september 2008 sandpiper newsletter - redwood region audubon society

8/8/2019 September 2008 Sandpiper Newsletter - Redwood Region Audubon Society

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Sunday, September 14: Humboldt Bay NationalWildlife Refuge. This is a wonderful 2- to 3-hour tripfor people wanting to learn the birds of the HumboldtBay area. It takes a leisurely pace with emphasis onenjoying the birds! Beginners are more than welcome.Meet at the Refuge Visitor Center at 9:00 a.m. CallJude Power or David Fix ([707] 822-3613) for more

information. Carpools: Trinidad 8:10 a.m., HSU 8:25a.m., Eureka 8:45 a.m., Fortuna 8:45 a.m.

Saturday, September 20-Sunday, September 21:Lost Migrants. This 2-half-day outing will focus onfinding vagrant birds. Neighboring Audubon chaptershave been invited to join us. Meet at Klopp Lake atnoon Saturday for a get-acquainted picnic lunch,followed by afternoon birding and optional restaurantdinner. Meet again at 8:00 a.m. Sunday at the samelocation for morning birding. Ken Burton ([707] 825-1124) will lead. Carpools (Saturday/Sunday): Trinidad11:40 a.m./7:40 a.m., Eureka 11:35 a.m./7:35 a.m.,Fortuna 11:15 a.m./7:15 a.m.

Sunday, September 21: Eureka Marsh. Join the firstof this season’s monthly walks for some great birdingin downtown Eureka. We will spend an hour or 2 on aflat loop that will take us through a variety of habitatsfrom bay and mudflat to riparian and marshland. Meetin the parking lot at the foot of West Del Norte Streetat 8:30 a.m. Call Pablo Herrera ([707] 845-8166) formore information. Carpools: Trinidad 7:55 a.m., HSU8:10 a.m., Fortuna 8:05 a.m.

Sunday, September 21: Southern HumboldtCommunity Park. Jay Sooter ([707] 444-8001), Robert Sutherland, and/or Doug Wallace([email protected]) will be leading thismonthly walk. All ages and experience levels areencouraged to participate and revel in the beauty of thepark and its avian inhabitants on this easy, 2- to 3-hourwalk. Binoculars are not provided, and dogs are notallowed; field guides are usually available, but pleaseprovide your own if possible. Steady rain cancels.Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot on Kimtu Road inGarberville. Carpools: Trinidad 6:30 a.m., HSU 6:50a.m., Eureka 7:05 a.m., Fortuna 7:25 a.m.

Saturday, September 27: Pelagic Trip. Gary Lester([707] 839-3373) and David Fix ([707] 822-3613)will lead a foray onto the open ocean aboard theShenandoah in search of tubenoses, jaegers, alcids,cetaceans, and other pelagic specialties. The boat willdepart Eureka at 6:00 a.m. and return around 2:00 p.m.Only 11 spaces are available. To claim one, send yourname, phone number, e-mail address, and $75 madeout to RRAS to Ken Burton, 1595 Beverly Dr., Arcata95521. Additional information will be sent to thosewho make the cut.

Redwood Region Audubon Society www.rras.org

SEPTEMBER PROGRAM

FIELD TRIPS

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The andpiperS SEPTEMBER 2008

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Note: This month’s meeting will be in Crescent City , hosted by the RRAS Lake Earl Branch, asa joint potluck, program, board meeting, and anexciting Saturday morning field trip.

Join us for a special opportunity to visit beautifulDel Norte County’s hot birding spots and enjoy aninformative and entertaining slide-show presentation.RRAS will hold its once-a-year Del Norte County boardmeeting Friday, September 12, at the Lake EarlWildlife Area Headquarters, 2591 Old Mill Road,Crescent City. The evening’s events start at 5:30 p.m.with socializing and refreshments, followed at 6 p.m. bya potluck dinner and a program, “Seabirds and MarbledMurrelets: Life on the Edge,” presented by well-knownwildlife biologist and seabird researcher Craig Strong.Craig has devoted 30 years to conducting studies andmonitoring populations of coastal wildlife species fromboth the sea and land. His work has taken him fromthe Olympic Peninsula to Antarctica. Craig owns and

operates Crescent Coastal Research, a wildlife consultingbusiness in Crescent City, and teaches oceanography andmarine mammal science at the College of the Redwoods

Del Norte campus. The RRAS board meeting starts at 7p.m. following the program. All nature and bird loversand RRAS members who wish to learn more about localand regional Audubon activities and events are invited toattend all or part of the evening’s events. For the potluck,bring a main dish, salad, or dessert to share. Drinks willbe provided.

On Saturday morning, September 13, join

RRAS board members and other top birders at 8:30 a.m.at the headquarters for a local birding field trip. Thegroup will carpool first to the Lake Earl Coastal Lagoonestuary to scout for newly arrived migrating shorebirds.Other prime birding spots in this highly productive areawill be visited during the morning. The trip ends at noonwith a lunch at a potential wetland restoration site wherethe owner will explain the fantastic potential for wildlifeand especially waterfowl.

