Date: 5/13/24 8:59 am From: Robert Keiffer via groups.io <rjkeiffer...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Sunday - 12 May 2024, Rufous-crowned Sparrows are once again singing along the Mountain House Rd (hwy 128 to Hopland road). The location is a sloping hillside with scattered coyote bushes very near the 10 MPH sign/ gravel dirt section of road. This is only about an eighth mile from Hwy 128. Two were heard singing, one photographed.
Good birding. Bob Keiffer. <rjkeiffer...> Hopland MEN CA
Date: 5/11/24 9:47 pm From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Noyo Pelagic Trip summary 11 May 24
I forgot to mention what for some was the highlight of the trip - our
only passerine, at one of the chum slicks, about 25 miles from shore,
possibly a warbler, no, probably a sparrow, yes, possibly, no probably,
a /Spizella/, and Chipping Sparrow makes the most sense. Luckily Tim
Bray got rather incredible (under the circumstances) photos of a nice
spring-plumaged Clay-colored Sparrow!
Cheers, Peter
On 5/11/2024 9:06 PM, Peter Pyle via groups.io wrote:
> Greetings Mendobirds,
>
> Thirty-one birders had a pleasant and fun pelagic trip today with
> Captain Richard Thornton (https://anchorcharterboats.com/) on the
> Kraken. Winds were calm in the morning and picked up to moderate from
> the SW in the afternoon. The dense fog helpfully held off until about
> an hour after the trip. We went WSW to the Navarro Canyon and the
> continental slope, 18-22 miles from shore, then out into the deep
> water off the continental shelf out to 30 miles and put out two chum
> slicks.
>
> Birds were sparse at first as we traversed the 'salmon water' out to
> 15 miles off shore. The upwelling of this past week followed by two
> sunny days created a phytoplankton bloom that is good for catching
> salmon and to kick-start this summer's marine food web, but is not
> that great for in-situ birdlife. The sea surface temp (SST) was a cold
> 52 degrees F. About 15 miles from shore we began to see whales
> breaching on the horizon. We passed over a sharp break from the salmon
> water to clear blue pelagic water and the sea breeze noticeably
> warmed, as the SST shifted instantly to 56 degrees.
>
> In this area is where we encountered most of today's wildlife action:
> 80-100 feeding, spouting, breaching, spy-hopping Humpback Whales,
> included 2-3 'friendlies' that camped under the boat, fully visible in
> the clear water and gracing us with their aromatic, rainbow-inducing
> breath-spray. Accompanying this whale frenzy were some 5,000-10,000
> birds, including mostly Sooty Shearwaters but also 100's of Sabine's
> Gulls and Pink-footed Shearwaters, dozens of Black-footed Albatrosses
> and full-alternate plumaged Red-necked and Red Phalaropes, and 1-3
> each of Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers,
> Laysan Albatrosses, and Northern Fulmars among the regular gulls,
> alcids, Pacific loons, and etc. It was one of those rare situations
> where there were so many birds and other stuff to look at that we
> could not find anything different, although surely there was something
> good in there. Some 200-300 Pacific White-sided Dolphins sallied and
> jumped about accompanied by a few Northern Right Whale Dolphins, and
> both species of fur seals and both species of sea lions were part of
> the fray.
>
> Birds were sparser in the deep water although the chum slicks
> attracted more Fork-tailed and Ashy Storm-Petrels. Up to 50+
> Black-footed and at least 3 Laysan Albatrosses sat and squabbled
> within feet of the boat. One of the highlights for all were the number
> of Sabine's Gulls, probably 600-800 total, all around us the entire
> day, in singles, small groups, and flocks up to 60 or so heading
> north. The great majority were in full breeding plumage but there were
> others in various stages of molt and with nearly entirely white heads,
> likely first-cycle birds (will have to analyze some of the tens of
> thousands of images and videos taken...). On the way home a small
> group of 5+ Elegant Terns passed by heading north, part of a recent,
> now-annual, and quickly increasing incursion of these up the Central
> and Northern California coast in April and May.
>
> A couple of distant possible Murphy's Petrels were the only more
> sought-after species seen (there have been much fewer of these
> encountered off our coast this spring than last spring). But all
> agreed the whale/shearwater show and 100s of breeding plumaged
> phalaropes and Sabine's Gulls made for an unforgettable trip. A full
> eBird trip report will be filed by Rob Fowler.
