Nick Shepherd on Saturday the 10th. We also saw a lone female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER in a flock of scaup from the large turnout on the east side of the lake opposite Clear Lake State Park, between Lucerne and Paradise Cove. We spent 15-20 minutes searching unsuccessfully for the Hammond's Flycatcher at Lucerne, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Kelseyville and the Williamson's Sapsucker at Lower Lake. The weather wasn't very cooperative. Floyd Hayes Hidden Valley Lake, CA Subject: Re: Icelantic Photos Found From: Floyd Hayes <floyd_hayes AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:07:53 -0800 (PST) Gunn, thanks for posting the photos. Unfortunately it's just a pale 1st-cycle Glaucous-winged Gull, which is much more common, is larger and has a heavier bill. Many (if not all) of us have made the same mistake--repeatedly! A 1st-cycle Iceland Gull is smaller with a more rounded, dove-like head, a dainty bill, and usually has spotting on the tertials and tail feathers. Because of its variability and apparent hybridization with Thayer's Gull, it is very difficult to be certain of the identity of most gulls resembling Iceland Gull. But don't stop looking: it is quite possible to find one there, and if you find a good candidate, try to get photos of its head and bill compared with other species of gulls, plus photos of the outstretched wings and tail.   For those of you who are interested in learning more about Iceland Gull in California, I have a website dedicated to Iceland Gulls in California which you might find useful. Unfortunately it needs some updating (some links are broken; more recent records not included; some subsequently accepted and rejected by CBRC) which I don't have the time to do at the moment. The website is here:   http://web2.puc.edu/Faculty/Floyd_Hayes/californiakumlieni/   Floyd Hayes Hidden Valley Lake, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Clear Lake CBC FINAL Results From: "dhecomovich" <heco AT mchsi.com> Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:53:55 -0000 Now that I have all the final tallies in hand, the CBC results for the Clear Lake have improved considerably. We ended up with a dozen more species than tallied on our preliminary count ~ 143 in all ~ down some from last year's count of 146 and below the high total of 153 in 2007 but still respectable. The number of participants also increased to 57, up from last year's 40 and the previous 10-years' average of 30. The species that racked up the highest number of individuals was Ruddy Duck with 13,183 counted, former high count was 5,686 in 1991 and a previous 10-year average of 1,776. Sadly to say, although Ruddys are doing fine, the count for water birds in general is considerably down i. e. Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants and American White Pelicans. The runner-up in highest number of individuals and the only other species to break the 1,000 barrier was the American Robin with a total of 4,633 individuals. They are abundant in our vineyards. The former high count for this species was 7,443 in 1975 and a previous 10-year average of 1,307. A big thanks to all our hard-workiing participants. ~ Darlene Hecomovich Subject: Icelantic Photos Found From: gashawk AT mcn.org Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:31:37 -0800 Howdy Couldn't get the photo's to travel through this group as even an attachment, so I posted an album on Mendobirds Photos as... 1st cycle Kumleins Iceland Gull 11/12/10 Sorry did intend to SPAM you all with my attachment attempts Gunn Subject: Iclantic Searchers, with Photo's, Hopefully From: gashawk AT mcn.org Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:07:34 -0800 Open attachment, maybe the photos will travel through yahoo this way. If not somebody please tip me off on how to attach photos Gunn [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Icelantic Searchers From: gashawk AT mcn.org Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:28:48 -0800 Fellow/Fella Searchers Here are some snaps, unfortunately not from Mendocino, but offer up good views of a flying and resting specimen. Never, ever leave home without good glass. Gunn a first cycle Kumlein's Iceland Gull today (1-12-10) at a private location ICGU2b Flying, view from above ICGU4b At Rest, at favorite feeding ground. gabagacanicus americanus [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Eurasian Wigeon in Potter Valley From: George Chaniot <chaniot AT pacific.net> Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:42:34 -0800 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 -- Both the EURASIAN WIGEON and the LEWIS'S WOODPECKER continue today at the same locations in Potter Valley described by Jerry yesterday. At the intersection of Burris Lane and East(side) Road look for a utility pole on the west side of the intersection. The Lewis's Woodpecker favors the top of this pole and the large trees to the NE of the intersection. George Chaniot Potter Valley, MEN, CA Subject: Eurasian Wigeon in Potter Valley From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry AT att.net> Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:00:18 -0800 There was a EURASIAN WIGEON at the pond that is just north of the cemetary on West Road yesterday. There is no convenient place to park to view this pond. George Chaniot suggests parking at the cemetary and then walking to the pond. Also the LEWIS'S WOODPECKER was seen again near the intersection of East Road and Burris Lane. George also saw both of these birds about an hour or so after the initial sightings. At least one Dipper was on the river at the bridge. Scoping the north end of Lake Mendocino I found a Mew Gull, 4 Hooded Mergansers, and another male EURASIAN WIGEON. Later in the afternoon the LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCHES were found at the Hopland Field Station, thanks to Bob Keiffer. Jerry White [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: North Coast - MEN From: Karen Havlena <jkhavlena AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:36:31 -0800 (PST) Tue, 12 Jan 2010 -- I drove up Hwy 1 for a while, where 11 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were along side the road at the Westport wastewater treatment plant.  The FERRUGINOUS HAWK was flying over the pasture across Hwy 1 from Ocean Meadows.  I scoped for alcids without luck from the usual creek mouth turnouts. Karen Havlena North of Fort Bragg, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: continuing Lawrence's Goldfinch From: "Robert J. Keiffer" <rjkeiffer AT ucdavis.edu> Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:18:05 -0800 11 January 2010 - Monday - I was able to relocate 7 of the Lawrence's Goldfinches this morning at 2700' elevation on the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center. Good Birding. Bob Keiffer [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]