To reach the Lake Earl Wildlife AreaHeadquarters, take Hwy 101 north through CrescentCity. Veer left on Northcrest Drive, and past Washington

Boulevard, take a left at Old Mill Road. Proceed to theheadquarters. Please RSVP to Sue Calla (707) 465-6191.

Carpooling to and on RRAS field trips is stronglyencouraged. It’s economical, it’s fun, and it’s the rightthing to do! Impromptu carpools to trips meet in thefollowing parking lots at the times indicated in the trip

announcements: Trinidad (Park & Ride, Main Street exit,west side of 101), HSU (northwest corner of Harpst andRossow streets, opposite Student Services), Eureka (Park& Ride, Herrick Avenue exit), and Fortuna (Park & Ride,Kenmar Road exit). Be there a few minutes early, and seeif anyone else is there for ridesharing. If you would like toprearrange a carpool, try using the RRAS listserv. Pleaseoffer your driver some gas money.

Every Saturday: Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary

. These are our famous rain-or-shine field trips at the marsh;take your binocular(s) and have a great morning birding!Meet in the Klopp Lake parking lot at 8:30 a.m. Call KerryRoss ([707] 839-4365) for more information. Carpools:Trinidad 8:10 a.m., Eureka 8:05 a.m., Fortuna 7:45 a.m.

Saturday, September 13: Shorebirds of Del NorteCounty. Meet leader Kerry Ross ([707] 839-4365) at 8:30a.m. at the Lake Earl Wildlife Area, 2591 Old Mill Road,Crescent City for this half-day outing. Carpools: Trinidad7:00 a.m., HSU 6:45 a.m., Eureka 6:25 a.m., Fortuna 6:05a.m. Note: See the September program announcement formore information and directions.

Seabirds and Marbled Murrelets: Life on the Edge

SEPTEMBER PROGRAM

Semipalmated Sandpiper © Kerry Ross



Green Heron on the Trinity River © Kerry Ross

Redwood Region Audubon Society

welcomes the following new members

and subscribers:

Arcata – Andrew Gottscho, Jeff Jacobsen,

A. Tamar Krigel, Clarinda Van Horn,

George Ziminsky

Bayside – David Kajtaniak

Crescent City – Rosemarie Afflick, Melissa McDowell,

Susan OwenEureka – Cathy Ballard, Edward Leishman

Fortuna – J. W. Taylor

McKinleyville – Amedee Brickey

We look forward to seeing you on field trips and at ourmonthly programs.

Keep Up-to-Date Through

RRAS ListservBe reminded about field trips and programs and learn aboutupcoming meetings, public hearings, and symposia of interestto RRAS members and other concerned nature lovers. Subscribein 1 of 2 ways: through a Web page link at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rras or by e-mail to [email protected]. Postings should have complete information. This listservis not for posting bird sightings.

Thinking of Joining theNational Audubon Society?

If so, please use the coupon below. By sending in yourmembership on this form, rather than replying to solicita-tions from National Audubon, $20 is sent directly to RRAS.This is how NAS rewards local chapters for recruitingnational members. (Otherwise, the RRAS dues share pernew member is only a couple of dollars.) Thank you.

Chapter Membership ApplicationYes, I’d like to join.Please enroll me as a member of the National AudubonSociety and of my local chapter. Please sendAUDUBON magazine and my membership card to theaddress below.

My check for $20 is enclosed. (Introductory offer)

NAME_______________________________ADDRESS___________________________CITY _______________________________STATE____________ZIP______________email _______________________________Local Chapter Code: C24 7XCHAPlease make checks to the National Audubon Society.

Send this application and your check to:

National Audubon SocietyChapter Membership Data CenterP.O. Box 51001Boulder, Colorado 80322-1001

--------------LOCAL CHAPTER-------------

REDWOOD REGION AUDUBON SOCIETYP.O. BOX 1054

EUREKA, CA 95502

CHAPTER LEADERS

OFFICERS

President— Pablo Herrera..........................845-8166

President-Elect-- Ken Burton......................839-5179

Secretary—Adam [email protected]

Treasurer—Sam Price..................................499-9450

DIRECTORS

Ken Burton ..........................................839-5179

Sean McAllister ............................................496-8790

Lew & Judie Norton.....................................445-1791

Kerry Ross ..........................................839-4365

C.J. Ralph ..........................................822-2015

Jay Sooter ..........................................444-8001

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Arcata Marsh Docents—Kerry Ross..........839-4365

Conservation—Chet Ogan ............442-9353

Education— Shana Stearn ............442-1461

Field Trips—Ken Burton ...........................839-5179

Historian—John Hewston ...........................822-5288

Membership—Lew & Judie Norton...........445-1791

NEC Representative—C.J. Ralph...............822-2015Observations—Stan Harris ............822-3802

Programs—C.J. Ralph.................................822-2015

Publicity—Sue Leskiw.................................442-5444

Sandpiper—Jan Andersen ............444-3501

—Gary Bloomfield ............822-0210

Volunteer Coordinator

—Jennifer Tompkins......443-6959

Lake Earl Branch—Sue Calla.....................465-6191

Birds in the Balance—Rob Hewitt..............269-0271

RRAS Web Page...................................www.rras.org

Arcata Bird Alert ...................822-LOON (822-5666)

The Sandpiper is published ten times each year byRedwood Region Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 1054, Eureka, CA 95502.

