Sun Nov 22, 2009--The surprise of the Peregrine Audubon outing to Covelo today
were the very late appearance of at least 6 WHITE-THROATED SWIFTS spotted By
David Jensen at the bridge just after the Dos Rios turnoff on Highway 162. A
full report on the trip will be posted on their website in the near future.

Richard Hubacek
Little River

Toby Tobkin saw a female Long-tailed Duck today at about 11:30. At that time it
was with Surf Scoters about .25 miles east of the Tenmile bridge.

Art Morley for Toby Tobkin



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Sat, 21 Nov 2009 -- I pished up a somewhat late Common Yellowthroat
at Lk Cleone, MacKerricher SP this morning.  It was just south of the restrooms
by the lake parking lot where the Mallards are hanging out.  It appeared to be
a young male with a hint of a mask and very bright yellow throat, breast and
undertail.

An adult Snow Goose was with the large flock of Canada Geese on Bald
Hill Rd, about 1 1/2 miles east on Pudding Creek Rd from Hwy 1 in Fort
Bragg.

Karen Havlena
North of Fort Bragg, CA




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Fri Nov 20, 2009--The sun came out briefly so I went up to Casper Pond. The
immature Ross's Goose was not there apparently feeling unwanted. I did take some
pictures of the remaining goose. One of the pictures, showing the head has been
uploaded. It still looks (to me) like the Ross's x Lesser Snow Goose hybrid
shown in Sibley's "Guide to Birds". Note also the indented (curved) feather line
at bridge of bill is curved like Snow Geese not straight like a Ross's.

Of course the goose could have been grinning at me for stepping in goose poop.

Richard Hubacek
Little River

Thur, 19 Nov 2009 -- Dorothy Tobkin called that an immature Ross's Goose
was at Caspar Pond today.  She stated that "miraculously" the adult "Ross's"
Goose has lost its partial/semi-grin patch, and now it looks exactly like the
newly arrived immature Ross's. 
I saw both birds together late this afternoon.   The immature bird is clearly
a Ross's.  (I have boldly written this before)....The immature has a grayish
bill and grayish legs/feet and some light gray smudginess on various parts
of the basically, white plumage, with black tips to the primaries.  Where
the mandibles come together on the bill, there may be a thin blackish line,
but not a serated, grin patch. 
The adult now looks the same - it does not appear to have a serated, grin
patch, but there is a thin black line.  ALL of the other proportions are
identical.

Also, please note:  The adult bird nipped at the immature several times,
even though the young bird wanted to stay by the adult's side.  Toby also
noticed this behavior -- territorial?  Adult Ross's can have a partial/slight/
minimal grin patch, according to several books.  Go Ross's!!!

Caspar Pond is at the junction of Hwy 1 and Fern Creek Rd, just north of
the Caspar Creek bridge.

For Dorothy (Toby) Tobkin
(KA Havlena)

Fort Bragg, CA




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Wed, 18 Nov 2009 -- Dorothy Tobkin called that a/the ROCK SANDPIPER
was on the 2nd large rock at the sandy beach, north end of Glass Beach
in Fort Bragg.  This is at the west end of Elm St.  Take the right fork to
the sandy beach.

After receiving a call from Chuck, I zoomed over to Lk Mendocino to see
the AMER WHITE PELICAN at the south end near Coyote Dam.  The pelican
had moved slightly to a small peninsula directly east of the lower parking
area at the dam.  Luckily, the bird was standing when I arrived about
1:40-pm.  Then, it settled down and tucked its bill.  I placed some phone
calls after that, and it was still in sleeping mode when I left.  Hopefully,
it will spend the night!

