October 2009 Sandpiper Newsletter - Redwood Region Audubon Society

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FIELD TRIPS

This program will be held on

Friday, October 9th, 2009, starting at 7:30 p.m.,at the Humboldt County Office of Education near the Burre Centerat Myrtle and West in Eureka. Bring a mug (or purchase one there)

and enjoy shade-grown coffee.Thank you for ensuring that our meetings are fragrance-free.

www.rras.org

andpiperS OCTOBER 2009

Redwood Region Audubon Society

The

Carpooling to and on RRAS field trips isstrongly encouraged. It’s economical, it’sfun, and it’s the right thing to do! Impromptucarpools to trips meet in the followingparking lots at the times indicated in the tripannouncements: Trinidad (Park & Ride,Main Street exit, west side of Hwy 101), HSU (northwest corner of Harpst and Rossow streets,opposite Student Services), Eureka (Park &Ride, Herrick Avenue exit), and Fortuna (Park& Ride, Kenmar Road exit). Be there a few

minutes early and see if anyone else is therefor ridesharing. If you would like to prearrangea carpool, try using the RRAS listserv. Pleaseoffer your driver some gas money.

Every Saturday: Arcata Marsh and WildlifeSanctuary. These are our famous rain-or-shinefield trips at the marsh; take your binocular(s)and have a great morning birding! Repair workto the Klopp Lake levee has limited access tothe parking lot at the end of I Street; therefore,

October Program

meet at the first parking lot on the left across fromthe new pond on I Street 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.

Sunday, October 11: Humboldt Bay NationalWildlife Refuge. This is a wonderful, two-to-three hour trip for people wanting to learnthe birds of the Humboldt Bay area. It takes aleisurely pace with emphasis on enjoying thebirds! Beginners are more than welcome. Meetat the Refuge Visitor Center at 9 a.m. CallJude Power or David Fix (822-3613) for more

information.

Sunday, October 18: Eureka Marsh. Join thefirst of this season’s monthly walks for somegreat birding in downtown Eureka. We willspend an hour or two on a flat loop that will takeus through a variety of habitats from bay andmudflat to riparian and marshland. Meet in theparking lot at the foot of West Del Norte Street at8:30 a.m. Call Kerry Ross (707-839-4365) formore information.

Saturday, October 24: Hiller Park. Join KerryRoss (707-839-4365) for some fun morningbirding at this great local park. We will birda variety of habitats including shore pines,willows along the creek, and ponds at the watertreatment plant, and do a sea-watch from thebluff. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot, off Hiller Road just west of 101 in McKinleyville(take School Road from the south or MurrayRoad from the north).

“A cold winter day in most any open country habitat of northern

California can be brightened by finding a Rough-legged Hawk.

These striking arctic-breeding raptors are always a treat to see.

Like many of you, several years ago I noted that Rough-legged

Hawks seemed to be decreasing in California. Little did I know

that trying to answer the seemingly simple question, “Are Rough-legged Hawks really on the decline here?”, would lead to years

of intense data-mining and some surprising conclusions. I will

present the results of work by Kim Suedkamp Wells and myself

that documents large scale changes in the winter distribution of

this hawk in North America over the past few decades. I will also

discuss some factors that may explain this shift.”

-Ed Pandolfino

Changes in the Winter Distributionof Rough-legged Hawksin North America

Ed Pandolfino spent over twenty years working in various management positions in the medical device industry until his growing

obsession with birds helped inspire him to retire early. Since then he has devoted his time to birding and bird-related research and

conservation work. He serves as a Regional Editor for Northern California for North American Birds and is on the editorial committee

of for the Central Valley Bird Club Bulletin. Along with Zach Smith, he is currently managing a multi-year project to survey and

document habitat associations for raptors wintering in the Central Valley. He now lives in Carmichael, CA with his wife, Kathleen.