RRAS Cosponsors ArcataCamp

On July 24, 2008, RRAS joined withFriends of the Arcata Marsh (FOAM) to host a day-long session for children aged 9 to 12 at the ArcataMarsh. The session was part of the Wildlife BiologyWeek of the Arcata Recreation Department’s NaturalResources Science Camp.

Seventeen kids arrived at the InterpretiveCenter at 10:15 a.m., having walked from theHumboldt State University campus. Former RRASboard member Tom Leskiw gave a 40-minute talkimparting fun facts about birds and asking the kidsquestions. Then former FOAM board member SeanCraig led the kids on a low-tide mud walk to collect

invertebrates.After lunch, FOAM board member BobRasmussen and former board member MelindaBailey joined Sean to help the students operate themicroscopes and identify what they had collected,along with additional tiny critters Melinda dip-netted from the log pond.

The day was capped off by a bird walk ledby Tom Leskiw and marsh docent Rich Ridenhour.The kids thoroughly enjoyed picking blackberriesalong the trail!

FOAM president Sue Leskiw pulledtogether the schedule and volunteers and made

her famous “Hoot Owl” cookies as a special treat.RRAS also provided $150 and FOAM $300 tosponsor three children to attend the camp.

photos © Sue Leskiw



The Hidden Life of Columba livia, Part 1

By Man-Who-Walks-in-the-Woods

Zoe Chapman, one of our stalwart Community Park,Garberville, bird walkers, has written to me: “Could youtell us a little more about the rapid evolvement of thecommon pigeon?”

Okay. Here is a 2-part discourse on that much-maligned avian species, the second part, on geneticdifferences, to be published next month.

Lots of folks think that feral pigeons are just free-flying domestic pigeons. Not so! You can say pigeons occurin 3 forms: wild native Rock Doves, which range naturallyacross southern Europe, northern Africa, and central andsouthern Asia (they nest on cliffs); domestic pigeons kept

and raised by humans; and feral pigeons living around theworld, from the arctic to the tropics, in close proximityto humans. The feral pigeons are sometimes called streetpigeons or city pigeons, but because they also occur inrural areas, those names are not entirely accurate. (Bridges,building ledges, and barn beams, for the most part, havetaken the place of cliffs for nesting.)

Humans have related to pigeons for at least thepast 12,000 years; remains in caves strongly suggest earlyhumans were eating them back then. The ancient Egyptiansalready had them well domesticated, using them to delivermessages. It is currently believed that the pigeon was the

world’s first domesticated bird, but that dubious honor maybelong to the Jungle Fowl, better known as the chicken.Domestic pigeons were first brought to North America,both to Virginia and Nova Scotia, in 1606 and to Hawaii in1796. Feral pigeon stocks around the world, then, have had

many independent origins.Did feral pigeons originate from escaped domestic

pigeons? Not necessarily! One of the many differencesbetween wild Rock Doves and domestic pigeons is howfrequently they breed. Wild birds have 1 or at most 2 broodsa year whereas some domestic pigeons may have up to 6.Feral pigeons, however, have 3 or 4 broods, supportingthe idea they came from domesticated birds. But Russianstudies give a different idea. These studies are based onthe Hill Pigeon, Columba rupestris, of central east Asia, aclose relative of the Rock Dove. Hill Pigeons were foundonly in the wild up through the 19th century. They are notdomesticated, but some have gradually become feral. LikeRock Doves, they have 1 or 2 broods in the wild, but theferal Hill Pigeons have 3 or 4 broods, without the influenceof domestication. By feral I mean that Hill Pigeons livearound and in towns and nest in the eaves of buildings,

as I have seen myself. They are clearly wilder than theferal Rock Doves. While Rock Doves parade around onvillage streets, the Hill Pigeons mostly stay in large tightflocks on the outskirts of villages, and most still breed innon-humanized situations. I have occasionally seen a RockDove as a member of 1 of the large Hill Pigeon flocks, HillPigeons marching around on streets with many feral RockDoves, and occasionally hybrids. We suspect that the feralpigeons are what is encouraging some of the Hill Pigeonsto trust humans. Rock Doves conceivably also moved inwith humans on their own.