Karen Havlena
North of Fort Bragg, CA





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18 November 2009 -  I have been asked for an update on "AL's" (Laysan
Albatross) known arrival and departure dates so here they are:



?????               to         28 February 1994 when first discovered by
T.Easterla and J.Booker

30 Nov 1994      to         27 Mar  1995     report of two birds in
synchronized flight

5 Dec 1995        to         14 Mar  1996

3 Dec 1996        to         26 Mar 1997

27 Nov 1997      to         8  Mar 1998

12 Dec 1998      to         21 Mar  1999

4 Dec 1999        to         12 Feb 2000 with a fly-by-the-cove (same bird?)
on 2 Apr 2000 (G.Chaniot)

26 Nov 2000      to         26 Feb 2001

28 Nov 2001      to         24 Mar 2002

21 Nov 2002      to         12 Mar 2003

25 Nov 2003      to         28 Feb 2004

28 Nov 2004      to         21 Feb 2005

26-30 Nov 2005  to         19 Mar 2006

25 Nov 2006      to         16 Mar 2007

7 Dec 2007        to         5 Mar 2008

22 Nov 2008      to         23 Mar 2009  5:26 PM

18 Nov 2009      to         time-will-tell



Since Laysan Albatross are so long-lived (50+ years) it is absolutely
unknown as to how many years prior to 1994 that this bird may have been
using Point Arena Cove un-noticed.

Again, this is probably the only place on the west coast (WA/OR/CA) where
one can reliably see this species with the observer standing on solid ground
(not on a boat).



Good Birding.   Bob Keiffer



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Greetings Mendobirders-  There was a single AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN at Lake
Mendocino at 11:30 this morning.  The bird was on the exposed mud on the NE
corner of the dam just below the parking lot.  It should be easy to see; it
towers over the coots and miscreated waterfowl out there like the Pillsbury
Doughboy.  I did not see it there Sunday when I was picking through the
gulls.  Hopefully it will hang around a while.

Chuck




*********************************
Chuck and Barbara Vaughn
Ukiah, CA  95482

cevaughn@...

18 November 2009 - Tom Reid, from Point Arena, reports that the Point Arena
Harbor master Assistant watched "AL", the famous Laysan Albatross, fly into
Point Arena Cove at 9:00 AM this morning.   The bird settled into resting
just beyond the pier.  This will be the 17th consecutive (known) "winter
season" that the bird has returned to use the cove as safe haven for
resting.   Good Birding.   Bob Keiffer



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Tue Nov 17, 2009--While birding Lake Cleone on Monday at approx. 11:30 AM I
found a RED-TAILED HAWK in a tree on the north side of the lake near the
"pump-house". Upon reviewing the pictures I noticed a single silver band on the
right leg. The bird appeared to be an western intermediate (per Sibley) adult.

Richard Hubacek
Little River

I also saw, possibly a different, though presumably the same Marbled
Godwit as reported earlier by Floyd Hayes. The Marbled Godwit was
seen, while kayaking on Sunday afternoon, 11/15, at around 4 pm in
Rodman Slough, foraging on the mudflats about 400 meters from the
bridge on the slough side.

No other unusual birds were seen yesterday but, in the lake itself,
just beyond the slough, the incredible proliferation of hundreds &
hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls flying, swimming and foraging - both
skimming and diving - on the now shallow, glass-smooth lake was
stunning.

Vishnu

I birded with Doug Weidemann around Clear Lake yesterday. In addition to the
SURF SCOTERS in Lakeport we saw one other bird of interest, a MARBLED GODWIT at
the mouth (lake side) of Rodman's Slough. Amazingly it was foraging (or at least
trying to forage) on a few patches of mud, none more than a foot across, jutting
above the water near a small patch of reeds several hundred feet from shore. I
doubt it stayed there for long.

Floyd Hayes
Hidden Valley Lake, CA

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 -- This morning at 07:55 the two SURF SCOTERS were still
present off Library Park in Lakeport.  One was only about 20 feet from shore
off the boat ramp by the TNT Restaurant, and the other was about 60 feet
out.  They were underwater most of the time, and as I was watching them,
they worked their way south around Willow Point and out of view.  I missed
them yesterday at about the same time.
    Next I went on the Lakeside County Park to look for a Red-breasted
Sapsucker which would be my 200th Lake County year bird, but instead I found
a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER in the small eucalypt by the backstop of Ball
Field A. It is probably not a stretch to imagine that this is the same bird
that spent last winter in the same tree.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA



> From: "Jerry White" <white-jerry@...>
> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:18:07 -0800
> To: <Mendobirds@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [Mendobirds] Surf Scoters
>
> The two SURF SCOTERS were close to shore between the main pier and the TNT
> Restaurant around 10:30  this morning. They were still present when I went
> back around 1:00 pm or so.  Jerry White
>

Greetings Mendobirders-  Late this afternoon a male Costa's Hummingibird in
adult plumage made several visits to the feeders in our yard.  It is
probably not a stretch to imagine that this is the same bird that we saw
very intermittently in February and March last year.