©

G a r y B l o o m fi e l d

Semi-palmated Sandpiper © Scott Carey



Keep Up-to-Date

Through RRAS

ListserveBe reminded about field trips and programs andlearn about upcoming meetings, public hearings,and symposia of interest to RRAS members andother concerned nature lovers. Subscribe in 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 havecomplete information. This listserv is not for postingbird 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 per

new 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: C9ZC240ZPlease make checks to the National Audubon Society.

Send this application and your check to:

National Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 422250Palm Coast, FL 32142-2250

--------------LOCAL CHAPTER-------------REDWOOD REGION AUDUBON SOCIETY

P.O. BOX 1054EUREKA, CA 95502

CHAPTER LEADERS

OFFICERS

President— Ken Burton.................................825-1124

President-Elect — Kerry Ross …………..... 839-4365

Secretary—Adam [email protected]

Treasurer—Susan Calla.................................465-6191

DIRECTORS

Jim Clark ………………...........................… 445-8311

Rob Fowler ………………..............……….. 822-5095

Sean McAllister ..............................................268-0592

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

Chet Ogan ………………..............………… 442-9353Kerry Ross ......................................................839-4365

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

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

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

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

Education -- David Tompkins........................443-6959

Field Trips—Kerry Ross ........ ........ ........ ..839-4365

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

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

NEC Representative—C.J. Ralph.................822-2015

Field Notes—Sean McAllister ..... ........ .........268-0592

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

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

Sandpiper—David Schumaker...............530-227-5192

—Gary Bloomfield........................822-0210

Volunteer Coordinator

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

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

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

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

New MembersJoin the Education CommitteeThe RRAS Education Committee has a few openings fornew members. If you are interested in helping educate thepublic about birds and their habitat needs and awardingscholarships, please contact David Tompkins at (707)

443-6959 or [email protected].

Redwood Region Audubon Society welcomesthe following new members and subscribers:

Arcata – Linda MahoneyBayside – Richard Self Eureka – F. S. Moore, G. P. Fuller, Hugh Kelly,

Ruth CardieGarberville – Hal Lepoff Kneeland – Marianne WilliamsLaytonville – T. LohrLoleta – Pansy BurkeMcKinleyville – Bart Davis, Terry SchulzRio Dell – John ReillySmith River – Sybil Saxelby

Trinidad – Betty Mitchell

We look forward to seeing you on field tripsand at our monthly programs.

Support RRASat the Co-op

By David Tompkins

You can help RRAS each time you shop at the NorthCoast Co-op. Give the cashier RRAS’s #87380allowing the Co-op to collect 1% over your grocerytotal as a donation to RRAS.

This is the first time RRAS has participated in theCo-op’s Register Donation Program. RRAS plansto use this money towards establishing scholarshipprograms in our local community.

Remember, when the cashier asks if you have amember number, say #87380.

Wallet cards with RRAS’s number will also beavailable at our general meetings.

If you have any questions about this program orhave education related ideas, please contact DavidTompkins at 443-6959 or [email protected].

Summer is normally a quiet time for RRASas many of our Chapter leaders are in the field andwe go on a three-month hiatus without meeting. Infact, I am writing this in Canada, where I’m runninga migration-monitoring station. This year, however,events have forced us to be a bit busier than usual.

With this issue of The Sandpiper wewelcome our new Editor, David Schumaker. Davidis a retired biology teacher and school principal and

superintendent; and a published author, with books,book chapters, and magazine articles on teaching,school administration, and photography and a novelin progress. He also is an avid birder and wasinvolved in migration research early in his career.We are confident he’ll do a great job. We also thankhis predecessor, Jan Andersen, for her four years of capable editorship. We will miss her and hope sheremains involved in Chapter leadership.

We currently are debating the future formatof The Sandpiper. As you probably are aware bynow, EcoNews is, at least for now, being producedonly bimonthly, and this may not be sufficient forour needs. Printing and mailing costs also have risensubstantially. The Sandpiper has for some time beenreproduced electronically in addition to the printversion, and it may be logistically, ecologically,

and financially prudent to dispense with the latteraltogether. Such a move would give us greaterflexibility in our publication schedule; reduce ourcarbon footprint; and save us thousands of dollars ayear, money that could be put to use elsewhere.

