Hi-
   In addition to the birds noted by Toby Tobkin on 11 December,
   Karen Havlena saw a Tree Swallow near Brush Creek, followed
   by David Jensen seeing a few more Tree Swallows and one
   swallow that had orange-tan underparts!   I didn't see it, but that
   would good to refind for the CBC.

   Karen & Jim later saw a bright, Orange-crowned Warbler and two
   Eurasian Collared-doves at the home on Duxbury with the beautiful,
   heather garden. Another Orange-crowned Warbler was on Miner
   Hole Road.

   Karen Havlena


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Shoreline, 200 yds south of Glass Beach - Dec 9th.
Tim Howe and I observed 3 male and 2 female HARLEQUIN DUCKS, jumping
playfully back and forth from a niche in the shore-rock to the water
about 2 feet below.  We watched them for about 20 minutes, leaving
them seemingly rooted to their spot!

There was a loose flock of at least 35 Tree Swallows between Quercus
Point and Clear Lake State Park this morning. They were seen by boat
from near shore to mid-lake, all in the count circle of the upcoming
CBC. They were attempting to find a meal while flying just above the
surface of the lake. Hopefully some of them will hang around through
the weekend. Also seen by boat at the outlet of Kelsy Creek were a
roughly estimated count of about 400 American White Pelicans.
        Dave Woodward

Last year I remember seeing about 5 or 6 cackling geese at Lake Cleone,
right by the parking lot.  I remember thinking, gee, those look like
Canadians but they were so much smaller.  So it looks like they are spending
the winter at the Lake.   I think the ones I saw were adults.  They matched
up with Sibley perfectly.

The temperature never got above 40 degrees; there was rain, wind, fog  and a
little snow. Despite all of that the participants were able to tally 142 species
(subject to change).
Two species were new for the CBC list. A Barn Swallow (2nd winter record for the
county) found by Floyd Hayes and a
Wilson's Warbler (1st winter record for the county) found by Bryan McIntosh.
Other highlights included: Eurasian Wigeon, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Moorhen,
5 species of owl's, Tree Swallow's, and American Dipper.
JRW


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Golden Bird is a prize drawing of the Big Sit! sponsored by
Swarovski Optik N.A. This year's drawing was Northern Pygmy-Owl. The
only Big Sitters in North America to report Northern Pygmy-Owl back in
October were the Twitch Whiffers of Lake Mendocino, and Swarovski Optik
will be donating $500 to the Peregrine Audubon Society as a result.
      Fortunately several of the Whiffers were able to make it to the
Sit Site by 5 A.M. to hear this owl. This time the early birds got the
Golden Bird. Unfortunately this same owl would not speak up for the
Christmas count on Saturday.

George Chaniot

P.S. Three of the Twitch Whiffers made the pilgrimage to Lompoc last
Friday to see the Baikal Teal. This was one twitch we didn't whiff.

After looking through hundreds of crown sparrows on Saturday's CBC, I
finally found a white-striped phase white-throated sparrow at Oak Manor Park
in Ukiah. It was perched with some white-crowns in the shrubbery on the west
side of the creek behind the "Tot Play Area".

Demian Ebert


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi birders-

   Jim Havlena found several Red Phalaropes very near to shore
   where the Ten Mile River empties into the ocean by Whale Rock.

   I saw three of them.    --  Karen Havlena


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At least 7 Red Phalaropes continue this morning (Thursday) at
   the mouth of Ten Mile River.  They move around in the surf, very
   close to shore between the river and Whale Rock at the south
   end of Seaside Beach.
                                    --- Jim Havlena

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I headed to the coast today because of the reports of Red Phalarope from Jim and
Karen Havlena. At Lake Cleone there was a single Tree Swallow. From the Laguna
Pt parking area there were 2 Red Phalaropes flying low over the beach during a
heavy downpour. Later there were 2 more on the Westport Treatment pond along
with a female Hooded Merganser. At the Navarro
River there were at least 20 more Red Phalaropes.              JRW






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 -- Dorothy Tobkin found a SWAMP SPARROW  about 11:00  this
morning at the Big River marsh. Turn off Hwy 1 at the N. Big River road,
drive down the hill . The sparrow was in the marsh on the left just before
a row of rocks that keeps vehicles out. It was with Song Sparrows.