>
> We have an extra trip planned for Monday July 22nd, a month when
> really rare albatrosses and seabirds from the Southern Hemisphere have
> been encountered during disproportionately low offshore birding
> effort. If you are interested in joining in on this trip please
> contact Chuck Vaughn <cevaughn...>.
>
> Hope to see you out there on this or a future trip.
>
> Peter
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 5/11/24 9:06 pm From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Noyo Pelagic Trip summary 11 May 24
Greetings Mendobirds,
Thirty-one birders had a pleasant and fun pelagic trip today with
Captain Richard Thornton (https://anchorcharterboats.com/) on the
Kraken. Winds were calm in the morning and picked up to moderate from
the SW in the afternoon. The dense fog helpfully held off until about an
hour after the trip. We went WSW to the Navarro Canyon and the
continental slope, 18-22 miles from shore, then out into the deep water
off the continental shelf out to 30 miles and put out two chum slicks.
Birds were sparse at first as we traversed the 'salmon water' out to 15
miles off shore. The upwelling of this past week followed by two sunny
days creates a phytoplankton bloom that is good for catching salmon and
to kick-start this summer's marine food web, but is not that great for
in-situ birdlife. The sea surface temp (SST) was a cold 52 degrees F.
About 15 miles from shore we began to see whales breaching on the
horizon. We passed over a sharp break from the salmon water to clear
blue pelagic water and the sea breeze noticeably warmed, as the SST
shifted instantly to 56 degrees.
In this area is where we encountered most of today's wildlife action:
80-100 feeding, spouting, breaching, spy-hopping Humpback Whales,
included 2-3 'friendlies' that camped under the boat, fully visible in
the clear water and gracing us with their aromatic, rainbow-inducing
breath-spray. Accompanying this whale frenzy was some 5,000-10,000
birds, including mostly Sooty Shearwaters but also 100's of Sabine's
Gulls and Pink-footed Shearwaters, dozens of Black-footed Albatrosses
and full-alternate plumaged Red-necked and Red Phalaropes, and 1-3 each
of Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, Laysan
Albatrosses, and Northern Fulmars among the regular gulls, alcids,
Pacific loons, and etc. It was one of those rare situations where there
were so many birds and other stuff to look at that we could not find
anything different, although surely there was something good in there.
Some 200-300 Pacific White-sided Dolphins sallied and jumped about
accompanied by a few Northern Right Whale Dolphins, and both species of
fir seals and both species of sea lions were part of the fray.
Birds were sparser in the deep water although the chum slicks attracted
more Fork-tailed and Ashy Storm-Petrels. Up to 50+ Black-footed and at
least 3 Laysan Albatrosses sat and squabbled within feet of the boat.
One of the highlights for all were the number of Sabine's Gulls,
probably 600-800 total, all around us the entire day, in singles, small
groups, and flocks up to 60 or so heading north. The great majority were
in full breeding plumage but there were others in various stages of molt
and with nearly entirely white heads, likely first-cycle birds (will
have to analyze some of the tens of thousands of images and videos
taken...). On the way home a small group of 5+ Elegant Terns passed by
heading north, part of a recent, now-annual, and quickly increasing
incursion of these up the Central and Northern California coast in April
and May.
A couple of distant possible Murphy's Petrels were the only more
sought-after species seen (there have been much fewer of these
encountered off our coast this spring than last spring). But all agreed
the whale/shearwater show and 100s of breeding plumaged phalaropes and
Sabine's Gulls made for an unforgettable trip. A full eBird trip report
will be filed by Rob Fowler.
We have an extra trip planned for Monday July 22nd, a month when really
rare albatrosses and seabirds from the Southern Hemisphere have been
encountered during disproportionately low offshore birding effort. If
you are interested in joining in on this trip please contact Chuck
Vaughn <cevaughn...>.
Hope to see you out there on this or a future trip.
Date: 5/9/24 2:07 pm From: Jessica Morton via groups.io <jessica...> Subject: [Mendobirds] LALO at Noyo
Lapland Longspur refound at 1:15 and observed for the next hour, thanks to Matt’s excellent directions.
Bird was feeding continuously in the grass, mainly between trashcan and picnic table, moving only slightly whenever people with dogs approached.
