Greetings Mendobirders: Jerry White spent the day on the coast and his big find was a male BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBER on Miner Hole Road late this morning. This is the first county record! The bird was only about 0.1 miles W on Miner Hole Road from Hwy 101. In an area where water comes audibly down hill from the S side of the road, where the road gradually turns a little N, there is a nice thick riparian area. Jerry found the bird here, in a large mixed flock, on the N side of the road. He also saw a BLACKPOLL WARBER in this same area about an hour later. Jerry reports 2 PALM WARBLERS in the area of the Garcia River bridge later today.



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Chuck and Barbara Vaughn
1550 Deerwood Drive
Ukiah, CA 95482

Geoff gave me a heads up on the horned lark; went out today but
didn't see it. Happy to flush a bittern, though, and to watch a
Coopers Hawk slowly flying up up and away most un-accipterly(and
upsetting the swallows considerably!)

Sun, 05 Oct 2003 -- Dorothy Tobkin reports seeing an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER
at V i r g i n Creek Beach north of Fort Bragg this morning. There was also
a continuing LESSER YELLOWLEGS.

Sun, 05 Oct 2003 -- This morning I birded the Ukiah Sewage Treatment Plant
looking for the Lapland Longspur and Horned Lark reported yesterday. I
found the HORNED LARK on the edge of the mud puddle at the west end of the
south pond among Least Sandpipers and Killdeer. Cheryl & Geoff Heineken and
Vishnu also saw it. It was in about the same place all morning from
08:00-10:30. I spent several hours looking for the longspur without luck; I
even walked out onto the south pond to try to flush it from the ground. No
luck. There was absoultely nothing along the Russian River riparian.
At Lake Mendocino there was a HORNED GREBE among the many arriving
Eared Grebes.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

05 Oct 2003 USTP
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Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 2
Wood Duck 9
Mallard 10
Northern Pintail 1
Northern Shoveller 8
Greater Scaup 1
Ruddy Duck 1
Turkey Vulture 5
White-tailed Kite 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
American Kestrel 1
California Quail 10
Sora 1
American Coot 200
Killdeer 10
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Least Sandpiper 6
Long-billed Dowitcher 9
Wilson's Snipe 2
Mourning Dove 1
Acorn Woodpecker 1
Black Phoebe 3
Say's Phoebe 1
Horned Lark 1
Violet-green Swallow 50
Western Scrub-Jay 2
American Crow 5
Marsh Wren 1
American Pipit 12
European Starling 2
Common Yellowthroat 3
California Towhee 4
Savannah Sparrow 50
Song Sparrow 6
Golden-crowned Sparrow 10
White-crowned Sparrow 20
Red-winged Blackbird 80
Purple Finch 1 a singing greenie
House Finch 3
Lesser Goldfinch 2
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 1
Western Pond Turtle 2

Medobirders,

On 10-4-03 I birded coastal Mendocino between Caspar Creek and Rockport.
There were 5 stunning male Harlequin Ducks at Glass Beach, 1 Greater
White-fronted Goose at Lake Cleone, and a Palm Warbler at Westport Sewage Ponds.

John Hunter
Arcata, CA

Saturday 4 Oct 2003, At 2:45 PM the Pectoral Sandpiper was still with Long-billed Dowitchers and a Greater Yellowlegs at the western waterhole of the south pond. Numerous American Pipits were walking through the flats nearby along with a HORNED LARK (only the second that I have ever seen in the county). At 3:10 PM I got a brief glimpse of the Lapland Longspur that Chuck found earlier in the day ... it flushed from the road on the SSW end of the south pond. circled overhead and flew to the pear orchard to the south landing just into the orchard ...but I could not find it again. Bob Keiffer

Greetings Mendobirders: At 830 his morning (10/4) there was a LAPLAND LONGSPUR at the USTP. I saw the bird at 2 places along the western edge of the southern-most oxidation pond. The bird was very spooky, and flushed easily, but wanted to stay in that location. Unfortunately, when I left about 945 I could not refind it. There was still a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, lots of LEAST SANDPIPERS, and maybe 12 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS on the drying south pond. The riparian strip along the river was dead.