Mid-morning I chased north to the Westport Treatment pond, but I
   did not (yet again) see any female Hooded Merganser.  One Red
   Phalarope remained at the pond.  A dark Merlin flew over while I
   was there.
   At mile post 75.00, a little south of Chadbourne Gulch, an Osprey
   perched on the utility wires.

   Jim and I will attempt Big River and Navarro Rivermouth tomorrow
   and/or Sunday for a couple more county birds.

   Karen Havlena




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At 3:30 this afternoon, Toby Tobkin took a drive up Bald Hill Rd.

   She had 1 Ross' Goose, 1 imm. Snow Goose, and 1 White-
   fronted Goose in the large flock of Canada Geese on the west
   side of the road.

   Also, she had a Burrowing Owl in the same location that one
   wintered last year.  Look on the right (east) side of the road,
   where there is "yellow tape" across a gateway, fairly far up
   the road.  Look up the incline to the right.  The owl was at a
   burrow.

   Karen Havlena (for Toby)



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whatever.

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Sat, 24 Dec 2005 -- The fog cleared off of the lake at about 11:30 to
reveal a single RED PHALAROPE at the south end of Coyote Dam out from the
intake tower. This week's storm system seems to have blown them onshore and
even inland widely from California to Washington.  There was a small,
distant gull in the mists, probably a Bonaparte's Gull, and a ROCK WREN on
the dam at marker 011.
         The north end of the lake is full of floating debris from the storm
inflow, but among a group of about 200 scaup off Ky-En campground I found a
single CANVASBACK, two NORTHERN PINTAILS, and a dozen AMERICAN WIGEON.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Saturday Dec 24, 2005 - This morning at Big River I refound the SWAMP SPARROW
reported yesterday by Toby. From Hwy 1 turn east on North Big River Rd and
follow it for about a quarter mile until you see a row of large rocks bordering
the north side of the road.  The bird was in the brush on the north side of the
road at the very beginning (west end) of this row of large rocks.

Matthew Matthiessen
Ukiah, MEN, CA

Saturday, December 24, 2005.
So nice to have the rain stop. I went out Bald Hill to see the Burrowing Owl
this noon. There is a second (!) owl on the same knoll, about 100 yards to the
south and maybe ten feet higher up the slope, near the south end of that
formation. The second burrow faces to the southwest and can be clearly seen from
a point on the road about 200 yards south of the "rope gate."
On the west side of Bald Hill Road, there was a Ferruginous Hawk in the pine
trees northwest of the "rope gate", a Say's Phoebe was directly west of the
"rope gate', and the Snow and Ross'  Geese reported yesterday were still
present.

An observation and open question about the number of Red Phalaropes on the
coast. Today I saw at least 20 on Pudding Creek, several small flocks of 6-15
each flying in and out of Lake Cleone, heard a report of REPH dodging cars in
the parking lot at Arena Cove, saw 5 REPH on large mud puddles behind the motel
on Todd's Point, and they were not bathing. I think they were looking for food.
Yes, it has been stormy, with lots of rain, but the ocean has not been
particularly rough (no 40-foot waves). And although it was windy the past week,
there have been no downed trees or power outages. In other words, I do not
believe the weather and ocean conditions have been sufficiently severe to cause
such an influx.
Any thoughts?


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sat, 24 Dec 2005 -- I heard two hoots from a Long-eared Owl this evening
from West Road in Potter Valley about 1/4 mile north of my home. The time
was 17:37 - just about when all the light was gone from the sky. This was
exactly the same place on the western ridge that I heard one calling back
in January.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Mid-morning I saw the Swamp Sparrow in the marsh north of Big
   River.
   From Hwy 1, turn east and down the hill on N Big River Rd.  Turn
   east at the bottom of the hill.  Park across from the row of large
   boulders lining the road.
   The bird was in a slightly different spot from where Matthew saw
   it.  From the start of the rock row (west end), walk west about
   20-25 meters.  The sparrow was near a single cattail that still
   is completely covered in brown fuzz.  The bird popped up from
   the reeds and flew both to a coyote bush and back to one of the
   small trees.  Toby had arrived to see it fly back to the small
   tree and perch in the open.