Date: 5/8/24 10:56 am From: Matt Franks via groups.io <mistermicrophone...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Lapland Longspur at Noyo Headlands
The Lapland Longspur continues this morning at Noyo Headlands, between the bathrooms and the cliffs, foraging just off the laths. Found by Lisa Walker-Roseman this morning and spotted by several others. Beautiful breeding male.
Date: 5/5/24 7:40 pm From: Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Lapland Longspur / Noyo Headlands Punchbowl
This morning, Michael P. reported a Lapland Longspur at Noyo Headlands
near the Punchbowl at the south-westernmost corner of the park past the
bathrooms overlooking the buoy.
Date: 5/5/24 6:27 pm From: Tim Bray via groups.io <tbray...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Bonaparte's Gulls and Pacific Loons
Big flight of Bonaparte's Gulls and Pacific Loons this afternoon, going
north low over the water just offshore at Mendocino Headlands and
probably visible from any good promontory. The Gulls were strung out in
a nearly continuous line just outside the rocks and the Loons were in
loose flocks of around 20 birds every few seconds.
I didn't have my scope so couldn't tell what else was out there, but
expect Phalaropes are also going by. Someone sent me a photo of an
injured bird in Boonville and it was a female Red-necked Phalarope in
breeding plumage.
Big colonies of Common Murres and Brandt's Cormorants on the rocks off
the north headlands at Mendocino. The Murres are crowded together in
several places and are vocalizing. Some Brandt's Cormorants are already
on nests and others are building theirs.
There were a few Brown Pelicans, including adults, on the farthest rock.
Date: 5/3/24 4:21 pm From: Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Sarah Flaim / Hermit Warbler / Gravel Pit Rd
Sarah Flaim reports a Hermit Warbler at the entrance to Gravel Pit Road,
2.5 mi east on Highway 20 out of Ft Bragg - at Jackson State
Demonstration Forest. She has a wonderful photo of the bird.
Date: 5/1/24 8:05 pm From: Roger Adamson via groups.io <radamson...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Ward Ave shorebirds
Easily a couple thousand shorebirds seen this morning at Ward Avenue and
north. Mostly Western Sandpipers with high numbers of Dunlin, Least
Sand, Sanderlings, and Semi-palmated Plovers. At least 10 Ruddy
Turnstones, 30-50 Whimbrel, one Marbled Godwit, a couple of Short-billed
Dowitchers, and a few Snowy Plover. They were all terrified by a young
Peregrine. Several Caspian Terns flew by and one White-Winged Scoter
made an appearance.
Roger Adamson
Fort Bragg
Date: 4/30/24 12:23 pm From: Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Shorebird Migration is in Full Swing
Hi, all!
Virgin Creek Beach saw a lot of shorebird activity early this morning -
my list:
List of shorebirds from this morning:
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Sanderling
Semipalmated Plover
Dunlin
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Black-bellied Plover
Short-billed Dowitcher
Whimbrel
Marbled Godwit
It paid to go out in that horribly cold wind! I only wish I had worn a
jacket!
I didn't add Killdeer to the list. So that makes 12 total species of
shorebirds, with 11 of them being migrants
On Sun, Apr 28, 2024 at 8:28 PM Robert Keiffer via groups.io <rjkeiffer=
<att.net...> wrote:
> 28 April 2024. Today I found a Turkey Vulture nest cavity in a hollow
> black oak tree. The trunk has a 1” crack near the base and I was able to
> peek at the two eggs inside. The adult had scrambled up and out of the
> cavity as I got close to the base.
> I cannot stress the importance of old decadent hollow oak trees! Good
> birding. Bob Keiffer. Hopland, Mendocino County <rjkeiffer...>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 4/29/24 3:35 pm From: Larry Jordan via groups.io <thelarryjordan...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] TUVU nest and eggs
That is a very cool find! And an excellent photo. Thanks for sharing that.
Larry
On Sun, Apr 28, 2024 at 8:28 PM Robert Keiffer via groups.io <rjkeiffer=
<att.net...> wrote:
> 28 April 2024. Today I found a Turkey Vulture nest cavity in a hollow
> black oak tree. The trunk has a 1” crack near the base and I was able to
> peek at the two eggs inside. The adult had scrambled up and out of the
> cavity as I got close to the base.