Chuck and Barbara




*********************************
Chuck and Barbara Vaughn
Ukiah, CA  95482

cevaughn@...

Reminder-

Albatross and Penguins:The world through the Eyes of a Seabird

Monday November 16th 7:00 pm- Fort Bragg Town Hall
Mendocino Coast Audubon invites you to Join naturalist and popular
expedition leader, Ted Cheeseman, for a lecture exploring what it is to be a
seabird in the vast unforgiving desert of the open ocean. How is it that
albatross can fly 14,000 miles on a single feeding trip to bring home just
one meal for a chick? How can penguins thrive and raise chicks in the
world's harshest environments, but cannot survive in mild temperate waters?

Illustrated with images from worldwide travels with Cheesemans' Ecology
Safaris, Ted will tell stories of the new insight we have into the lives of
seabirds through recent science, especially GPS- telemetry. We are only now
learning about the truly magnificent lives of these penguins and albatross,
just as they face sharp declines at the hands of industrial fishing and
climate change. Ted frequently travels across the Southern Ocean to
Antarctica and to its sub- Antarctic islands, the heart of penguin and
albatross habitat. It is there that he will take you, on an entertaining and
educational journey diving with penguins and soaring with albatross, the
world's greatest mariners.

Ted's abiding love of penguins and albatross stems from a lifetime of
guiding travelers to remote seabird breeding colonies. He grew up traveling
extensively with Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris, and began studying and
photographing wildlife very early. Just as Ted completed a master's degree
in tropical conservation biology at Duke University, the icy grip of the
Antarctic took hold of Ted's heart and he returned to his home state of
California to lead and organize expeditions.

  Audubon meetings are open to the public at no charge, however a donation to
cover costs of these programs is always welcome.  For further information
call 937-4463 or go to www.mendocinocoastaudubon.org
<http://www.mendocinocoastaudubon.org/> .




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Forgot to mention the Scoters are in Lakeport at Library Park, found yesterday
by Chuck and Barbara Vaughn.  Jerry White

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The two SURF SCOTERS were close to shore between the main pier and the TNT
Restaurant around 10:30  this morning. They were still present when I went back
around 1:00 pm or so.  Jerry White

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Greetings Mendobirders-  Barbara and I watched 2 Scoters with our
binoculars at about 1 pm today (Nov 14) off of Library Park in Lakeport.  I
am quite confident that they were juvenile SURF SCOTERS, but am hoping
somebody can get out there with a scope to confirm this.

Thanks,  Chuck




*********************************
Chuck and Barbara Vaughn
Ukiah, CA  95482

cevaughn@...

Geoff and I refound the Chestnut-collared Longspur today at 1PM in the same
general location it was seen previously, southeast of the monument on the
Mendocino headlands. It's a skulker.

Cheryl Watson
Ukiah, CA

Tue Nov 10, 2009--Karen Havlena and I found the CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR
reported by Toby at approx. 3:45PM. It wasn't easy. We found it in the long
grass field just south/east of the monument by walking thru it. It flew to about
50-60 feet south of the monument and we lost it when it jumped off the bluff
into the grassy area just below the bluff. Got some pictures and if they're any
good will post.

Richard Hubacek
Little River

Tue Nov 10, 2009---Per a message on my answering machine, Toby found a single
1st winter CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR at 11:00AM today. It was located at the
south/west section of the headlands, just south of the monument.

Richard Hubacek for Toby

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 -- This morning an adult (returning?) FERRUGINOUS HAWK
was on a cypress across Hwy 1 from Ocean Meadows north of the Ten
Mile R.  There has been a FEHA covering that area every winter since
we moved here in 2005.

At Lake Cleone, there was a female WHITE-WINGED SCOTER out on the
middle of the lake.  The 2 REDHEADs were visible, also. The heavy surf and
high tides broke down more of the Haul Rd barrier between the cove and Lake
Cleone.  A lot of sand had been bulldozed off the road to Laguna Point, and
kelp was strewn over the parking lot at the lake. 