Genetic evidence suggests that feral Rock Dovesperhaps originated from domestic stock. And it is likely

that feral Rock Dove populations are supplemented byescapees and releases from domestic pigeon stocks. Thelargest recorded such release occurred pursuant to theFrench Revolution, when peasants freed the domesticpigeons widely held by aristocrats. Domestic pigeons

now include many specially bred forms, some quiteexotic. Common varieties include racing pigeons, carriers,tumblers (popular weirdos that, while flying in a straightline, suddenly do mid-air somersaults), runts, pouters,turbits, jacobins, fantails, ones with puffed-out feathers onlegs or heads, on and on, not to mention colors. In addition,of course, varieties have been developed for eating, listedon restaurant menus as squab (28-day-old pigeon).

Feral pigeons differ from both wild and domesticbirds in a lot of ways. They are intermediate betweenthe 2 in the sizes of their thyroid, liver, gizzard, heart,and kidneys relative to body weight. Ferals have a majorcharacter unknown in either wild or domestic birds, andthat is nonrandom mate choice based on plumage color andpattern. More on this just ahead.

We all know that many feral pigeons are oddlooking, in some areas more than others. For example,

although 80% of Hawaiian birds are white, in someEuropean cities 80% are all dark. Wild birds, by contrast,are genetically and phenotypically virtually monomorphicas to color and pattern. In my birding travels, I have taken tonoting how many oddballs occur in particular populationsof feral pigeons. For example, in Denver nearly all pigeonsseem to resemble the wild type, while in Tucson there aresome more color and pattern variants, but still far fewerthan you see in San Francisco, which has fewer again thanaround New York City. These differences must reflect theplay of interesting if also inscrutable selection factors. Isuspect Denver has the harshest selection against thepigeons and that large size for a city works in favor of

the oddballs. Also, New York probably has a significantlydenser population of human pigeon breeders that willprovide a genetic supply of escaping oddballs.

--Hector St. John de Crevecouer, Letters from an American Farmer, 1782

I set out early, before the sun had risen above the saw-toothed ridge that culminated in the 5,812-ft summitof Broken Rib Mountain. The hike to the landing atthe end of the road seemed longer and steeper than themap had indicated. Although map mistakes can and do

occur—roads plotted other than where they truly existor a topography misrepresented by contour lines—Isuspected that my perception was colored by the eventsof the week and the lack of stamina that accompaniesadvancing age.

Before reaching the end of the road, I encounteredthe first of my quarry: a Scotch broom plant. Today’stask was to monitor and treat—uproot and destroy—anisolated stand of this Old World plant invader. Becausetheir seeds are too heavy to be transported by the windand they aren’t eaten by birds, they most likely had foundtheir way to the site embedded in mud clinging to heavy

equipment or logging trucks. At the end of the road, Ifound a series of skid roads and a split-level landing—flat areas carved from steep mountainsides to stack logsbefore being loaded onto trucks.

Here mineral soil scraped bare and abundantsunshine fostered the germination of scattered Scotch

W ho can li s ten unmoved to the

sweet love tales of our robins,

to ld f rom t ree to t ree? º T he

sublime accents of the thrush

from on high always retard my s teps that I may l i s ten to the

delicious mu sic.

Of Dawn Songs and Evening Vespers

broom seedlings. I began the task at hand: ripping the plantsfrom their dry, rocky lair. The sun rose above the ridge, theair warming instantly. Removing plants small enough to bepulled by hand, sans pulaski or weed wrench, is calming,a kind of working meditation that gives the mind plenty of

room to wander.For me, weeding triggers memories of my

childhood yard on Shetland Place in Sunnyvale. Becausethe house had just been built—the subdivision recentlycarved from the fruit orchards that once covered the SantaClara Valley—landscaping was absent. A co-worker of mydad’s suggested a lawn of mixed clover and dichondra. Bigmistake. The clover flourished while the dichondra grewslowly, if at all. So, chore number 1 for the 4 Leskiw kidswas to pull out clover in the hope that the dichondra mightsome day be able to fend for itself. Sibling squabbles weremost often terminated with the edict, “Now the 2 of you gooutside and pick me 2 buckets of clover each.”

But today, while the hot June sunshine bore down,I was reminded that there are perks to working in the woods.A Hermit Thrush was singing from the top of a dead tree atthe edge of the landing, his spiraling, flute-like notes fillingthe air. As I slowly made my way across the landings anddown the skid roads, I marveled at the liquid, reverberatingnotes emanating from the thrush. Wresting the plants fromthe dry soil was hard work, and I took short breaks to catchmy breath and revel in the bird’s sonata.

