10:35 AM 9/3/03. Just saw four caspian terns fly over Eastside Calpella Road
toward Lake Mendocino. 3 adults and one immature. Jack Booth

There were more than 40 phalaropes at the north end of Borax Lake
in the city of Clearlake this afternoon. There were 8 Red-necked
Phalaropes near the northwest corner of the lake. A second group of
more than 30 phalaropes on the northeast side of the lake were
probably the same species, but they were too distant to identify for
certain.
Dave Woodward

Vishnu emailed me with the information that "Winged Migration" will
be shown this Wednesday and Thursday at 7 PM at the Noyo Theater in
Willits. As he wrote,and from what I've read, seeing this film on a
large screen is worthwhile.

Greetings Mendobirders,
Yesterday Rich Schilk and I birded the coast from Navarro to Westport.
At Navarro we had one MARBLED GODWIT. At Van Damme we had a small group
of GRAY JAYS in the upper campground. Caspar Pond yielded on late
PURPLE MARTIN. Scoping from Laguna Point produced two PINK-FOOTED
SHEARWATERS and on the boardwalk around Lake Cleone we saw two
MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLERS. At Ward Ave we saw two BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS on
the beach. As John Hunter previously reported, the Westport Sewage
Ponds held one AMERICAN AVOCET and from the Juan Creek Overlook we
scoped two MARBLED MURRELETS. Virgin Creek Beach had three SNOWY
PLOVERS, five HARLEQUIN DUCKS, and three more MARBLED GODWITS. Of
particular note were the numbers of RED-NECKED PHALAROPES which were
numerous at every coastal stop yesterday.

We returned to Ukiah via Comptche Ukiah Rd and stopped at Montgomery
Woods to do some owling. At 2100 in the Grubb Grove we had one BARRED
OWL calling almost directly over our heads. Upon returning to our car
we were suprised to hear another Barred Owl calling from the parking
area.

Good Birding.

Matthew Matthiessen

Mendobirders,

Today, 8/30/03, The Yellow-headed Blackbird was still present near Hopland
Field Station.

There were lots of people on the beaches around Fort Bragg so the shorebirds
were really moving around. At Glass Beach there was a single Pectorial
Sandpiper. At Virgin Creek Beach I had 2 Baird' Sandpipers, 3 Marbled Godwits, at
least one Snowy Plover and a good variety of other misc. shorebirds. On my way
back to the car I was surprised by the arrival of 15 American Avocets at the
mouth of Virgin Creek. I saw one imm. Willow Flycatcher at the mouth of Howard
Creek. At the Westport Sewage Ponds, Matthew and I had 10 dowitchers (some
Short-billed at least), 50 Red-necked Phalarope, and one American Avocet flew in.

John Hunter
Arcata, CA

I went least terning at Virgin Creek on Thursday morning, 8:30 a.m., unsuccessfully. But in the four hours that I was there I saw 1 greater yellowlegs, 1 red-necked phalarope, several black turnstones, 1 adult male ruddy turnstone (breeding plumage), 3 marbled godwits, 3 whimbrels, 3 snowy plovers, lots of juvenile black-bellied plovers and one adult male in breeding plumage, 2 willets, some sanderlings, dozens of semi-palmated plovers, and lots of western sandpipers. I'm new to identifying shorebirds but am pretty sure of most of these. Someone let me know if any of these are unlikely.

Bood girding.

Kate




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Friday, 29 August, 2003, an immature Yellow-headed Blackbird is hanging
out with a flock of mixed blackbirds at the irrigated pasture/small
vineyard at the entrance to the UC Hopland Research & Extension
Center. From East Side Road just north of the "Old Hopland/Hwy 175"
community, go about 1/2 mile until you see an irrigated clover/grass
pasture on your left. The flock was hanging around the east side of the
pasture near the sheep and vineyard. It is yellow only on the throat and
breast with buffy marks on the face and no white on the wings. It
associates with the brewer's and opposed to the red-winged, but the flock
is mixed. Seen by Bob Keiffer and Chuck Vaughn. Detailed map to HREC is
on the HREC website at my signature.