   Also, there was an adult Snow Goose in a field near mile post
   66.50 on the east side of Hwy 1, just south of Little Valley Rd.

   Karen Havlena



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Monday, December 26, 2005:
An unusual number of Red Phalaropes continued to be present on freshwater
sources along the coast. For the record, Toby Tobkin reported seeing at least
200 REPH Saturday, 12/24 on Brush Creek. Today I began to find a few dead birds.
I pulled one off the surface of Lake Cleone this afternoon; I could feel no
breast muscle.  Another was picked up on Glass Beach by a tourist who reported
it could not fly. A few others appeared to be floating dead in other parts of
the lake. One was walking among the floating pond weed, apparently looking for
insects among the foliage. None are spinning in typical phlarope style.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

People driving north on Highway 1 from Jenner to Gualala/Point Arena on
Christmas (Sunday), as I did, saw more than 100 - 150 dead or injured
Phalaropes on and along the roadway, plus more than that number alive.
While most of these appeared to be Red Phalaropes, there were also some
Red-necked Phalaropes identified, too.  We began seeing the birds feeding on
worms on/along Highway 1 just north of Fort Ross.  When we appeared at The
Sea Ranch, most of the streets west of Highway 1 had MANY Red Phalaropes on
them: we had 8 on our block-long cul-de-saw.  People hiking this morning
reported finding them in the meadows and even in some areas with trees.
They appear weak and have no fear of automobiles or people, as one can walk
to within 4 - 5 feet before they fly.  Another birder at TSR had noted large
flocks migrating south over the near water on Saturday.  Several birds were
transported to the Bird Rescue Center in Santa Rosa yesterday and today.
Birders on TSR ListServ believed this phenomenon is related to the turbulent
ocean and poor feeding conditions at sea due to the prolonged series of
storms having forced the birds to seek food ashore.  Does anyone else have
other ideas?



TIA and Good Birding in 2006!

Rich



Richard Kuehn

WindandSea at The Sea Ranch, CA

N 38  44.93     W 123  31.66

http://ourlives-at-windandsea.info



Life is NOT a dress-rehearsal!





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I counted 50+ Red-throated Phalaropes in the short distance I could see both
up and down river at the Albion Field Station on the south side of the
Albion River this afternoon.  They seemed to continue along the river out of
view. They were busy feeding along the edge of the banks and in the eel
grass beds. A number would fly to nearby locations or to where other
Phalarope was swimming.  I didn't notice any of the typical spinning
behavior, but they were busy foraging for food - it appeared they were
eating what they found.  I didn't notice anything unusual about their
appearance except the absence of spinning. We have had Red-throated
Phalaropes on the Albion River in past years but not the numbers counted
today.  Ruth Wiebe: at the Albion Field Station on the south side of the
Albion River.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Greetings Mendobirders,

Yesterday, 12/26, at Cheryl Watson's suggestion that we look for some
Red Phalaropes come inland; Cheryl, Barbara Dolan, Geoff Heineken and
I betook ourselves to the Ukiah sewer treatment plant where we
encountered 14 of that species in apparently good health.

Other birds of note were a flock of over a dozen Green-winged Teal, a
lone Snow Goose and a pair of Sharp-shinned hawks intent on
maintaining a high level of anxiety among their avian cousins.

Vishnu

This was in the San Jose Mercury News this morning-



Rare birds mystify scientists

HUNGRY, STORM-TOSSED RED PHALAROPES SIGHTED IN BAY AREA

By Lisa M. Krieger

Mercury News

Pacific storms have blown thousands of rare sea birds into the Bay Area,
many of them weak, emaciated and seeking refuge in rain puddles of suburban
yards and parking lots. The small birds, called red phalaropes, ordinarily
live many miles off the Pacific coast and are rarely seen on land. Since the
afternoon of Christmas Day, they've been sighted in Los Gatos, Palo Alto,
San Francisco, even Campbell's percolation ponds at Budd Road and San Tomas
Expressway. Most abundant on the coast, a flock of 1,200 was reported near
Half Moon Bay.