That evening, I took our dog Gypsy for a walk.A robin perched in a cottonwood tree held court, singingthe tentative, widely spaced notes of its dusk song. I

thought back to the Hermit Thrush’s song that had kept mecompany that morning. It had been a good day: from highin the Siskiyous, I’d made the steep descent until reachingHighway 199 and the Smith River. Here I encounteredtraffic, the first vehicles I’d seen in 2 days. I augmentedthe tourist flow, and together we wended the river canyon

west toward Crescent City. Then the long road south, thehighway at intervals fronting the ocean. Pullouts were jammed with travelers pausing to take photos of ouramazing coastline to later share with family and friends.Onward I drove through dappled shade cast by towering

redwood and spruce, roadsides ablaze with leopard lily.The evening vespers of the robin were sonically

apropos, “book-ending” my day. I reflected on therich folkloric traditions that have evolved from ourinteractions with birds.Some cultures believethat owls carry the soulsof the departed skyward,while others think thatwe are brought intothis world courtesy of storks. The day seemedto be a microcosmic

approximation of suchbeliefs: the HermitThrush brought me intothe day while the robinsignaled its closure.Tired from the eventsof the week, Gypsy andI paused for a momentat the end of the roadbefore turning aroundand retracing our stepshome.

Tom LeskiwJune 27, 2008

© Gary Bloomfield



Field Notesby Stan Harris

Yellow-billed Cuckoo © Kerry Ross

Long-billed Murrelet © Kerry Ross

Early Fall (27 Jun—22 Aug), 2008

t was mostly a slow, uneventful period filled with the usual

suspects and returning shorebirds right on historic schedules butlaced with enough “good birds” to keep birders interested andlooking. One pelagic trip went out of Ft. Bragg on 10 August;thanks to Debra Shearwater for the trip report. Many thanksto Russ Namitz for sharing reports of birds seen on a NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Association cruise from near shore toabout 150 miles off Del Norte (3 days) and Humboldt (3.5 days)counties in late Juyl.

Abbreviations used: AD = Alexandre Dairy; AMP = Arcata MarshProject; AOP = Arcata Oxidation Pond; BSLP = Butcher SloughLog Pond; CCH = Crescent City harbor; DN = Del Norte County;ERB = Eel River Bottoms; FBPT = Ft. Bragg Pelagic Trip, 10Aug (DS, et al.); GW = Gee Whiz bird; HBNWR = HumboldtBay National Wildlife Refuge; HO = Hold Over from previousreport; Hum = Humboldt County; HV = Hettenshaw Valley; KS = King Salmon; MBG = Mendocino Botanical Gardens; MER = mouth of Eel River; MKR = mouth of Klamath River; MKSP = MacKerricher State Park; MLT = mouth of Lake Tolowa;mo = Many Observers; MRE = Mad River estuary; NC = NotConfirmed; ND = Not (or poorly) Described; NOAA = cruise off Del Norte and Humboldt counties, late July (RN); OB = OxBowPatch, Redwood Creek estuary; SS = South Spit, Humboldt Bay;TMR = Ten-Mile River estuary; VCB = Virgin Creek Beach.

Wood Duck: 13, Ruth Lake, 29 Jul (TL). Blue-winged Teal: 1 male, MBG, 5, 12 Jul (DJe, DT, respectively); 1, AMP, 14-17 Jul (SH). Green-winged Teal: 35, AMP, 18, 20 Aug (SH).Harlequin Duck: 3, 4, VCB, 1 Jul, 7 Aug, respectively (DB, DT,respectively); 1, CCH, 21 Jul (LB). Surf Scoter: 1,000+ off LittleRiver, 5 Aug (SH, MH). Black Scoter: 1 female, north of Trinidad,21 Jul (RoF); 1 female, CCH, 1 Aug (RoF). Long-tailed Duck: 1,CCH, 1 Aug (RoF). Bufflehead: 1 female, Pudding Creek mouth,10 Jul (DJe); 1 female, AMP, 10 Aug (LM). Hooded Merganser: 1 juv., 4, 4, AMP, 20, 24 Jul, 3 Aug, respectively (KR, TL, SC,respectively); 1 imm. male, MLT, 25 Jul (KB). Ruffed Grouse: 1,Hwy 299, milepost 11.88, 2 Jul (TL). Clark’s Grebe: 1, KS, 30Jun (MW); 1, FBPT. Red-throated Loon: 1, KS, 9 Aug (MW).Pacific Loon: 3, KS, 12 Jul (SC); 4-6, KS, 5-19 Aug (MW); 1,FBPT. Red-necked Grebe: 1, KS, 5-19 Aug (MW); 2, MKSP,10 Aug (DT). Eared Grebe: 1, KS, 18 Aug (MW). LaysanAlbatross: 1, FBPT. Black-footed Albatross: 23 off DN, 41 off Hum, both NOAA; 40, FBRT. Northern Fulmar: 44 off DN,37 off Hum, both NOAA; 6, FBPT. “Hawaiian” Petrel: 1 justsouth of our area, off Ft. Bragg, 8 Aug (DS, et al.). Flesh-footedShearwater: 1 off DN, NOAA. Pink-footed Shearwater: 30 off