Karen Havlena
North of Fort Bragg, CA




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TOP CALIFORNIA EXPERT ON PEREGRINE FALCONS TO SPEAK IN UKIAH ON THURSDAY,
NOVEMBER 19 AT THE UKIAH CIVIC CENTER, 7 P.M.

by Kate Marianchild

Peregrine falcons, the fastest birds on earth, like Mendocino County. In fact,
our county has more peregrines breeding here than any other county in the lower
48 eight states. They nest on cliff ledges 50-200 feet above the ground and seem
to favor our county's isolated rocky cliffs and knolls, our mild climate, and
the abundant birds available for hunting. Not many birds of prey are fast and
agile enough to rely on birds as their primary food source, but with diving
speeds of up to 273 miles per hour and the ability to make quick turns, these
falcons are the ideal predators of other flying birds.

Once it was extremely rare to see a peregrine falcon racing in hot pursuit of a
duck or a dove in Mendocino County. From 1950-1975 populations fell dramatically
in the U.S. to the point that by 1965 the birds were almost extinct east of the
rockies and were down to 10% of their former numbers in the west. Abandoned nest
sites were common on the cliffs and ledges of Mendocino, and by 1975 only 15
pairs of peregrine falcons were known to be nesting in the entire state of
California.

Enter Dr. Monte Kirven, one-time Ukiah-based biologist and upcoming speaker for
Peregrine Audubon Society. In 1966, Dr. Kirven and other biologists began to
study breeding peregrine falcons, collecting the data that eventually revealed
the role of DDT and other toxic chemicals in the now well-known problem of
eggshell thinning. Their research was instrumental in the passage of the 1992
federal legislation that banned DDT.

In 1981, nine years after DDT was banned, Dr. Kirven was assigned to Ukiah's
Bureau of Land Management office to see how peregrine falcons were faring in our
region. He scoured Mendocino National Forest, as well as Six Rivers, Shasta, and
Trinity National Forests, by helicopter and by foot, finding many previously
unrecorded active nests as well as nests that had once been abandoned and were
now reoccupied. He describes his Ukiah-based years as the most important of his
25-year study of peregrine falcons. Eleven years after arriving here, Dr. Kirven
and a Santa Cruz-based scientist, Dr. Brian Walton, were able to publish a paper
that reported an increase in California's breeding peregrine falcon population
from 15 pairs in 1975 to 113 pairs in 1992! Dr. Kirven describes it as "a
conservation success of unprecedented magnitude that resulted in the recovery of
the most spectacular member of our wildlife heritage, the American peregrine
falcon."

Look for a medium-sized raptor with pointed wing tips, a uniform pattern of fine
dark and light lines over most of its underside, and a large dark "mustache" on
each cheek. You might see it flapping rapidly or diving and twisting through a
flock of birds, causing them to scatter. If you would like to thank someone for
the almost forever-lost opportunity to see such a sight in our county, you will
soon have an opportunity to do so.

Dr. Monte Kirven, now a Santa Rosa resident, will present a slideshow on
California's peregrine falcons on Thursday, November 19, 7 p.m., at the Ukiah
Civic Center. The slideshow will include great photographs of falcon nests and
chicks.

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.


Submitted by

Kate Marianchild
Writer, Editor, Publicist
707-463-0839

Sun Nov 8, 2009--I was able to refind the SWAMP SPARROW at 10 Mile Bridge at
1:30 PM. I got a good look at the adult. There was a second bird that was the
same size as the SWAMP SPARROW and smaller then a nearby Song Sparrow but it
didn't allow a good look.

There are 3 bridges, new, old, and a lower work bridge. You can walk out on the
work bridge. I located the bird at about where the swallow nests start on the
old bridge. There are horizontal iron girders under the old bridge. The SWAMP
SPARROW was following these girders south towards the Red Crane when I lost it
(them).

Richard Hubacek
Little River

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 -- There are two SWAMP SPARROWs below the
old Ten Mile R. bridge near the huge, red crane on the south side of
the river.  One bird is an adult in basic plumage and the other is an
immature.  Toby Tobkin found one of them, and after her call to me,
I saw the two birds together, thus finding the 2nd bird. 

