At about 11:00 AM this morning, Steve Stump, Nikki White and I saw the female REDHEAD found earlier by Chuck at the Ukiah Treatment Ponds(on the middle pond with a small flock of Ring-necked Ducks). That bird represents #300 for me for the year in Mendocino County.
Also of interest for the Treatment Ponds was an adult Glaucous-winged Gull that flew in while we were watching the duck. Jerry White

Greetings Mendobirders- Barbara and I had an adult male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD visiting our feeders this evening between 5:15 and 6:45. It gets later sooner now, so I don't know if he is still around. It is pretty hot. Except for an irruption of PINE SISKINS (also noted by Virginia and Andy not far south of us on the Russian River), not much else is new with yard birds.

Chuck and Barbara





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

cevaughn@...

Wed, 29 Sept 2010 -- Two AMERICAN AVOCETS were on the sandy shore, just
west of Ten Mile R. bridge about 4:15 this afternoon.  There certainly have been
quite a few AMAV this fall, both on the coast and inland in Mendocino County.

Karen Havlena
Ten Mile Area
North of Fort Bragg, MEN, California

29 Sep 2010

This morning at about 10:30a, Rich Kuehn and I found a BLACKPOLL WARBLER on Miner Hole road (between Pt. Arena and Manchester) about 0.5 mile in from Highway 1.

Other interesting birds were 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and at least 2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL at Hunter's Lagoon at the end of Barnegat Road (which is off Stoneboro Road just south of Manchester).

A NASHVILLE WARBLER and a CASSIN'S VIREO in the willows along the north shore of the Gualala River just west of Highway 1 were nice to see here in the south coast.

Good Birding,

Rich Trissel and Rich Kuehn
Gualala and Sea Ranch

On Sunday the 26th, Doug and Erika Weidemann and I censused waterbirds around the perimeter of Clear Lake from a motorboat. Unfortunately we didn't see anything unusual, but we were pleased to find that more than 30 nests of Aechmophorus grebes were still active, many nearly a mile from shore. Our best birds were at Borax Lake, where we saw two BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, a BLACK-NECKED STILT and a LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Surprisingly we didn't see any peeps.

Floyd Hayes
Hidden Valley Lake, CA

There was a CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER and a BLACKPOLL WARBLER on Monday morning at Usal. Jerry White

Mon 9/27 & Tue,28 September 2010 -- Dorothy Tobkin just now called that a
PECTORAL SANDPIPER is at Virgin Creek beach in MacKerricher SP. The
bird was on the main beach, although apparently much of the sand has been
washed out by the rough surf.  The bird was also seen Monday by Jerry White,
said Toby.

For Jerry White & Dorothy Tobkin

(Karen Havlena)  Fort Bragg, CA

Hi birders,

I know it goes without saying for most of us, but please realize this is NOT
a message from a real person. There are numerous scam messages floating
around using those phone numbers and this exact same text. Please do
yourself a favor and do NOT respond.

best,

Jeff (who actually lives in Mendo)

Hi,

I really don't mean to inconvenience you right now but I made a quick trip
to
the UK and I lost a bag which contains my passport and credit cards. I know
this
may sound odd, but it all happened very fast. I've been to the US embassy
and
they're willing to help me fly without my passport but I just have to pay
for my
ticket and settle some bills. Right now I'm out of cash plus i can't access
my
bank without my credit card over here. I have contacted them but they need
more
verification. I'm just gonna have to plead with you to lend me some funds
right
now? I'll pay back as soon as I get home. I need to get on the next
available
flight home.

Please reply as soon as you get this message so I can forward the details as
to
where to send the funds. You can reach me via the hotel's desk phone if you
can,
the numbers are, 011447024065511 or 011447024064567 You can also email me
via
my yahoomail, as I can easily access it here
chetogan@...<chetogan%40ymail.com>
I await your response...

Thanks
Chet Ogan

The male harlequin duck that has been at Dolphin Isle on the Noyo River returned on Saturday. We noticed his absence around the 15th of August. His colorful breeding plummage is just starting to come in.

If you stop by Dolphin Isle to see him, keep an eye out for our black crowned night herons. The colony is very active around dusk but a couple of birds including a juvenile are often visible during the day in the fir trees across from the old launch ramp.

We had a lot of green heron activity on the Noyo River this summer. We were seeing several birds up the river regularly as well as one in the "magic corner" across from the old launch ramp.

Best of days birding,
Cate
Liquid Fusion Kayaking

Hi,

I really don't mean to inconvenience you right now but I made a quick trip to
the UK and I lost a bag which contains my passport and credit cards. I know this
may sound odd, but it all happened very fast. I've been to the US embassy and
they're willing to help me fly without my passport but I just have to pay for my
ticket and settle some bills. Right now I'm out of cash plus i can't access my
bank without my credit card over here. I have contacted them but they need more
verification. I'm just gonna have to plead with you to lend me some funds right
now? I'll pay back as soon as I get home. I need to get on the next available
flight home.

Please reply as soon as you get this message so I can forward the details as to
where to send the funds. You can reach me via the hotel's desk phone if you can,
the numbers are, 011447024065511 or 011447024064567 You can also email me via
my yahoomail, as I can easily access it here chetogan@...
I await your response...

Thanks
Chet Ogan

Walked around Lake Cleone this morning. As I was on the dirt path on the southeast of the lake I came upon an explosion of birds; several marsh wrens, 30+ cedar waxwings, 7 winter wrens, chestnut-backed chickadees, steller's jays, mourning doves, 4 spotted towhees, 3 wrentits, 2 orange-crowned warblers, 1 hairy woodpecker, and song sparrows all within 5 minutes! other birds id'd this morning, acorn and downy woodpeckers, 1 western scrub jay, common ravens, mallards, 3 pied-billed grebes, 3 double-crested cormorants, 3 american coots, 1 killdeer, 1 black phoebe and of course brewer's blackbirds.

Fred Andrews

Wed, 22 Sept 2010 -- At Usal Camp, five AMERICAN AVOCETS were watched
by Chuck Vaughn, George Chaniot and myself, floating/swimming just beyond
the small, breaking waves at Usal Camp beach.  None of us could remember
seeing Am Avocets actually out on the water.  They maintained this behavior for
about 30 minutes, before flying from side to side of Usal cove. 

We stopped at Wages Creek, just north of Westport on Hwy 1, where we saw
two AMERICAN DIPPERS, one adult and one immature.  George commented
that the adult was chasing the young bird over the creek, perhaps hoping that
the immature would venture out on its own.

Later on Wednesday, I spotted a pale PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER on a large,
flat rock near the north end of Ward Ave, Cleone.  Also, in the adjacent surf,
Chuck located a HARLEQUIN DUCK.

At Laguna Point, MacKerricher SP, there was a enduring feeding frenzy that
included: POMARINE & PARASITIC JAEGERS, SOOTY SHEARWATERS,
and SABINE'S GULLS.  It was definitely a high point of the day's birding.

Karen Havlena, Chuck Vaughn and George Chaniot




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

21 September 2010 - Here at the UC-Hopland Research & Extension Center,
yesterday two staff employees independently observed a Golden Eagle (common
residents at HREC) on the ground adjacent to a large Bald-faced Hornet's
paper nest that had been dislodged from 20 feet above in a madrone tree.
The independent sightings meant that the eagle was flushed from the site
once and returned shortly after to the dislodged nest thus showing active
interest in the nest. I checked the nest out this morning intending to
look it over closely to see if there was evidence that the eagle may have
dislodged it from the tree. However, the nest still had active hornets
exiting the nest, and I was not about to stick around very close (I have
never been stung by one but I here that Bald-faced Hornets pack quite a
"wallops" with their stings . and are fairly aggressive when their nest is
disturbed). The approx 14 inch diameter nest was pretty much intact on the
ground and did not appear to be torn apart. It looks like about a 4" by 12"
long portion of it is still hanging in the tree. At this point I am
assuming that the eagle dislodged it from the tree, as I have never before
seen a nest dislodged by any sort of animal . the nests are usually adhered
quite well to a cluster of small branches. However, that is only an
assumption. Good birding. Bob Keiffer

20 September 2010 - It was just reported to me by one of UC-HREC's staff
that a roadrunner was observed in chaparral habitat at the top elevation of
the UC- Hopland Research & Extension Center. I am going to check the area
right now. For those that know the Center and might be interested in
pursuing this bird it was at the top of the Orchard Pasture, east of the
Orchard Rain gage, on the upper 4WD road just ENE of the "cow palace"
structure. You can make arrangements through me (or possibly Chuck Vaughn).
Good Birding! Bob Keiffer 707-744-1424 ext 112.

Hi all,
Below is the ebird report for yesterdays pelagic sponsored by Mendocino Coast Audubon aboard the "Telstar." Leaders were Bob Keiffer, John Sterling, and myself, Rob Fowler. Thanks to all the participants for a great time!

Location: Offshore pelagic (MEN Co.)
Observation date: 9/19/10
Notes: Mendocino Coast Audubon fall pelagic trip. Seas were calm so we headed southwest towards Navarro Canyon. We went to 21 miles offshore to where the water temperature shot up to 59 degrees and many albacore were present here but few birds. Heavy drizzle to rain in the morning to partly cloudy sunny skies in the afternoon. Overall a nice trip, especially for the jaegers.

Other animals: Northern Fur Seal-3, Dall's Porpoise-16 (1 melanistic individual seen), Pacific White-sided Dolphin- 10, Northern Right-whale Dolphin-5, Ocean Sunfish-10, Blue Shark-5.

Number of species: 22

Brant (Black) 55 2 flocks seen migrating over open ocean.
Black-footed Albatross 15
Northern Fulmar 10
Pink-footed Shearwater 55
Flesh-footed Shearwater 1
Buller's Shearwater 12
Sooty Shearwater 20
Ashy Storm-Petrel 1 Seen by few observers.
Pelagic Cormorant 1
Red-necked Phalarope 12
Red Phalarope 63 Most seen on the return trip.
Sabine's Gull 94 Many were flying south on the return trip.
Western Gull 60
California Gull 30
Common Tern 7
Arctic Tern 3
Common/Arctic Tern 4
South Polar Skua 9 Good number for the day!
Pomarine Jaeger 8
Parasitic Jaeger 20
Long-tailed Jaeger 70 By far the most common jaeger today with most ages seen and some groups sitting on the water.
jaeger sp. 25
Common Murre 8
Rhinoceros Auklet 110

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Thanks,

Rob Fowler

Yesterday I drove around Clear Lake with Doug Weidemann. At Borax Lake we saw two early male EURASIAN WIGEONS, a juvenile BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and a juvenile PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Near the north end of Clear Lake we saw an early pair of REDHEADS far from shore, perhaps a kilometer southeast of the bridge at Rodman Slough, while out in a canoe checking up on some late-nesting grebes that are still incubating eggs.

Back on September 3 I saw two BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS at Borax Lake.

Floyd Hayes
Hidden Valley Lake, CA

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 -- Chuck Vaughn & Jerry White also saw an AMERICAN
DIPPER west of the Wages Creek bridge (N Westport) this morning.  They
said that the Dipper was eating a large larva.  This location is a mile north
of Westport on Hwy 1.

Richard also forgot something else -- the SAGE THRASHER at Little River
airport was Richard's 300th MEN County bird -- congratulations Richard!!!

For CE Vaughn & JR White (and RE Hubacek),

(K Havlena)
Coastal Mendocino County




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

Sat Sep 18, 2010--Jerry White and Chuck Vaughn ask me to post a NORTHERN WATERTHUSH when I post the Sage Thrasher. I forgot!! They found the bird at Usal in the creek south of the coastal campground.

Richard Hubacek for Chuck and Jerry

Sat Sep 18, 2010--This morning I found a SAGE THRASHER at the Little River Airport at the west end. A large group of birders failed to refind the bird this afternoon. If you want to try, locate the airport. Park to the right of the terminal. Walk out to the taxiway and head west. Once the taxiway end there is a grassy area and then a large depression. The bird was last seen in the west end of the depression. Sage Thrashers like to hide on the ground but do come up to see what's happening from time to time. Will post a picture later.

Richard Hubacek
Little River

Hello All,

I am forwarding this email from a friend in Sonoma county. Her
directions are for coming from the south, so Mendocino folks, coming
from the north, will have to drive to Healdsburg, cross the Russian
R. on Hwy 101 and:

Take the Old Redwood Hwy exit
Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Healdsburg Ave
Turn left at Healdsburg Ave

Turn right at Bailhache Ave

Then follow the directions below. ~~~~ Vishnu

For you nature freaks
ML

Begin forwarded message:

From: Betsy Livingstone <betsl@...>
Date: September 17, 2010 4:46:18 PM PDT
To: ML Carle <mlml@...>
Subject: Vaux swifts

Hey ...

The Vaux swifts are doing their thing, at Rio Lindo Academy's
chimney. I was up there last night.

First Healdsburg exit Healdsburg Ave. Turn R on Bailache (before
the bridge) - there's a small sign that says Rio Lindo Academy - go
all the way up (3.5 miles), turn left into the campus, left again
around the buildings. It all happens between 6:45 (really by 7) &
is over at 7:45. You should go in the next few days.

Betsy

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