Chuck

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Chuck and Barbara Vaughn
1550 Deerwood Drive
Ukiah, CA 95482

This morning near 10am myself and two other observers approached
the Kelsey Creek outlet at Clear Lake State Park by boat where we
observed a Franklin's Gull swimming in a mixed flock of gulls for
nearly five minutes. We also saw the bird in flight. This gull had
the black half-hood, white eye cresents, white nape, dark gray
mantle, white underside with black confined to the wingtips and
other characteristics of either a non-breeding adult plumaged or a
second winter bird. There were many Bonaparte's Gulls nearby for
comparison. We last saw the gull in flight headed west towards
Lakeport.
To look for this gull from land go to the north end of the
visitor center parking lot in Clear Lake State Park. The Monterey
Pine that was near the start of the trail to the Kelsey Creek outlet
has been removed, but the stump is still there. Find the stump and
proceed across the grass to locate the start of the unmarked trail
to the outlet. High rubber boots are recommended due to the high
lake level this year.

Dave Woodward

Sat afternoon I had the opportunity to take a small boat out of Noyo
Harbor to look at seabirds. We were only out about three hours but
still managed to see a good assortment of birds. The sea was very calm
and the winds were nonexistent so most of the birds we encountered were
on the water (at least initially). COMMON MURRE numbers were huge and
about a mile out of harbor we found ourselves floating through vast
rafts of them. I was surprised to find the three shearwater species
(buller's, pink-footed, and Sooty) in about equal numbers.

It's odd for the highlight of a pelagic to occur in the harbor but on
this trip that's exactly what happened. On our return we encountered a
CASSIN'S AUKLET sitting on the water inside Noyo Harbor (about where we
board the Trek II). We eased our boat up to about 15 ft from the bird
and followed it as it paddled on the surface further into the harbor.
We finally parted ways with it just before reaching the Coast Guard
station.

Species and numbers follow.

Common Loon - 1
Black-footed albatross - 1
Northern Fulmar - 2
Buller's Shearwater - 1,000+
Pink-footed Shearwater - 1,000+
Sooty Shearwater - 1,000+
South Polar Skua - 2
Pomarine Jaeger - 4
jaeger sp - 2
Sabine's Gull - 1
Common Murre - 2,500+
Cassin's Auklet - 15
Rhinoceros Auklet - 500

- Matthew Matthiessen

Greetings All,
This past weekend (9/27-9/28) Stan Snyder, Larry Siemens, and I along
with a group of birders worked the Mendo coast. Highlight of the
weekend were great views by all of the RED-THROATED PIPIT found by Jerry
White on Sat. We saw the bird both on Sat and Sun (at 0800 and 1500).

Other highlights were a TENNESSE WARBLER at Glass Beach on Sat morning.
The TEWA was in the willows about 100 ft north of the lone cypress
tree. At Virgin Creek Beach also on Sat morning was a RED KNOT, a
PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER,a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, an early MEW GULL, and 10
SNOWY PLOVERS. In the conifers on the walk down to Virgin Creek Beach
was a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

On Sun morning we had a MERLIN and another PECTORAL SANDPIPER at
Hunters Lagoon. On Sun afternoon the golden-plover continued at Virgin
Creek Beach. At Ward Ave were four BLACK SCOTERS. And late Sun
afternoon at Laguna Point we had a shockingly close flyby of a SOUTH
POLAR SKUA.

- Matthew Matthiessen

Mendobirders,

On September 27, 2003 in a day of birding between Point Arena and Rockport, I
had a total of 6 Say's Phoebe.

John Hunter
Arcata, CA

Today at about 2:30 PM I found a Red-throated Pipit at Caspar Creek (John H. I tried your cell phone numerous times).
The bird was with 5 American Pipits and provided excellent views for a large group of birders. It was still present at 4:00 pm when I left.
Earlier in the day there was a Bobolink at the Westport Headlands park.
A Greater White-Fronted Goose found yesterday was still at Lake Cleone.
I was not able today to refind a Palm Warbler seen Wednesday and Friday by me and on Thursday by Toby T.
This bird was in the area of the lone Cypress near Glass Beach. Jerry White