DN, 45 off Hum, both NOAA; 75, FBPT. Sooty Shearwater:87 off DN, 36 off Hum, NOAA. Buller’s Shearwater: 1, FBPT.Leach’s Storm Petrel: 315 off DN, 567 off Hum, NOAA. Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel: 5 off DN, 40 off Hum, NOAA. BrownBooby (GW): 1, 80 miles NW Ft. Bragg, 30 Jul (RN). Brandt’sCormorant: 700 (!), FBPT. American Bittern: 2, HBNWR, 12Jul (SC); 1, BSLP, 23 Jul (SH). Green Heron: 100 on a 2-day,42-mile float of the Trinity River from Lewiston Dam to junctionof the North Fork of the Trinity River, 29, 30 Jul (KR, et al.).Turkey Vulture: Group of 1 adult and 3 juv., KS, 3 Aug (MW).White-tailed Kite: 1, Alderpoint Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), 6Jul (KR). Bald Eagle: 1, Bayside, 9 Jul (RoF); 1, Ruth Lake, 19Aug (TL). Cooper’s Hawk: 4 together, probable family group,Hydesville, 1 Aug (EN). Northern Goshawk: 1, 3 miles north of Somes Bar, 20 Jul (CO). Red-shouldered Hawk: 1, HV, 20 Aug(TL). Golden Eagle: 2, Mail Ridge near Ft. Seward Road, 6 Jul(JG). Crested Caracara: 1, SRB, 30 Jun-19 Jul (LB, RRu, RT,MBr). Merlin: 1, “suckleyi” race, MKSP, 1 Jul (KH). PossibleEurasian Hobby (NC, ND, GW): 1, poorly described, 18, 22Jul, AD, MLT, respectively (LB). Peregrine: 4 reports from nearOrleans (successful nesting), 19 Jun (RoF); 1, V Street Loop, 30Jun (SC); 1 ad., 1 juv., ERB, 3 Jul (TL); 1, AMP, 5 Jul (SH). Sora: 2 ad., Lakeview Dr., Lake Earl S.P., DN, 29 Jun (AB); 1 ad. with 3young still showing down, the first ever confirmed nesting recordin the north coast region for this species, 4 Jul (AB, LB). CommonMoorhen: 1 ad., along Eel River below Fernbridge, 11 Jul (SC).Pacific Golden-plover: 1 (high plumage), MLT, 1 Jul (LB); 1,TMR, 29 Jul (KH). Snowy Plover: Single ad. with 3 chicks, 25 Ju,land another with 2 chicks about to fledge, 1 Aug, all SS (KR); 2-7vic. VCB, TMR, 23 Jul-7 Aug (BeB, KH). American Avocet: 1,TMR, 3, 6 Jul (KH); 1-2 summering at AMP increased to 13 by 11

Aug and to 20, 30, respectively, by 13 Aug (JT, SH, respectively).Solitary Sandpiper: 1, MLT, 18 Aug (LB). Lesser Yellowlegs: 3-4, AMP, 5 Jul (RR); 1, AMP, 11, 28 Jul (RoF, KR, respectively);1, AD, 30 Jul (MBr); 5, x, MLT, AD, respectively, 18 Aug (LB); 4,MRE, 20 Aug (RoF). Bar-tailed Godwit (NC): 1 reported (poorlydescribed), Cock Robin Island, 14-15 Aug (LB). Red Knot: 1,SS, 1 Aug (KR); 1, Klopp Lake, 6 Aug (SC). SemipalmatedSandpiper: 14 reports of 1-4 from AD, MLT, AMP, MER, 11 Jul-

18 Aug (mo). Baird’s Sandpiper: 1-6, MLT, 4-7 Aug (LB); 1,MER, 12 Aug (RN); 1-2, MKSP, 10-12 Aug (DT); 1, TMR, 15Aug (DT); 6, MRE, 20 Aug (RoF). Pectoral Sandpiper: 1, AD,30 Jul (MBr). Long-billed Dowitcher: 4, 1, AMP, 12, 19 Jul (SC,

KB, respectively). Wilson’s Phalarope: Groups of 8, 16, ERB,29 Jun (RoF, MW, KR); 2, V Street Loop, 30 Jun (SC); 5, KS, 30Jun (MW); 1, AOP, 11 Jul (SH); 2, AD, 18 Aug (LB). Bonaparte’sGull: 1 in worn 1st-year plumage, VCB, 10 Jul (DT). Heermann’sGull: Arriving right on historic schedule, KR had about 225 on SS,27 Jun, then reported about 100 migrating north at Table Bluff on12 Jul; MW reported 50-100 at KS, 2-18 Aug. Glaucous Gull: 1of the few summer records was at SS, 27 Jun (KR). Sabine’s Gull: 17, off Hum, NOAA. Black Tern (GW): 1, MLT, 19 Aug (FO,JLu, JLo). Common Tern: 1, CCH, 11 Jul (LB); 1, Table Bluff,12 Jul (SC); “several,” MKR, 24 Jul (LB). “Commic” Tern: 2,FBPT; 1, KS, 31 Jul (MW). Arctic Tern: 15 off DN; 30 off Hum,both NOAA. Elegant Tern: 17 reports of 1-350 from CCH (246there, 16 Aug); MKR (300-350 there, 24 Jul), mouth of Elk River/KS (350 there, 2, 12 Aug), SS, FBPT, MKSP, 27 Jun-19 Aug (AB,DiC, DS, KR, SC, LB, DT, MW). South Polar Skua: 1, FBPT; 4,off Hum, NOAA. Pomarine Jaeger: 2, FBPT. Parasitic Jaeger: 1, off Table Bluff, 12 Jul; 2 off SS, 25 Jul (all KR); 1 off DN; 2 off Hum, both NOAA; 1, FBPT. Long-tailed Jaeger: 4 off DN, 40off Hum, both NOAA; 3, FBPT.