The flip side, of course, is that we would losereaders. No longer would The Sandpiper be foundin grocery stores, community centers, or mailboxes,though readers can have it delivered to their digitalmailboxes by joining the RRAS e-list. (Simply senda message to [email protected] toreceive not only The Sandpiper but also notificationsof field trips, meetings, and other events.) As westruggle with the decision of whether or not toretain a print version, we welcome your input.

President’s Letter By Ken Burton

Electronic only? Bimonthly print versions despitethe drawbacks? Print versions with electronic-onlyversions in between? Let us know what you think.

Our annual Chapter Leader Retreat is comingup next month. We have decided to have this year’sretreat guided by a professional facilitator to help usdevelop a strategic plan and set short-, intermediate-, and long-term goals for the Chapter. We recognizefully that our assets really belong to our members,whom we are here to serve. With that in mind goinginto our retreat, we welcome your input as to howour financial resources should be allocated. Whatdo you think our priorities should be in the coming

years? Education? Land acquisition? Grants?Please contact any Board member this month toexpress your views.

In other news, we are exploring ways inwhich we might cooperate with Friends of the Duneson the proposed Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.We are soon to record a conservation easement withthe City of Eureka on the parcel behind BayshoreMall; we hope to facilitate cleanup of the site andits development for public access as part of thelarger proposed bay-shore trail system. We arepursuing grant money to upgrade some importantwaterfowl habitat in Del Norte County (on whichwe then would have an easement) and to monitorlocal seabird rookeries. We continue to seek waysin which we can have greater influence on Fish

and Game’s management practices locally. Wepromoted our mission and activities at the CountyFair last month. And, of course, we have some greatfield trips and evening programs lined up for you.

As you can see, we have a lot of irons in alot of fires. This is an exciting time for the Chapterand we need your help. If you are interested inserving on our Board, please let us know. Wealso are looking for a Volunteer Coordinator and aFundraiser/Grant Writer. Please consider sharingyour time and expertise with us. It would make ahuge difference.

I hope you had a great summer and lookforward to seeing you at an upcoming RRAS event.

Conservation CommitteeSeptember 17, 2009

By Chet Ogan

RRAS Conservation Committee met today. Inattendance were Chet Ogan, chair, John Hunter,John Hewston, Sue Leskiw, and Gil Saliba. Thereare several upcoming meetings. Ken Burton withFOAM will be coordinating a Spartina forum atArcata’s senior room at the Community Center 7:30pm October 15. October 6 PCJV will host PaulaGolightly talking about Humboldt Bay.

Sue Leskiw reported that Arcata City Council hasapproved a contract for a for-profit company to run

Segway tours at the Arcata Marsh. City of Arcata hasan ordinance prohibiting motorized vehicles beyondthe parking lots. With Board approval, RRAS willoppose this project. Chet reported on a letter RRASis writing for support of Goodwin Pond restorationin Smith River, north of Crescent City. The BearRiver Ridge wind project will be issuing a draft EIRin the near future. Although California Audubon has

worked for mitigated support of alternative energyprojects, we should attend hearings and comment onthis project. It is within marbled murrelet foragingroutes and is on a raptor flyway. The Eureka CityCouncil is slated to take public comment on theMarina Center DEIR at its October 20 meeting. Sueand Chet briefly discussed Palco Marsh dredging.The City of Eureka has arranged permits to begindeepening channels in the marsh to provide forincreased tide water circulation within the marsh.Sue reported that the majority of the work atFreshwater Farms Nursery has been completed torestore saltwater circulation in the area immediatelywest of Freshwater Farms Nursery. Channels andmounds have been created to mimic old channelswhich used to exist there. The hope is to increaseestuarine habitat for salmonids and other fish. Gilgave us an update on the Trinity River Project.Monitoring of previous work has suggested thatmore care need to be taken in restoring vegetation.Some previous riparian vegetation plantings havedied either due to lack of water or poor placementof the veg.

mailto:[email protected]





© Art Barab

Breaktime, June 19, 2009: I decided to lookin on the Hooded Warbler. As I split off fromBayshore Way and made my way toward thenorth end of the mall parking lot, the northerlywind hit me full force. Copious fog droplets,propelled sideways by winds around 25 mph,made for miserable birding conditions. Mywindbreaker failed to live up to its name andthe hood billowed maniacally. Such a deal, Imuttered to myself: Wind and fog.