> I cannot stress the importance of old decadent hollow oak trees! Good
> birding. Bob Keiffer. Hopland, Mendocino County <rjkeiffer...>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 4/28/24 8:28 pm From: Robert Keiffer via groups.io <rjkeiffer...> Subject: [Mendobirds] TUVU nest and eggs
28 April 2024. Today I found a Turkey Vulture nest cavity in a hollow black oak tree. The trunk has a 1” crack near the base and I was able to peek at the two eggs inside. The adult had scrambled up and out of the cavity as I got close to the base.
I cannot stress the importance of old decadent hollow oak trees! Good birding. Bob Keiffer. Hopland, Mendocino County <rjkeiffer...>
Date: 4/28/24 11:43 am From: kent leland via groups.io <kentleland...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Long-tailed duck
Hi folks,
I finally saw the female Long-tailed Duck. It right where Lisa has seen it. When you stand on the Haul road bridge on Virgin creek look east toward the house with the American flag. Virgin Creek takes a left hand turn there. The duck is behind the bank most of the time but occasionally it will come out and be visible. It did not ever come toward the bridge when I was observing it. Good luck spotting it.
Date: 4/27/24 3:37 pm From: Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Hummingbirds puzzle
On 2024-04-27 1:52 pm, Kitty & Creek Norris wrote:
>> Hi Folks
>>
>> We had about 50-60 hungry hummingbirds arrive around first week of
>> March.We had 6 feeders out, and were refilling them like busy
>> caterers.
>> They left, en masse, around 20-22 of April.
>> We normally spend Mid-March - October-ish catering to these little
>> ones, and this was a surprise.
>> What is happening at your places? Did they show up at yours?
>>
>> Kitty &Creek
>> SW of Willits
I had several at mine and they always disappear at the same time of year
- they are nesting, or have moved off to different areas for nesting
season. They will be back. This time of year they are hunting more
insects and are more interested in natural food sources for their
babies.
Just as the Manzanita started to bloom we had three or four Rufus hanging out for two or three days. We get an occasional Anna's that are hit and miss at best. Where we live in Brooktrails it's nearly a bird free area. Our Yard List is pitiful.Luck!F and D Sanderson Brooktrails
On Sat, Apr 27, 2024 at 2:42 PM, Sarah via groups.io<redwoodsinger...> wrote: Same here 2 miles east of Fort Bragg…I have 2 Rufus and maybe 1 Anna’s! This has happened other years but not so quickly and down to almost none! Ours usually increased in Oct/November as well briefly before winter…
Sarah, PT
On Apr 27, 2024, at 1:52 PM, Kitty & Creek Norris <kitty...> wrote:
Hi Folks
We had about 50-60 hungry hummingbirds arrive around first week of March.We had 6 feeders out, and were refilling them like busy caterers.
They left, en masse, around 20-22 of April.
We normally spend Mid-March - October-ish catering to these little ones, and this was a surprise.
What is happening at your places? Did they show up at yours?
Date: 4/27/24 1:53 pm From: Kitty & Creek Norris via groups.io <kitty...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Hummingbirds puzzle
Hi Folks
We had about 50-60 hungry hummingbirds arrive around first week of March.We had 6 feeders out, and were refilling them like busy caterers.
They left, en masse, around 20-22 of April.
We normally spend Mid-March - October-ish catering to these little ones, and this was a surprise.
What is happening at your places? Did they show up at yours?
Date: 4/20/24 9:20 am From: jackson_us via groups.io <jackson2...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Early juvenile brown pelicans and a few other sightings
I'm so very glad to learn this. It just seemed so wrong that juveniles would be here already. Thanks, Peter. I know we'll all be interested in learning how this year's nesting goes.
-----Original Message-----
From: <Mendobirds...> <Mendobirds...> On Behalf Of Peter Pyle
Sent: Saturday, April 20, 2024 7:50 AM
To: <feather...>; jackson_us <jackson2...>
Cc: <Mendobirds...>
Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Early juvenile brown pelicans and a few other sightings
Greetings all -
The brown-headed birds in Jeanne's photo are about a year of age rather than juveniles. These stay brown-headed through at least their second fall. You can tell by the white feathers coming in on the head and the worn plumage whereas juveniles are fresher and 'neater' overall and entirely brown headed.
Soon if not already the 'second-cycle' birds will begin molt of primaries whereas in juveniles these are not molted in the first summer so this is a quick way of telling them apart in flight. This isn't the best photo
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/463759601 but it shows two juveniles to the left followed by a second-cycle bird and an adult in June.