Long-billed Murrelet (GW): 1, possibly 2 (pair?) off SS andEel River, 15 Jul-8 Aug (EE, JJ, KR, et al., photos). MarbledMurrelet: 4, inland at Yager Creek, 28 Jul (KR); 19, 1, 7 (2displaying), 1, 1, KS, 30 Jun, 24, 25 Jul, 5, 12 Aug, respectively(MW); surveys at sea, SS to Patrick’s Point revealed more-than-usual number of juveniles seen (1 off SS, 25 Jul; 12-16 off Patrick’sPoint to Little River 31 Jul-1 Aug, fide KR); “several, including

juvenile,” reported off Wedding Rock, 23 Jul (CS). Cassin’sAuklet: 55 off Hum, NOAA. Rhinoceros Auklet: 23 off DN, 16off Hum, both NOAA; “several,” CCH, 21 Jul (LB); about 300,FBPT. Tufted Puffin: 13 (!) counted outside of burrows on CastleRock, 28 Jun (DQ); 1, 1 km offshore and 1 mile north of Redwood

Creek mouth, 5 Aug (KR). Eurasian Collared Dove: 1, Orleans,3 Jun (RoF); 1, AMP, 24 Jul (EE); 2+ seen almost daily, vic, TMR,1 Jun-31+ Jul (KH).

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (GW): 2 ad. and 1 apparent fledgling, CockRobin Island, 19 Jul (KR, SMcA, photos of ad.), report qualifies ascircumstantial (at least), if not positive, evidence of local nestingfor the first time ever. Juv. ID based on a less-than-diagnosticview and apparent juv. call notes heard. Whip-poor-will (GW,HO): 1 heard calling 26 Jun, 14 Aug (DQ, KB, respectively),not heard, 12 Aug (RN) (Boo Hiss). Black Swift (ND, NC): 1,AMP, 14 Jul (RS). White-throated Swift: 2, highway bridge atDos Rios, 21 Jun (DT); 3, 2, along Hwy 36 at mileposts 13.48

and 12.8, respectively, 7, 28 Jul, respectively (both TL). RufousHummingbird: 1 male, Kneeland, 20 Jul (BB, DVZ). Selasphorus Hummingbird sp.: 3-20 seen daily in Jul, Kneeland (BB, DVZ).Pileated Woodpecker: 1, south of Blake Mountain, 7 Jul (TL);1, Grouse Mountain, 10 Aug (DD). Olive-sided Flycatcher: 3,ERB, 3 Jul (MW, TL). Willow Flycatcher: 1, near Lake Cleone,23 Jun (DT); 1, Mad River Fish Hatchery, 9 Aug (SC): 2, HV,20 Aug (TL). Pacific-slope Flycatcher: x still feeding fledged

young, Prairie Creek State Park, 20 Aug (HB). Red-eyed Vireo: 1singing, ERB, 3 Jul (MW, TL). Gray Jay: 15, Centerville Road,3 Jul (MW, TL). Scrub Jay: 3, Blue Lake riparian, 12 Aug (KI).Purple Martin: 4 males-7 females/juveniles, TMR, 1 Jun-5 Aug

(KAHv); 6, Alderpoint BBS, 6 Jul (KR); 1 “nesting”, Mill Creekoffice, Redwood National Park, 17 Jul (HB); 2, Ruth Lake, 29 Jul;about 25, Mad River Ranger Station, 8 Aug (both TL). NorthernRough-winged Swallow: 1 nesting hole at mouth of RedwoodCreek being used, 4 Aug, was abandoned by 7 Aug (HB). BankSwallow: 1, AMP, 12 Jul (SH). Black-capped Chickadee: 1pair, Klamath River RV park near Orleans, 24 Jul (RoF). OakTitmouse: ad. feeding young, Alderpoint BBS, 6 Jul (KR); 2,HV, 20 Aug (TL). White-breasted Nuthatch: ad. feeding young,Alderpoint BBS, 6 Jul (KR); 1, Mail Ridge near Ft. Seward road,30 Jul (JG); 1, HV, 20 Aug (TL). American Dipper: 22 on a 2-day,42-mile float of the Trinity River from Lewiston Dam to junctionof the North Fork of the Trinity River, 29, 30 Jul (KR, et al.).Western Bluebird: 1-4 seen daily in Jul, Kneeland (BB, DVZ); 4,HV, 20 Aug (TL). Townsend’s Solitaire: 4, Siskiyou Wilderness,