The conditions only worsened after I roundedthe corner where the Vigo Street extensionintersected with the trail along the west edge

of the Eureka Marsh. I stopped to listen forthe Hooded Warbler’s song. Yep, he’s still here. I peered eastward to the traffic makingits way down Broadway. Sheets of fograin,borne briskly southward on Attu-like zephyrs,sailed unimpeded down Eureka’s main drag. Isought shelter in the lee of a large willow, thedry leaf litter on its south side attesting to itsefficacy as a windbreak.

Then it hit me: the desperate plight of thiswarbler. We cherish the vagrants we find, abirder’s version of a stuffed animal head ora sailfish adorning the wall of a sportsman’sden. Often, we tell—and re-tell—the story of

their discoveries with relish, heedless of theconsequences for the misguided waifs. Firstfound May 22nd, the Hooded Warbler nowseemed destined to summer at Mauer/EurekaMarsh.

Oh, Hoodie: too bad for your wrong turn. Here you are, amid “summer” weather befittingthe Aleutians, when, instead, you should beway down upon the Suwannee River, raisinga family amid the warmth of the Gulf Coast.Finding food for your mate and offspring would be never-ending, yet it’s a chore you’d gladlytake on. And here you are, amid the garbage

and camps of two-legged vagrants, singing yourheart out for a mate who’ll never come. Theweather—cold, windy, wet—reminded me of an account I’d once read. This is nothing. Now,1816 : That was a year without a summer.

The eruption of Mt. Tambora in Indonesiain 1815—believed by geologists to be thelargest volcanic event of the last ten thousandyears—spawned what has come to be knownas The Year Without a Summer. New Englandand Europe were hit exceptionally hard, withsnowfalls and frost occurring in June, July, andAugust. This strange weather was the result of

diminished sunlight reaching the Earth, owingto the eruption’s release of minute aerosolparticles into the stratosphere. The unseasonablycold weather destroyed most crops, save for thehardiest grains. Destruction of the corn cropforced farmers to slaughter their animals andsoup kitchens were opened to feed the hungry.Sea ice migrated across Atlantic shipping lanes,and alpine glaciers advanced down mountainslopes to exceptionally low elevations.

The inclement weather inspired Lord Byronto pen the poem “Darkness.” Incessant Swissrainfall that summer kept John William Polidoriand Mary Shelley indoors, spawning a contest towrite the scariest story—with Shelley creating

“Frankenstein.”

Noteworthy volcanic eruptions that impactedsummers include Krakatau in 1883. Generatingtwenty times the volume of aerosols released bythe 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, Krakatauwas the second largest eruption in history,dwarfed only by Mt. Tambora. For months afterthe Krakatau eruption, the world experiencedunseasonably cool weather, prolonged twilights,and brilliant sunsets. The vivid red sky in EdvardMunch’s painting “The Scream” was inspiredby the vibrant twilights in Norway, his nativeland.

A Year Without a Summer

This summer, I attended a conference whereenvironmental writer Andrew C. Revkin of the New York Times spoke. His blog: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/ has become thego-to online source for environmental news.The 1992 publication of Global Warming:Understanding the Forecast marked Revkinas one of the first authors to address in detailthe threat of global warming. Unfortunately,Global Warming hit the bookshelves onthe heels of the Mt. Pinatubo, Philippineseruption of June 15, 1991. In addition, onemonth later, Mt. Hudson in southern Chileerupted. The Pinatubo eruption produced the

largest sulfur oxide cloud this century and,together with the aerosol plume from Mt.Hudson, caused mean world temperaturesto decrease by about 1 degree Centigradeover the subsequent two years. With wry,self-deprecating humor, Rifkin reinforcedthat timing is everything: “Don’t expecta book on global warming to be warmlyreceived when it’s published during a periodof temporary global cooling.”

Tom LeskiwAugust 21, 2009

September 17, 2009 Epilog: With fallmigration in full swing, I decided to look inon Mauer Marsh. Surprised to hear a singingwarbler, it took me several minutes to get avisual on a… Hooded Warbler. The bird wasa mere 100’ distant from the location whereI found a Hooded Warbler on May 22 of this year. Perhaps it was the same bird andsimply went undetected these past monthswhen it stopped singing. Lending credenceto this theory is that today’s daylight lengthis the same as March 25—about the timethat Hooded Warblers appear on theirsouthernmost breeding range in the UnitedStates and begin to set up territories.

On July 30, RRAS joined with Friends of the Arcata Marsh for the second year tohost a day-long session for children age9-12 at the Arcata Marsh. The sessionwas part of the Wildlife Biology weekof the Arcata Recreation Department’sNatural Resources Science Camp. As itscontribution, RRAS volunteers Kerry Rossand Lauren Tompkins led a 2-hour morningbird walk for the nine camp registrants.Four Green Herons in flight were the “birdsof the day.”

RRAS Co-sponsors Arcata Camp

H o o d e d W a r b l e r ©

S c o t t C a r e y



Field Notes By Sean McAllister

SUMMARY OF NORTHWESTERNCALIFORNIA BIRD REPORTS

16 June – 12 September 2009

There is much to report for this period, which encompassesthe late breeding season and early fall migration. Some reportswere omitted to save space, but check out the RRAS websitein the near future for a more complete list of sightings. Hereare some of the best highlights for the period, followed by acompressed summary of most reports received:

(DFx, JCP); 2, CRI , 2 Aug (RFo) • Ruddy Duck: 1, AM ,26 Jul (DFx) • Red-necked Grebe: 1, KS , 23 Aug (MWa) •Black-footed Albatraoss: 1, off Table Bluff , 2 Aug (RFo) •Leach’s Storm-Petrel: 5, Luffenholtz Beach, 28 Jun (LTu)• American White Pelican: 2 cont. since January, Eureka10 Aug (TSt); AM, 10 Aug (EE); KS , 23 Aug (MWa); AM ,23 Aug (DSp, TKu); CC , 31 Aug (ABa); SR mouth, 1&6Sept (ABa, ECo) • Northern Goshawk: 1, Whitlow, 8 Sep(JGa) • Crested Caracara: 1 cont., SR Bottoms, 16 Jul(DQ); 31 Aug (ABa) • Prairie Falcon: 1, Big Lagoon, 1Sep (DCo, SDu) • American Coot: 2, Garberville, 28 Jun

(KRo, RSm); 2, AM , 5 Jul (RFo) • Semipalmated Plover:67, Elk River Mouth, 18 Jun (TLe); 1, Virgin Creek Beach,14 Jul (DTo) • Black-necked Stilt: 2, HBNWR, 12 Jul (CMi)• American Avocet: 4, Alexandre Dairy, 29 Jun (LBr) •Wandering Tattler: 1, South Jetty, 26 Jun, 1st “fall” report(JCe, LLa, LDo) • HUDSONIAN GODWIT: 1, AM , 4 Aug(DFx, et al); 1-4, Glass Beach and vicinity, 26 Aug-3 Sep(DTo, et al) • BAR-TAILED GODWIT: 1, Vance Rd., HB,1 Jul & 23 Aug (LTu); 1, Mad River Estuary, 30 Aug (KSl)• Red Knot: 1, Virgin Creek , 14 Jul (DTo); 1, Vance Rd.,

HB, 20 Jul (SCa); 2, CRI , 11 Aug (SMc) • SemipalmatedSandpiper: 1, Vance Rd., HB, 13 Jul (LTu, SSc); 1, CRI , 2Aug (RFo); 2, CRI , 9 Aug (SCa); 1, CRI , 11 Aug (SMc); 1-4, “ McKay Pond ”, AM , 17-25 Aug (m. ob.); 1, Loleta Pond ,10 Sep (SMc) • Western Sandpiper: 2, Elk River estuary,18 Jun, 1st “fall” report (TLe) • Least Sandpiper: 2, VirginCreek Beach, 26 Jun, 1st “fall” report (DTo); 1 leucistic (“likea perfectly roasted marshmallow”), AM , 3 Sep (JCP, DFx) •Baird’s Sandpiper: 3 adults, South Spit , 12 Jul (EE, JJ); 1,

Lake Tolowa, 2 Aug (LBr); 1, AM , 10 Aug (DFx); 1, VirginCreek , 15&18 Aug (DTo); 1, CRI , 27 Aug (TLe, MWa); 1,

AM , 27 Aug (LGe); 3, Stone Lagoon, 30 Aug (EE, CC); 1, AM, 3 Sep (JCP, DFx) • Pectoral Sandpiper: 1, South Spit ,19 Aug (KRo, RSm); 1, AM , 22 Aug-7 Sep (RSm, et al);2, AM , 30 Aug (TKu) • BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER:1, Glass Beach, 29 Aug-1 Sep (M&AC, DTo) • RUFF: 1f (“Reeve”), AM , 22-30 Aug (EE, CMo, et al) • Wilson’sPhalarope: 1, CRI , 2 Aug (RFo); 1, AM , 3 Aug (SCa); 1,

Alexandre Dairy, 10 Aug (LBr); 1, South Jetty, 22-23 Aug(LTo, LTu, DCo, PCh) • Red Phalarope: 1, Trinidad , 19Aug (EE) • FRANKLIN’S GULL: 1, Ten Mile Beach, 11Aug (KHv) • Common Tern: 2, Elk River mouth, 12 July(SCa); 1, Elk River mouth, 19-20 Jul (SCa, LMa); 2, Table

Bluff , 2 Aug (RFo) • Elegant Tern: 1st seasonal report: 8,

Redstart: 1-2, Luffenholtz, 17 Jun (KI); 1, MRCP, 18Aug (BCa); 1, McKinleyville, 21 Aug (KRo, RSm); 1,

MRCP, 21 Aug (LBr); 1, MRCP, 29 Aug (BCa) • NorthernWaterthrush: 1, Dry Lagoon, 21 Jun (KI); 1, Arcata, 12Sep (GBl) • Hooded Warbler: 1m continuing, Vigo St.,

Eureka, 18 Jun – 21 Jul (TLe, et al); 1, Crannell , 20 Jun (KI)•SUMMER TANAGER: 1-2, Lake Cleone, 17 Aug-12 Sep(RHu, DTo, et al) • BLACK-THROATED SPARROW: 1, SR Bottoms, 22 Aug (ABa) • Grasshopper Sparrow: 1,Crannell , 17 Jun (KI); 1, Friday Ridge, 26 Jun (RFo); 10,Garberville, 28 Jun (KRo, RSm); 1, Arcata, 7-8 Jul (RFo) •

White-throated Sparrow: 1, MRCP, 29 Aug (BCa) • Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1, McKinleyville, 30 Jun-1 Jul (DMc);1, Loleta, 1 Jul (KK);1, Freshwater, 28 Jul (JWe); 1, Blue

Lake, 22 Jul (KI); 1, Freshwater, 23 Aug (GCo) • IndigoBunting: 1, McKinleyville, 18 Jun (CWi); 1, Alderpoint , 19Jun (BSa); 1, Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory, 30 Jun (fideLTo) • Bobolink: 1, CRI , 8 Jul (KSl) • Hooded Oriole: 1imm, Bayside, 26 Jul (DFx); 1ad m and 1 imm, Arcata, 28Jul (RFo) • Cassin’s Finch: 1, Friday Ridge, 26 Jun (RFo);3, Titlow Hill , 29 Jun (SCa); 25 (est.), Upper Canyon Creek,5-6 Sep (GSL, LPL).