Robert J. Keiffer
Principal Supt. of Agriculture
UC Hopland Research & Extension Center
4070 University Road
Hopland, CA 95449
(707) 744-1424 FAX (707) 744-1040
HREC website: http://danrrec.ucdavis.edu/hopland/home_page.html

"It is not the critic who counts... not the one who points out how the
strong person stumbles... or where the doer of deeds could have done
better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena."
Theodore Roosevelt

Bob's report reminds me of some Caspian Tern observations that I
forgot to report. On Aug 19 and 21 I saw 18 and 22 Caspian Terns at Lake
Mendocino sitting along the east shore and on the emerging island near the
south marina - fairly high numbers for inland Mendocino. I also note that
it was 25 Aug 2001 when I saw a similar, unexpected flock fly over my house
in Potter Valley. This is their seasonal slot here.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Thursday, 28 August 2003, Between 7:30 and 8:00 PM two flocks of migrating
Caspian Terns were flying south over the lower elevation portion of the UC
Hopland Research & Extension Center. The first flock of 20 birds was a
mixture of immature and adult birds, and one could here the high pitched
calls of the young along with all the other typical loud raucous calls that
Caspians make. They were probably about 800 to 1000 feet high and
circling as they moved south. Within minutes a second flock of 24 birds,
not quite as noisy as the first and flying in a more direct flight pattern,
flew over in the same path but slightly higher. The entire next month is
a good time to be constantly checking habitats for fall migrating birds
.... the birds at any one place can be replaced by others within hours.



Robert J. Keiffer
Principal Supt. of Agriculture
UC Hopland Research & Extension Center
4070 University Road
Hopland, CA 95449
(707) 744-1424 FAX (707) 744-1040
HREC website: http://danrrec.ucdavis.edu/hopland/home_page.html

"It is not the critic who counts... not the one who points out how the
strong person stumbles... or where the doer of deeds could have done
better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena."
Theodore Roosevelt

Tuesday, 26 August, 2003, 4:15 - 5:30 PM, The Least Tern was still at Virgin Creek Beach, MacKerricher State Park, just north of Fort Bragg. Upon arrival at about 3:45 PM I could not find the bird. Several people scattered along the beach and no birds except for shote birds along the creek. I then noticed a group of Black-bellied Plovers and sanderlings high on the beach near the fenced closed area for snowy plovers. Upon scoping them I thought I saw the tern. Upon closer inspection I could not find the tern. Dorothy Tobkin (Toby) arrived and we both veiwed these birds ... I even went above them to view down into the pockets and swales.

We both walked north to view the northern beach and upon return Toby noticed the tern in with the group of sanderlings. It was either there all the time or flew in while were were gone. Over the next hour I observed it on the beach four times and foraging out in open waters (as far as a quarter mile offshore) to the west ...always between Virgin Creek Beach and Laguna Point.

It was alone on the beach when I left. This bird is the second Mendocino County record for this species.

This morning (Tue Aug 26) George Chaniot, Chuck Vaughn, Art Morley, and
I observed the immature LEAST TERN continuing at Virgin Creek Beach.
The bird was flying along the beach as we walked up and could clearly be
seen from the footbridge over the creek. The bird repeatedly flew in
over the sand and then out over the ocean but always stayed north of the
creek. We watched the bird from 0800 - 0840. The bird disappeared at
one point for about 10 minutes but reappeared along the beach as we were
leaving. There were also four SNOWY PLOVERS present. Good birding.

- Matthew Matthiessen

Some additional details on the Least Tern sighting; I found the bird about 4:20 PM standing with the Black-bellied Plovers approx.. 100 yards north of Virgin Creek. I watched it for about 10 minutes. During that time it flew circled out over the ocean and returned and lit closer to the ocean. It then again flew and ended up back at its original spot. I then walked up the beach and noted some other birds of interest; 2 Snowy Plovers, 2 Ruddy Turnstones, and a group of Harlequin Ducks. When I returned I could not relocate the tern. However just as I was leaving I noticed the bird flying overhead. It eventually landed on the beach again. This was about 5pm. Good luck! Jerry White

Monday, 25 August, 2003 - Least Tern - "toby" called me to report that
Jerry White saw the least tern at Virgin Creek Beach at 4:15 PM. It was
hanging out with Black-bellied Plovers.