Coincidentally, Swamp Sparrow has my goal for a couple of weeks,
and I was inland along the Ten Mile looking, when Toby found the first
bird.  A half hour later, I saw the two birds together.

Look directly underneath the bridge(s), just east of the large crane.
The workers will be on the low, wooden bridge during the week, so
go very early or late in the afternoon.

Karen Havlena
Ten Mile area,
North of Fort Bragg, CA




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Sandhill Crane Festival, Nov 6-8, 2009

There are several events of interest to birders at this year's Sandhill Crane
Festival in Lodi.

Saturday's featured speaker will be Paul Bannick, an award-winning photographer,
whose presentation "The Owl and The Woodpecker: Encounters with North America's
Most Iconic Birds" will look at the way owls and woodpeckers define and enrich
their habitats and how their life histories are intertwined.  His photographs,
including many from his 2008 book, can be viewed at www.paulbannick.com.  The
San Joaquin Audubon Society is a major sponsor of Paul Bannick's presentation.

Sunday's featured speaker will be Paul Tebbel, who has worked with cranes since
1976, including 11 years as the director of Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary on the
Platte River in Nebraska.  His video presentation "Sandhill Crane Behavior" will
help the audience better understand crane body language, vocalizations, and
other behaviors.

Admission to the Festival is free, including the Friday evening reception, where
Dan Gifford of CDFG will be recognized with the Festival's annual Conservation
Award.  Free events on Saturday and Sunday include a variety of presentations,
workshops, and kids activities, the Art Show, and Exhibit Hall.  The Festival
will be held a Hutchins Street Square, 125 S. Hutchins Street in Lodi. 
Directions and more information about the Festival can be found at
www.cranefestival.com or by calling 800-581-6150.



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Thursday, 11/5/2009.
The Mendocino Coast Audubon Society invites interested persons with all levels
of birding skill to join in our thirty-sixth annual Christmas Bird Count on
Saturday, January 2. Small groups will survey assigned areas throughout the day.
Those who are able to stay will then meet for a catered dinner (BYOB) at Druid's
Hall in beautiful downtown Point Arena to report their findings.


The count area, which is centered near Manchester, stretches from Cuffey's Cove
near Elk to the northern edge of Point Arena and contains some of the best
birding habitat along our coast.  The first Christmas Count in this area was
held on December 15, 1974. Nine observers reported a total of 60 different
species. The number of participants as well as reported species has continued to
grow since then. Last year forty-two observers reported a total of 140 species.



If you are interested in participating in this year's count, please contact
David Jensen at djensen@... or leave him a phone message at 964-8163. Even
if you are not an expert in the identification of gulls or sparrows, you can
still be a productive member of this effort and will certainly have an enjoyable
day in a beautiful part of our coast.


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Tues, 3 Nov 2009 -- Dorothy ""Toby" Tobkin called late Tuesday that she
saw the COMMON MOORHEN on the east side of Lake Cleone again.  Toby
originally found the bird on 13 September.  She also saw the 2 REDHEADS
again, as well.

For Dorothy Tobkin

K. Havlena
Fort Bragg, CA




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This morning before 10 a.m. on a shorebird survey, a volunteer spotted what we
believe is a Tropical Kingbird in the lone tree on the trail just east of the
main beach at Glass Beach in Fort Bragg.  The bird had a typical Kingbird shape,
gray head and BRIGHT yellow underparts.  It was in the top of the tree and flew
south--so our look was brief.  We talked with Karen Havlena and Toby Tobkin, and
we think it was probably a Tropical Kingbird. Just a note--the tourists have
left and the birds and insects are back at the beach.

Tues, 3 Nov, 2009 -- Dorothy "Toby" Tobkin just called having spotted one
ROCK SANDPIPER at Glass Beach, MacKerricher SP in Fort Bragg.  The bird
was roosting with Black Turnstones and Surfbirds on the 2nd largest rock
to the left of the sandy beach.  Take the right fork from the main pathway
at the west end of Elm St, Fort Bragg.

For Dorothy Tobkin

K. Havlena
Fort Bragg, CA 




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