16-17 Jul (DD). Northern Mockingbird: 2, Lakeview Drivenear Lake Earl, 29 Jun, became 1 pair with 2 fledglings, 5, 11Jul (AB, LB, respectively). Phainopepla (GW): 1 pair, Ten-MileCreek north of Laytonville, 16-29 Jun (JLa). Northern Parula: 1, MKR, 29-30 Jun (LB); 1, south of Crescent City, 29 Jun-7 Jul(AB); 1, Hwy 101 x Bald Hills Road, 4, 9 Jul (KI); 1, Orick, 9 Jul(KI). Chestnut-sided Warbler: 1, along Hwy 101 south of Orick,9 Jul (KI). Magnolia Warbler: 1, OB, 6 Jul (KI). Black-and-white Warbler: 1 singing male, Old Town, Eureka, 30 Jun (DJu,GL); 1 banded, HBNWR, 1 Jul (JW); 1 female, Cooper Gulch,Eureka, 9 Aug (SC). American Redstart: 1, OB, 27 Jun (KI); 1pair, Blue Lake riparian, 4 Jul (KI); 1, Bayshore Mall, 11 Jul (TL).MacGillvray’s Warbler: 10, 4-year-old clear-cut near Weitchpec,9 Jul (KR); 1 female, Cooper Gulch, Eureka, 9 Aug (SC). HoodedWarbler (HO): 1, Trinidad Head, 6 Jul (RoF, JC); 1, OB, 8 Jul(KI). Green-tailed Towhee: Several, Blake Mountain, 7 Jul

(TL). California Towhee: The bird present at Ocean Meadowsalong TMR since Dec 07 was last seen 2 Jul (KH); 2 seen feedingfledglings south of Blue Lake where Hatchery Road crosses MadRiver, 12 Aug (KI); 2 additional birds seen about a mile westalong Mad River 13 Aug (KI). Lark Sparrow: 9, 8, Mail Ridgenear Ft Seward Road, 6, 30 Jul, respectively (JG); 1, Kneeland, 26Jul (BB, DVZ); 2, HV, 20 Aug (TL). Lark Bunting (ND, NC): 1 reported, Copenhagen Road, ERB, 7 Aug (FW). GrasshopperSparrow: 18, Alderpoint BBS, 6 Jul (KR); 1-2 seen on 9 of 30days in Jun, Kneeland (BB, DVZ); 1-4 (includes 2 juv.) seen on15 of 31 days in Jul, Kneeland (BB, DVZ); x, Snow Camp andBald Hill Roads, 13 Jul (KI). White-crowned Sparrow: 1, 8-MileRidge near Ruth, 29 Jul (TL). Oregon Junco: 1 with an all-whitetail, Rockefeller Forest, 9 Aug (DD). Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1 ad. male, TMR, 5 Aug (KH). Indigo Bunting: 1 male, Road

38N17, near Cecilville, 26 Jun (RoF); 1 “pair” reported (ND, NC),base of Fickle Hill, 21 Jul (“Leslie”). Red Crossbill: 4, Arcata, 26Jun (KR); 1 male, 5 Jul, AMP (LT); x, near Mad River (town), 21Jul (TL). European Goldfinch: 1 at feeder, Eureka, about 15-21Jun (MBi).

Many thanks to the following who shared incidentalreports with us this period: Alan Barron, Dave Bengston,Maud Bishop, Becky Bowen, Matt Brady, Scott Brady,Heather Brown, Lucas Brug, Barbara Burek, Ken Burton,Debra Callas, Scott Carey, Diane Cavaness, Jennifer

Curtis, Duke Diehl, Elias Elias, Rob Fowler, Richard Fox,John Gaffin, Michael and Stan Harris, Karen Havlena,Ken Irwin, Jeff Jacobson, Dave Jensen, Dave Juliano,John Lace, “Leslie,” Tom and Sue Leskiw, Gary Lester,Jim Lomax, John Luther, Larry Maurin, Sean McAllister,Art Morley, Mark Morrissette, Russ Namitz, Eric Nelson,Chet Ogan, Francis Oliver, Dave Quady, Kerry Ross,Richard Ridenhour, Jim and Donna Robinson, RuthRudisell, Cal Salarno, Debra Shearwater, S. W. Sherman,Robert Sutherland, Ryan Terrill, Dorothy Tobkin, JenniferTompkins, Lauren Tompkins, Matt Wachs, Susan Waites,Frank Whitman, Jared Wolfe, Dan Van Zile.

Please call future reports to the Arcata Bird Box (707)822-5666, to me at (707) 822-3802, e-mail them to me [email protected], send them to me at 1595 CharlesCt., Arcata, 95521, or write them on the observation boardat the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center.

september 2008 sandpiper newsletter - redwood region audubon society

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