``This is really unusual,'' said Alvaro Jaramillo, a biologist with the San
Francisco Bird Observatory in Alviso. ``There are more here than anybody can
remember, and we don't know why.''

Robbie Fischer of Pacifica saw one fly down her suburban street as she
stepped out onto her front porch to get laundry  ``It was at eye level,
eight feet off the ground, more than a mile inland from the ocean,'' said
Fischer, who is a member of the Western Field Ornithologists. ``We're used
to seeing sparrows and chickadees, yard birds like that.''

Normally they are wary of humans. And they only come on land in the Arctic,
where they briefly breed and raise their young.  Last week, many red
phalaropes in a weakened condition made landfall in coastal Oregon.

On Christmas Day, news of the first sightings along the Sonoma County coast
-- from Jenner to Point Arena -- was spread by bird enthusiasts who
regularly alert each other when they sight rare birds. Word quickly spread
about the red phalaropes by computer and cell phone.

By Monday, they had arrived in the Bay Area. In Palo Alto, Ron Wolf saw
three paddling down a flood channel by the town recycling center near Bixby
Park. Others have been sighted in Lexington Reservoir. They've been seen in
ponds near San Jose's Almaden Expressway and by a restroom at Mountain
View's Shoreline Park.  There were at least 18 near the concrete bridge at
San Francisco's urban Lake Merced; four were seen in the Presidio.  Many are
weary, allowing people to approach closely. Some have been killed by cats
and gulls. Along Highway 1, hundreds were reportedly struck by cars.

One was rescued from traffic in a busy parking lot on San Pablo Avenue in
the East Bay town of Albany.

Seven weak birds are resting in incubators at the Peninsula Humane Society
in San Mateo. The International Bird Rescue and Recovery Center in Cordelia
got three, all of which quickly died.

``They were emaciated, with anemia and low protein levels,'' suggesting
long-term starvation, said Marie Travers of the Peninsula Humane Society.

Their arrival is mystifying local biologists and animal lovers.  Weather may
be to blame. The birds float and eat by skimming sea life from the surface
of the water. Smaller than a robin, they are easily tossed and turned by
turbulent ocean waves and can't eat under those conditions.

``There are storms across the entire Pacific, from China to the west coast
of California. It's a steady stream of storms, with no break in between
them,'' said Steve Anderson, a forecaster with the National Weather Service
in Monterey.  Off the coast, waves are 15 to 25 feet high, with winds racing
from 30 to 50 mph. Rain is heavy, said Anderson.

It is also possible that the ocean has been less productive this year, so
food has been scarce, Jaramillo said.

If birds are healthy, people and their pets should keep a safe distance so
they are not frightened, advise bird experts. Weak or injured birds can be
taken to the Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo for emergency care.

This week's weather forecast -- seven days of intermittent storms -- does
not bode well for weak birds and it could be a while before they can head
back to the ocean.  But the Bay Area's rich estuaries could offer badly
needed food and rest.

``We don't know why they're here. They may have gotten off course, or pushed
in, due to the storms,'' Jaramillo said.  ``Or maybe they came here because
they had no other choice,'' he said. ``We don't understand.''





Richard Kuehn

WindandSea at The Sea Ranch, CA

N 38  44.93     W 123  31.66

http://ourlives-at-windandsea.info



Life is NOT a dress-rehearsal!





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 -- I took advantage of a slack in the rain to run out to
Lake Mendocino. The water has come up rapidly and is about 1.5 feet below
the inlet road. The north end of the lake is full of floating debris and
the ducks and grebes were dispersed. From the N. boat ramp and Oak Grove
parking lot I saw an adult male TUFTED DUCK among the 200 scaup. The black
back and gleaming white sides show up well among the scaup.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Yesterday, mid-morning I walked out to the Ten Mile Rivermouth,
   where a fairly large number of gulls were resting.  The most
   interesting were two Thayer's Gulls - an adult and a first year bird.