I think it's a bit early for juveniles up here, perhaps first being expected in late May. But it also relies a lot on how well they breed, which varies a lot inter-annually, from zero or very low productivity in many years to super productivity as we've seen during the past two seasons. I like determining ratios each summer and they have been in the 20-40% juvenile territory during the past two summers whereas there are many years with <5% or 0%. Last summer it was about 30% juveniles and 15% second-cycle birds. I haven't heard about this year yet, but with El Nino in we would expect productivity to be lower than average and perhaps a complete bust. That they are already flying north (and, yes, I've seen these as well this week) may not be a great sign regarding their nesting season this year.
Cheers, Peter
On 4/19/2024 4:01 PM, Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io wrote:
> Yesterday and today, I was seeing juveniles flying with adults, as
> well. All heading north, except ONE small group of four, who were
> heading south - Brown Pelicans, from Virgin Creek Beach.
>
> Lisa D Walker-Roseman
> Ft Bragg/Cleone
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 4/20/24 7:50 am From: Peter Pyle via groups.io <ppyle...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Early juvenile brown pelicans and a few other sightings
Greetings all -
The brown-headed birds in Jeanne's photo are about a year of age rather
than juveniles. These stay brown-headed through at least their second
fall. You can tell by the white feathers coming in on the head and the
worn plumage whereas juveniles are fresher and 'neater' overall and
entirely brown headed.
Soon if not already the 'second-cycle' birds will begin molt of
primaries whereas in juveniles these are not molted in the first summer
so this is a quick way of telling them apart in flight. This isn't the
best photo
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/463759601 but it shows two juveniles to the left followed by a second-cycle bird
and an adult in June.
I think it's a bit early for juveniles up here, perhaps first being
expected in late May. But it also relies a lot on how well they breed,
which varies a lot inter-annually, from zero or very low productivity in
many years to super productivity as we've seen during the past two
seasons. I like determining ratios each summer and they have been in the
20-40% juvenile territory during the past two summers whereas there are
many years with <5% or 0%. Last summer it was about 30% juveniles and
15% second-cycle birds. I haven't heard about this year yet, but with El
Nino in we would expect productivity to be lower than average and
perhaps a complete bust. That they are already flying north (and, yes,
I've seen these as well this week) may not be a great sign regarding
their nesting season this year.
Cheers, Peter
On 4/19/2024 4:01 PM, Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via
groups.io wrote:
> Yesterday and today, I was seeing juveniles flying with adults, as
> well. All heading north, except ONE small group of four, who were
> heading south - Brown Pelicans, from Virgin Creek Beach.
>
> Lisa D Walker-Roseman
> Ft Bragg/Cleone
>
>
>
>
>
Date: 4/19/24 4:01 pm From: Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> Subject: Re: [Mendobirds] Early juvenile brown pelicans and a few other sightings
Yesterday and today, I was seeing juveniles flying with adults, as well.
All heading north, except ONE small group of four, who were heading
south - Brown Pelicans, from Virgin Creek Beach.
Date: 4/19/24 3:51 pm From: jackson_us via groups.io <jackson2...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Early juvenile brown pelicans and a few other sightings
4/19/24
Hi All,
I've received several photos of brown-headed brown pelicans. I searched my
photos and didn't find any sightings of juvenile pelis until May. They are
headed north, passing Gualala yesterday and again today. Photo is by Michael
Reinhart. Have others seen juveniles this early in prior years?
Hermit thrush is singing in the mornings and evenings at my place in
Anchor Bay. I'll be listening for another to pair up with this most
excellent singer. (Hi, Robert Keiffer!)
Mature Bald eagle seen today at the Gualala River.
The Osprey nest I watch through a spotting scope has been rebuilt, but not
nearly as big as last year's rebuild. The female is sitting on the nest.
Also, gray whale mothers and calves are passing by now. Two pairs were
seen by the Mercers at the PA Lighthouse bluffs this afternoon.
Date: 4/18/24 6:07 pm From: Lisa D. Walker, (Feather Forestwalker) via groups.io <feather...> Subject: [Mendobirds] Long-tailed Duck continues, Virgin Creek
Hi, all,
The Long-tailed Duck in Virgin Creek continues. She's doing well in
spite of being in the middle of a bad molt; she was having a hard time
flying last time I saw her, but she is holding her own and sticking
close to the Johnston House. Some friends and I caught a distant glimpse
of her as she rested on the creek bank this morning, east of the bridge.