Thu, 25 Sep 2003 -- The AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS which have been on and off
again at Lake Mendocino for the last two weeks reappeared today. At noon
they were sitting in the usual place, a little mud bar along the east side
across from the south marina. They could be seen from Coyote Dam or
anywhere around the south marina.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Birds of interest seen on a weekend trip to the coast follow:
A Red Knot was at Virgin Creek Beach on Friday late afternoon.
There was a Tennessee Warbler in a mixed flock of passerines at Wages
Creek bridge on Highway 1 on Saturday. There was also 2 Ruby-crowned
Kinglets and a Black-throated Gray Warbler.
There were 2 Pectoral Sandpipers at the Westport Treatment Pond.
Around mid-day on Saturday there were 2 Red Knots at Virgin Creek
Beach.
On Sunday there were 3 Wilson's Snipes at the Ledford House Restaurant
pond. And there was a fly-over Ringed-Turtle Dove at the Mendocino
Headlands. Jerry White

On the Peregrine Audubon Society field trip to MacKerricher State
Park last Saturday, 20 Sep 2003, some of us saw two color-banded Snowy
Plovers at V i r g i n Creek Beach. Both of these were banded as chicks
last July. One bird, Red/White:Red/Orange was banded at the Moss Landing
Salt Ponds in Monterey Co. The other, White/Orange:Aqua/White, was banded
at the Salinas River State Beach, also in Monterey Co. The latter bird was
seen here earlier on 26 Aug. Toby has seen these birds and says that they
move back and forth between Ten-Mile Beach and V i r g i n Creek Beach
If you see banded Snowy Plovers, report them to Frances Bidstrup
<francesbid@...> and add them to our growing database at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mendobirds/database?method=reportRows&tbl=2

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Hello Mendobirders,
Saturday 9/20 I found an immature BLACKPOLL WARBLER and an adult male
NORTHERN PARULA on the south Mendo coast. The BLWA was in the row of
cypress trees bordering the road out to the Point Arena lighthouse.
This row of trees ends where the road turns north along the cliffs. The
NOPA was along the Garcia River where Windy Hollow Rd hits the river.

Matthew Matthiessen

Greetings Mendobirders: Today's Shearwater Journeys pelagic trip out of Noyo Harbor was both birdy and eventful. Briefly, highlights were an imm Thick-billed Murre and an adult f Brown Booby. Both birds were seen within minutes if one another 5 miles offshore just south of the Bear Harbor area in Mendocino County. Details will follow.

Chuck Vaughn

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Chuck and Barbara Vaughn
1550 Deerwood Drive
Ukiah, CA 95482

Mendobirders,

On 9/20/03 early a.m. the Red Knot (thanks Toby!) and Pacific Golden-Plover
were still present at Virgin Creek Beach along with one Greater and one Lesser
Yellowlegs and other assorted shorebirds.

There were very, very few landbird migrants to be found in the various
patches north of Fort Bragg.

George and others-please keep those White Pelican reports coming!

Thanks,

John Hunter
Arcata, CA

Late this afternoon, I found the RED KNOT and PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER that
Toby Tobkin had reported earlier today.
The RED KNOT was working the rocks on the north end of the beach along
with some BLACK TURNSTONES. The PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER was on the wave
slope in with BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.

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

Fri, 19 Sep 2003 -- At noon today there was a single AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN
at Lake Mendocino sitting on a bon the east side south of the boat-in
campground. It was visable from the south marina - even without binoculars.
Boat activity was very low. I don't have much confidence that it will be
there this weekend when the boat activity may increase 10-fold. I know some
county listers are interested in seeing this species in Mendocino, so I
will continue to report all sightings.
Earlier at the Ukiah Sewage Treatment Plant there were 2 PECTORAL
SANDPIPERS, a LESSER YELLOWLEGS, 4 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and 2 SNOWY
EGRETS among the other waders. The first NORTHERN SHOVELLER of the season
was among the Mallards. The south pond is drying out, but there is still
good wader habitat.
I have recently started a new database at the Mendobirds website
for reporting first fall arrivals for the inland parts of Mendocino County.
Check it out at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mendobirds/database?method=reportRows&tbl=3
All Mendobirds subscribers who have a Yahoo ID linked to their membership
should be able to view it, add records, or edit records. Please contribute.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA