Mon, 15 Dec 2003 -- Today Dorothy Tobkin saw 6 TUNDRA SWANS and 3 GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at the Garcia River bottoms. But at Brush Creek there
were 60 TUNDRA SWANS, 7 SNOW GEESE, and 1 EURASIAN WIGEON among a good
variety of waterfowl. In the lagoon at Barnegat off Stoneboro she found an
unusual concentration of about 100 GREEN-WINGED TEAL.

Wed, 03 Dec 2003 -- I took advantage of a break in the rain today to drive
around Potter Valley to see what was out. The most interesting find was a
NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL sitting on a fencepost on Gibson Lane near Eel River
Road. I backed up and watched it from the car for about 10 minutes at 20
feet. I'm always impressed with how oblivious these little guys are to what
is going on around them when they are on the hunt. I also found a PRAIRIE
FALCON sitting in the big dead oak between Pine Ave. and Burris Lane,
visable with a scope from the Pine Ave. Assn. sign. There were several
SAY'S PHOEBES along Burris Lane.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Greetings Mendobirders- This message is directed at those of you who plan on attending next Tuesday's (12/9) Peregrine Audubon Society CBC planning meeting. As you may be aware, the Ukiah Methodist Church is being used as an emergency shelter for the homeless in the Ukiah area. The accommodations for these folks include the choir room where we usually meet. This Tuesday we will be meeting in an upstairs room on the SW side of the church. You need to enter from Bush street rather than from North Pine. Please use the parking lot on Bush. There will be folks there to direct you to the room. Please spread the word.

Hope to see you there, Chuck




***********************************
Chuck and Barbara Vaughn
1550 Deerwood Drive
Ukiah, CA 95482

cevaughn@...

Hi all,
Apologies as usual to those getting this message on multiple listserves.
Steve Glover
Dublin


December 1, 2003

Dear North American Birds Contributors,

The fall season has already come to a close so please send your noteworthy
records from the Middle Pacific Coast Region for the period 1 August-30 November
to the appropriate Subregional Editors (see below) or to the Regional Editors
by 10 December.

Please pay special attention to the format example given at the end of this
message. Reports that are formatted properly make our job far easier. In
particular, it is important to note that there is a single tab between species,
date, etc.

PLEASE use Subregional Editors for the counties that have them. These SREs
painstakingly keep track of records within their counties and are in most cases
THE source of information on the birds of their counties. By sending your
records to the SREs, you are helping to contribute to their county files as well
as to North American Birds. If you wish to send copies to the Regional
Editors, we welcome them, but please send records through the SREs as well. If you
have a noteworthy winter sighting from a county without a Subregional Editor,
please send records to the Regional Editors below.

Records of loons-frigatebirds and larids-alcids go to Scott Terrill and Tom
Ryan at:
H.T. Harvey & Associates
3150 Almaden Expwy., Suite 145
San Jose, CA 95118
or
sterrill@...


Records of herons to shorebirds go to Mike Rogers at:
499 Novato Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
m.m.rogers@...



Records of doves through thrushes/Wrentit (in the new AOU order, that
includes vireos and shrikes) go to Steve Glover at:
6526 Conestoga Lane
Dublin, CA 94568
or
Sgloverccc@...



Records of thrashers to finches go to Luke Cole at:
561 Hill Street

San Francisco, CA 94114
luke@...



SUBREGIONAL EDITORS

Alameda

Bob Richmond
24650 Amador St. #15
Hayward, CA 94544
BRichmondALA@...

Alpine & Calaveras
Penelope Bowen
2035 Ashton Ave
Menlo Park CA 94025
PbowenD@...

Amador & El Dorado
Tim Steurer
4042 Bancroft Dr.
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762-6933
tsteurer@...

Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter, Tehama, Yuba
Bruce Deuel
18730 Live Oak Road
Red Bluff, CA 96080
bdeuel@...

Contra Costa

Steve Glover
6526 Conestoga Lane
Dublin CA 94568
Sgloverccc@...

Del Norte
Alan D. Barron
1093 Hwy 101 N. #18
Crescent City, CA 95531
flockfinder@...


Humboldt
David Fix and Jude Claire Power
P.O. Box 4331
Arcata, CA 95518
dfxjcp@...

Kings

Luke Cole
561 Hill Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
luke@...

Lake
Jerry R. White
P.O. Box 113
Kelseyville, CA 95451
grwhite@...

Lassen
Tim Manolis
808 El Encino Way
Sacramento, CA 95864
ylightfoot@...

Mendocino
Bob Keiffer

P. O. Box 354
Hopland CA 95449
rjkeiffer@...

Merced and San Benito
Kent Van Vuren
26 Vista Dr.
Salinas, CA 93907
vanvurenk@...

Modoc
John Sterling
Jones & Stokes Associates
2600 V St.
Sacramento, CA 95818-1914
ani@...

Mono
Kristie Nelson
P.O. Box 402
Lee Vining, CA 93541
storm_petrel@...

Monterey
Don Roberson
282 Grove Acre
Pacific Grove CA 93950
831-373-2566fax
creagrus@...

Napa & Solano
Robin Leong
336 Benson Ave.
Vallejo, CA 94590-3027
robin_leong@...

Nevada
Brian Williams
8200 Turner Dr.
Granite Bay, CA 95746
bwcal@...

Placer
Ed Pandolfino
5530 Del Rose Court
Carmichael, CA 95608
erpfromca@...

Plumas & Sierra
John "Mac" McCormick
2351 Filbert St.
Apt. #102
San Francisco, CA 94123
macmc94123@...

Sacramento and Yolo
Chris Conard
2405 Rio Bravo Circle
Sacramento, CA 95826
chris.conard@...

San Francisco (mainland)
The City: Mark Eaton
1524 36th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122
mweaton@...

San Joaquin
David G. Yee
11707 N. Alpine Rd.
Lodi, CA 95240
davidyee@...

San Mateo
Peter J. Metropulos
470 Middlefield Rd.
Atherton, CA 94027
pjmetrop@...

Santa Clara
William G. Bousman
321 Arlington Way
Menlo Park CA 94025
barlowi@...


Santa Cruz
David Suddjian
801 Monterey Ave.
Capitola, CA 95010
DSUDDJIAN@...

Shasta

Bob Yutzy
P. O. Box 990237
Redding CA 96099
boby@...

Siskiyou
Ray Ekstrom
2209 Delphic Rd.
Montague, CA 96064

Sonoma
Ruth Rudesill
P.O. Box 371
Kenwood, CA 95452
bandm@...

Stanislaus
Jim Gain
1721 Candler Lane
Modesto, CA 95355
jimgain@...

Trinity
John E. Hunter
P.O. Box 4483
Arcata, CA 95518
jhunter323@...



We currently have no regional editors for Fresno, Madera, Marin, Mariposa,
Tulare and Tuolumne Counties. Records from these counties should be sent
directly to the Regional Editors.




The Reporting Deadlines are:
Spring Summer Fall Winter

Season ends May 31 July 31 Nov 30 Feb 28

Observer reports to Subregional Editors (SREs)
June 10 Aug 10 Dec 10 Mar 10

Observer reports to Regional Editors (if not sent to SRE)
June 10 Aug 10 Dec 10 Mar 10

SRE reports to Regional Editors
June 20 Aug 20 Dec 20 Mar 20

Regional Editors final text to ABA office
July 10 Sep 10 Jan 10 Apr 10

PLEASE meet your deadlines so that we can meet our deadlines!


Please send reports in our preferred order: species, date(s) [including
year], locale, co. abbrev., number of birds, and observer, and then, on a second
line, any comments. Please separate these sections by a "tab" (except just a
space between locale and county abbreviation) on electronic versions submitted.
Again, here's an example of the correct format:

Grace's Warbler 12/13/98-2/20/99 Jacks Peak MTY
1 RFT, mob
A second record for the Region (the first was 6/26/91 at Deer Spring,
Glass Mt. MNO) which wintered with a large flock of Townsend's & Hermit warblers
at the very top of Jacks Peak in Jacks Peak Regional Park. Details by Tintle
and others are enclosed.

Many observers and Subregional Editors have been submitting their reports
electronically, either on a diskette or by e-mail. PLEASE submit electronic
reports if possible. We are trying to maintain an electronic database of at least
recent records, and we hope to be able to have all old data entered
eventually so that the entire database will be easily accessible to anyone who wants
it. Electronic submission of records in the format described above makes it
much easier for us maintain this electronic database.

We've heard questions about, comments on, and criticism of our regional
reports from several observers and SREs. We really appreciate this feedback, as it
helps us to better represent what is going on in the Region as a whole.
Please help us correct any factual errors we make, and don't hesitate to let us
know what you think of the reports.

Many thanks to all the contributors and Subregional Editors who make these
reports possible!

Sincerely,


Luke Cole, Mike Rogers, Scott Terrill, and Steve Glover

(Middle Pacific Coast Regional Editors)

Fri, 28 Nov 2003 -- Today Chuck Vaughn, Matt Brady, and I birded the
Mendocino coast from Arena Cove to Cleone. We missed the Laysan Albatross
at Arena Cove, but we did see the AMERICAN AVOCET at Hunters' Lagoon which
Toby found on the 23rd. There were also 5 SNOW GEESE and 3 GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE. We could also see four TUNDRA SWANS in the distance at
Brush Creek. Along Hwy 1 north of Irish Beach there was a FERRUGINOUS HAWK
sitting on the ground. At Van Damme State Park GRAY JAYS were easy to find
at the campsites near the Visitors' Center. We did not find any longspurs
today at the Mendocino headlands. At Ward Avenue in Cleone the waves were
very light, and we had nice looks at a dozen BLACK SCOTERS, several
RED-NECKED GREBES, and a pair of male HARLEQUIN DUCKS. Finally, at Laguna
Point we found one ROCK SANDPIPER at high tide on the rocks to the north.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

26 November 2003, Wednesday, Grace Steuer reports that "AL", the presumable same Laysan ALbatross, has returned to use Point Arena Cove as a resting area for the 10th fall/winter season in a row. This bird was first discovered using the cove ten years ago by Jim Booker and Tod Easterly.

Mon, 24 Nov 2003 -- Dorothy Tobkin ran into some birders from Montana who
reported seeing an EASTERN PHOEBE at the Little River Inn this morning. She
went to look for it and was unable to find it, but she thinks it is a
credible report.
Toby also saw a LAPLAND LONGSPUR at the Mendocino headlands at what
is becoming the "usual" spot by the sister city monument.

Hi All. I would appreciate feedback on whether certain radio stations are running the PSA's I send out. If you hear PSA's on KUKI, KOZT, or KMFB please let me know. katem@... or 463-0839.

Hope to see you at the CBC. Don't forget to plan your schedule to include our fun post-CBC dinner!

Thanks,

Kate Marianchild


Christmas Bird Count. Each year more than 50,000 people across the country participate in an all-day census of early-winter bird populations. This year's count will be on December 13 in Ukiah, beginning early in the morning. If you would like to join the count, please come to a team-building meeting hosted by our local Audubon Chapter on December 9 at the Ukiah Methodist Church, 270 N. Pine St, Ukiah, 7 p.m. We will see slides of local birds and will organize into teams. If you absolutely can't come to the meeting, call Alan Falleri to sign up: 459-7124 days and 456-9525 home.

Sun, 23 Nov 2003 -- Dorothy Tobkin birded the south Mendocino coast today.
She found an AMERICAN AVOCET at Hunters' Lagoon, visable from near Barngat
Drive, and a male REDHEAD, visable from near the Perkins'. She also saw an
immature ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at milepost 25.96 north of Irish Beach.

Greetings Mendobirders: Eleven folks from Peregrine Audubon visited Round Valley on 11/22 and it was definitely a big day for raptors up there. We got to Dobie Lane, the N to S road running the length of the E side of the valley, a little after 9. We birded our way N along this road until noon, and were well rewarded. The best bird of the trip was a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK which we spotted immediately we got out of the cars. We watched as it hunted, as it soared chasing a NORTHERN HARRIER, and as it sunned itself on the frosty morning. We also had a PRAIRIE FALCON perching and preening in a Valley Oak right in front of us. We watched it hunting and actually picking off some unknown small bird. The valley was full of WHITE-TAILED KITES, 7 in one tree! We had scope-filling views of FERRUGINOUS HAWK, and counted 3 of them just on the east side of Round Valley. By the time the morning was over, we had seen 11 raptors, also including COOPER'S HAWK, RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, RED-TAILED HAWK in a variety of color morphs, adult GOLDEN EAGLE, AMERICAN KESTREL, and a couple of MERLIN. We proceeded leisurely E to the Black Butte NFS camp ground for lunch. Here we watched a soaring adult BALD EAGLE for dessert. A 12-raptor day- that is about as good as it gets in Mendocino County!

Chuck

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chuck and Barbara Vaughn
1550 Deerwood Drive
Ukiah, CA 95482

Greetings,
In early October there was a series of posts to Calbirds about Lewis's
Woodpeckers, Acorn Woodpeckers, and Pinyon Jays showing up in widespread
places in central California where they usually do not occur. I was
thinking of following up with a post about the absence of Lewis's
Woodpeckers in places where they usually do occur. Where I live in Potter
Valley, Mendocino Co., there is usually a small population of several dozen
every winter from about mid September through late April, easy to find. So
far this fall I have seen exactly one (on September 24). In this region
there has been a massive failure of the acorn crop of Interior Live Oak,
Blue Oak, and Valley Oak this year. I wonder if this could be due to the
very rainy April this year which was about 325% normal here.
Today, Sep 22, on an annual Peregrine Audubon field trip to Round
Valley, MEN, we visited a stand of large Valley Oaks where we usually see
several dozen Lewis's at this time of year. They were conspicuous in their
absence. Chuck Vaughn and I decided to return to Ukiah via the high country
of the Mendocino National Forest, and, to our surprise, we found a group of
Lewis's Woodpeckers on Etsel Ridge in the Brewer's Oak zone at about 5200
feet elevation between Grizzly Flat and Coffee Mill Flat. We saw at least
14 easily from road M1. We do not remember ever seeing them here before,
although, admitedly, we do not venture up here often in November. We also
saw some Band-tailed Pigeons which have also been sparse at lower
elevations. Acorns were abundant under every Brewer's Oak I checked, and
quite a few were still on the twigs. On a trip on May 31 we noted that the
phenology of the Brewer's Oaks seemed several weeks behind. Could they have
produced a good mast crop this year by blooming later than the other
species?
So it seems that some Lewis's Woodpeckers have found a food source at
a higher elevation than they usually frequent at this time of year. Will
they be moving downslope as the winter progresses?

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Fri, 21 Nov 2003 -- Today Dorothy Tobkin saw three ROCK SANDPIPERS at
Laguna Point at high tide. At Ward Avenue in Cleone she saw seven BLACK
SCOTERS, eight RED-NECKED GREBES, and one BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE.

Sunday afternoon, Ron LeValley and I found the two LAPLAND LONGSPURS,
the CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR and two HORNED LARKS in the area near the
monument marker.

This morning (Monday) Elias Elias heard and saw a LAPLAND LONGSPUR
flying over the Little River Headlands on the north side of Van Damme
State Park.

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

Greetings Mendobirders,
Yesterday (Sat 11/15) at 1330 I found an immature female
CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR at the Mendocino Headlands. The bird was
skulking along one of the paths about 100 ft east of the sister city
monument. Also in the same area were two HORNED LARKS.

Late yesterday afternoon I informed Toby of the CCLO and this morning I
received a phone call from her indicating she was able to refind the
bird today (Sun 11/16). She also found two LAPLAND LONGSPURS and one
HORNED LARK nearby. Given the number of longspurs that have shown up
here over the past four years it appears as though the sister city
monument is THE spot in Mendo County for longspurs.

Good Birding
Matthew Matthiessen

Thu, 13 Nov 2003 -- Rather unusual for Lake Mendocino this afternoon was a
single RED-THROATED LOON. It was hanging out just off the swimming area
near the Pomo A parking area. It was fairly close to shore - at times
inside the buoys. Then it dove and I never saw it come up again. How do
loons do that?
Among the several hundred scaup was a pair of drake CANVASBACKS,
the first of the season.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA

Thurs., 13 Nov 2003 --- The HORNED LARKS reported by Toby yesterday were still at the Mendocino Headlands this morning. I saw a flock of at least eight near the sister monument this morning at around 8:30 a.m.


Janet Stein

Of local interest is a white phase immature Snow Goose associating
with the motley crew of geese and ducks at Library Park in
Lakeport.The bird was first found yesterday and is still present
today. Jerry White

Wed, 12 Nov 2003 -- Dorothy Tobkin went back to the Mendocino Headlands
today and was unable to find the Lapland Longspur today. However, there
were three HORNED LARKS in the grassy area near the sister city monument.
At Caspar Pond there was a white goose that is possibly a SNOW/ROSS'S
hybrid.

Dorothy "Toby" Tobkin reported seeing a LAPLAND LONGSPUR this morning
near the monument at Mendocino Headlands.
She noted that it was in with a small flock of PIPITS.

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

Thu, 6 Nov 2003 -- Today at 11:00 there were 7 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS at
Lake Mendocino sitting on a small island very near Coyote Dam. No
binoculars needed. At 11:40 they took off and flew east across the lake to
Perry Creek Cove where the began cooperative feeding. Visible from the
marina area. Scope required.

George Chaniot
Potter Valley, MEN, CA