Robert J. Keiffer
Principal Supt. of Agriculture
UC Hopland Research & Extension Center
4070 University Road
Hopland, CA 95449
(707) 744-1424 FAX (707) 744-1040
HREC website: http://danrrec.ucdavis.edu/hopland/home_page.html

"It is not the critic who counts... not the one who points out how the
strong person stumbles... or where the doer of deeds could have done
better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena."
Theodore Roosevelt

Dorothy "Toby" Tobkin reported seeing another immature Least Tern this
morning at Virgin Creek beach. The bird was seen twice, approximately
an hour between each sighting.


Charlene McAllister
P.O. Box 332
Little River, CA 95456
707-937-4463
email: charmac@mcn.org

Thursday, August 14, 2003, Debra Shearwater reports a Yellow-headed
Blackbird mixed in with a flock of other blackbirds at the Ukiah Sewage
Treatment Plant.
She also had a huge flock of mixed neotropic migrants (warblers, vireos,
grosbeaks, etc.) at the Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg in the late
afternoon. She mentioned that it was one of the largest mixed flocks of
neotropic migrants that she has witnessed and was able to view many, many
birds from one spot as the flock moved past in the trees. She did not
spot any Mendocino County rarities in the flock. However, there was a
Costa's Hummingbird at a feeder at the Botanical Gardens. Debra did see a
couple of Willow Flycatchers.

Robert J. Keiffer
Principal Supt. of Agriculture
UC Hopland Research & Extension Center
4070 University Road
Hopland, CA 95449
(707) 744-1424 FAX (707) 744-1040
HREC website: http://danrrec.ucdavis.edu/hopland/home_page.html

"It is not the critic who counts... not the one who points out how the
strong person stumbles... or where the doer of deeds could have done
better. The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena."
Theodore Roosevelt

Hello Mendobirders,
Of interest at the Ukiah wetlands this morning was the continued presence of
a Red-necked Phalarope (I only saw one), a pair of Western Kingbirds, a pair
of Black-shouldered Kites, about 4-5 Wood Ducks in eclipse plumage and 3
juvenile large gulls (sp?). The gulls had dark bills with darker tips to
them.
Vishnu

Thu 14 Aug 2003 -- Dorothy Tobkin reports two BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS and two
RED-NECKED PHALAROPES on Ten-mile Beach this morning. There are also SNOWY
PLOVERS at this location, but she hasn't seen them at Virgin Creek
recently.

Wed 13 Aug 2003 -- Jerry White phoned in from the Ukiah Sewage Treatment
Plant. This morning he had 2 LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 3 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, 2
WILLOW FLYCATCHERS, and 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES.

Tue 12 Aug 2003 -- I visited The Ukiah Sewage treatment plant from 9:30 to
10:30 this morning. I saw a LESSER YELLOWLEGS in the middle pond, as
several other people have noted in the last two weeks. There was also a
BLUE-WINGED TEAL and one LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, a well as two Greater
Scaup, a Hooded Merganser, and two young Ruddy Ducks, probably local
hatches. There do not seem to be many juvenile coots around - considering
the number of nests and broods I saw in mid-June before I left for
Australia.

George Chaniot, Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Hello Mendobirders,
Just a brief report on the Ukiah Sewage Treatment Plant for midday Sunday
8/10. There were 4 species of swallows flying; Violet-green, Tree, Northern
Rough-legged and Barn. One Dowitcher (sp), one Greater Yellow Legs and one
Lesser and at least 2 Green-backed Herons were observed. There were more
Kildeer than the law allows but also one Red-necked Phalarope swimming,
while not often in circles none the less quite frenetically, in the eastern
part of the southern most pond. The water in the southern pond is now at a
very high lake-like level and the northern pond is dry and had NO activity.
Most sightings were from the middle pond.
Vishnu