   Karen Havlena


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Thu, 29 Dec 2005 -- Today there were two RED PHALAROPES at Lake Mendocino
between the Joe Riley overlook and Perry Creek Cove. The 'event' continues.
         I could not refind the Tufted Duck today.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Hello Mendobirders,

I made a return trip to the Ukiah wastewater treatment plant on Wed.
12/28 and there were still 10 Red Phalaropes there; down from the 14
seen on Monday.

Also I got a close view and photograph of the goose seen by several
of us birders on Monday. After considerable discussion we had called
it a Snow Goose at that time and it was reported as such in a
Mendobirds post made by me on 12/27.  The closer view and photograph
rather clearly indicate, however, that this is a Ross' Goose. A
photograph will be posted to the Peregrine Audubon website very soon.

VIshnu

Greetings Mendobirders:  I had the opportunity to get out to the Ukiah
Sewage Treatment Plant this morning in between monsoons.  At least 10 RED
PHALAROPES continue.  They are feeding actively and appear in good
health.  There were 2 LEAST SANDPIPERS as well, and a SORA roaming around
the edge of an island of rushes.  I saw no geese.  I was very fortunate to
be watching a PEREGRINE FALCON through my scope when it took a GREEN-WINGED
TEAL out of the air over the ponds.  The falcon approached the duck from
above and behind and took it very casually, almost without a feather being
lost.  The falcon struggled to fly toward the river where it disappeared
low into the willows.  It was one of those occasions when you wonder
whether or not what you think you just saw actually happened?

Chuck



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

cevaughn@...

At Anderson Marsh in Lake County I saw (briefly but unmistakedly) a male
hooded merganser.  It was in Cache Creek on the nature trail behind the
ranchhouse.
----- Original Message -----
From: <Mendobirds@yahoogroups.com>
To: <Mendobirds@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2005 7:59 AM
Subject: [Mendobirds] Digest Number 902


>
> There are 2 messages in this issue.
>
> Topics in this digest:
>
>      1. RE: Continuing Red Phalaropes
>           From: Richard Kuehn <windnsea@...>
>      2. Tufted Duck
>           From: chaniot@...
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> Message: 1
>   Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 10:25:09 -0800
>   From: Richard Kuehn <windnsea@...>
> Subject: RE: Continuing Red Phalaropes
>
> This was in the San Jose Mercury News this morning-
>
>
>
> Rare birds mystify scientists
>
> HUNGRY, STORM-TOSSED RED PHALAROPES SIGHTED IN BAY AREA
>
> By Lisa M. Krieger
>
> Mercury News
>
> Pacific storms have blown thousands of rare sea birds into the Bay Area,
> many of them weak, emaciated and seeking refuge in rain puddles of
> suburban
> yards and parking lots. The small birds, called red phalaropes, ordinarily
> live many miles off the Pacific coast and are rarely seen on land. Since
> the
> afternoon of Christmas Day, they've been sighted in Los Gatos, Palo Alto,
> San Francisco, even Campbell's percolation ponds at Budd Road and San
> Tomas
> Expressway. Most abundant on the coast, a flock of 1,200 was reported near
> Half Moon Bay.
>
> ``This is really unusual,'' said Alvaro Jaramillo, a biologist with the
> San
> Francisco Bird Observatory in Alviso. ``There are more here than anybody
> can
> remember, and we don't know why.''
>
> Robbie Fischer of Pacifica saw one fly down her suburban street as she
> stepped out onto her front porch to get laundry  ``It was at eye level,
> eight feet off the ground, more than a mile inland from the ocean,'' said
> Fischer, who is a member of the Western Field Ornithologists. ``We're used
> to seeing sparrows and chickadees, yard birds like that.''
>
> Normally they are wary of humans. And they only come on land in the
> Arctic,
> where they briefly breed and raise their young.  Last week, many red
> phalaropes in a weakened condition made landfall in coastal Oregon.
>
> On Christmas Day, news of the first sightings along the Sonoma County
> coast
> -- from Jenner to Point Arena -- was spread by bird enthusiasts who
> regularly alert each other when they sight rare birds. Word quickly spread
> about the red phalaropes by computer and cell phone.
>
> By Monday, they had arrived in the Bay Area. In Palo Alto, Ron Wolf saw
> three paddling down a flood channel by the town recycling center near
> Bixby
> Park. Others have been sighted in Lexington Reservoir. They've been seen
> in
> ponds near San Jose's Almaden Expressway and by a restroom at Mountain
> View's Shoreline Park.  There were at least 18 near the concrete bridge at
> San Francisco's urban Lake Merced; four were seen in the Presidio.  Many
> are
> weary, allowing people to approach closely. Some have been killed by cats
> and gulls. Along Highway 1, hundreds were reportedly struck by cars.
>
> One was rescued from traffic in a busy parking lot on San Pablo Avenue in
> the East Bay town of Albany.
>
> Seven weak birds are resting in incubators at the Peninsula Humane Society
> in San Mateo. The International Bird Rescue and Recovery Center in
> Cordelia
> got three, all of which quickly died.
>
> ``They were emaciated, with anemia and low protein levels,'' suggesting
> long-term starvation, said Marie Travers of the Peninsula Humane Society.
>
> Their arrival is mystifying local biologists and animal lovers.  Weather
> may
> be to blame. The birds float and eat by skimming sea life from the surface
> of the water. Smaller than a robin, they are easily tossed and turned by
> turbulent ocean waves and can't eat under those conditions.
>
> ``There are storms across the entire Pacific, from China to the west coast
> of California. It's a steady stream of storms, with no break in between
> them,'' said Steve Anderson, a forecaster with the National Weather
> Service
> in Monterey.  Off the coast, waves are 15 to 25 feet high, with winds
> racing
> from 30 to 50 mph. Rain is heavy, said Anderson.
>
> It is also possible that the ocean has been less productive this year, so
> food has been scarce, Jaramillo said.
>
> If birds are healthy, people and their pets should keep a safe distance so
> they are not frightened, advise bird experts. Weak or injured birds can be
> taken to the Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo for emergency care.
>
> This week's weather forecast -- seven days of intermittent storms -- does
> not bode well for weak birds and it could be a while before they can head
> back to the ocean.  But the Bay Area's rich estuaries could offer badly
> needed food and rest.
>
> ``We don't know why they're here. They may have gotten off course, or
> pushed
> in, due to the storms,'' Jaramillo said.  ``Or maybe they came here
> because
> they had no other choice,'' he said. ``We don't understand.''
>
>
>
>
>
> Richard Kuehn
>
> WindandSea at The Sea Ranch, CA
>
> N 38  44.93     W 123  31.66
>
> http://ourlives-at-windandsea.info
>
>
>
> Life is NOT a dress-rehearsal!
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
> Message: 2
>   Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2005 10:47:42 -0800
>   From: chaniot@...
> Subject: Tufted Duck
>
> Wed, 28 Dec 2005 -- I took advantage of a slack in the rain to run out to
> Lake Mendocino. The water has come up rapidly and is about 1.5 feet below
> the inlet road. The north end of the lake is full of floating debris and
> the ducks and grebes were dispersed. From the N. boat ramp and Oak Grove
> parking lot I saw an adult male TUFTED DUCK among the 200 scaup. The black
> back and gleaming white sides show up well among the scaup.
>
> George Chaniot
> Potter Valley, MEN, CA
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> ________________________________________________________________________
>
>
> Unsubscribe: mailto:MENDOBIRDS-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MENDOBIRDS
> Listowners: mailto:MENDOBIRDS-owner@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@yahoogroups.com
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>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>

Friday, December 29, 2005 - "Al" the Laysan Albatross arrived at the Point Arena
Cove around 4:00 PM after having not been there for three days (checked
routinely by Brian and Karen Fitch (spelling?) from the Bay Area).  "Al"
cooperated by eventually flying near to the dock to settle in for the night.

Brian told me that one or possibly two Glaucous Gulls (2 year birds) were at the
cove earlier that day.

There were numerous Eared Grebes and a few Horned Grebes in the cove also.

I'm sure that I don't have to warn folks...but don't plan a trip to Point Arena
until this strom event has passed....you may get locked in there due to
flooding.

Good wet birding!   Bob Keiffer

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]