Special thanks to E. Elias, R. Fowler, G. Lester andD. Fix for their contributions to this report.

Observers:Alan Barron, Bob Battingen, Gary Bloomfield, AdamBrown, Lucas Brug, Ralph Bucher, Barbara Burek,Ken Burton, Celia Cage, Brent Campos, Scott Carey,

Joe Ceriani, Phil Chaon, Daryl Coldren, Gail Coonen,Eileen Cooper, Mike Curry, Alexandria Curry, DukeDiehl, Linda Doerflinger, Samantha Dupree, EliasElias, Gary Falxa, Deborah Fitzpatrick, David Fix,Rob Fowler, John Gaffin, Luke George, Brian Hahns,Karen Havlena, Paul Hawkes, Owen Head, PabloHerrera, Richard Hubacek, Ken Irwin, Jeff Jacobsen,Bob Keiffer, Karen Kovacs, Richard Kuehn, TonyKurz, Laurie Lawrence, Tom Leskiw, Gary Lester,Lauren Lester, Paul Lohse, Zach Loman, Jill Loman,Tom Love, Larry Maurin, Sean McAllister, DougMcCullough, Cathy Michaels, Art Morley, MichaelMorris, Moe Morrissette, Cindy Moyer, Chris Murray,Brian O’Donnell, Larry Pitts, Jude Power, DavidQuady, Kerry Ross, Lucy Rowe, Ivan Samuels, JesseSargent, Barry Sauppe, Stephanie Schneider, KeithSlauson, Rachel Smith, David Spangenberg, JanetStock, Tom Stokes, Robert Sutherland, DorothyTobkin, Lauren Tompkins, Leslie Tucci, Dan Van

Zile, Matt Wachs, Adam Wachtel, Lisa Walker, JamesWelsh, Joel Weisberger, Jerry White, Carol Wilson,David Woodward, George Ziminski.

Field Notes is a compilation of bird sighting reportsfor Humboldt, Del Norte, western Trinity andnorthern Mendocino counties. Sources include theRedwood Region Audubon Society bird alert andbirders’ information phone line (707-822-LOON),the online northwestern California birdwatching andinformation exchange ([email protected]), the Mendocino County birders’ listserve([email protected] ), and reportssubmitted directly to the compiler. Future reports maybe submitted to any of the sources mentioned above,or to Sean McAllister: [email protected]; 4172nd St., Suite 201 Eureka, CA 95501; (707) 268-0592.

LONG-BILLED MURRELET – Although Long-billedMurrelet is well-known to be highly prone to vagrancy, therate of reports from the north coast seems ever-increasing.This period exemplified this phenomenon well, with multiplereports possibly representing four or more individuals(details below)! The Redwood Sciences Lab MarbledMurrelet offshore survey team has been responsible for mostof these discoveries.SUMMER TANAGER – An adult male was found byRichard Hubacek at Lake Cleone, MacKerricher State

Park on 17 August. This was only about the third recordfor Mendocino County, so birders were delighted when itwas joined by a second bird, this one a 1st-year male, on 23August.

Abbreviations: AM = Arcata Marsh; CC = Crescent City; HBNWR = Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge; KS =King Salmon; MR = Mad River; MRCP = Mad River CountyPark

Brant: 7, Elk River mouth, 16 Jun (TLe); 85(!), South Spit ,1 Jul (KBu) • American Wigeon: 1f, AM, 29 Jun-31 Jul(RFo) • Northern Pintail: 2, MR estuary, 29 Jun (KRo,RSm) • Blue-winged Teal: 1m, AM , 5-9 Jul (RFo, GZ) •Greater Scaup: 2, Eel River mouth, 12 Jul (SCa); 1, AM,30 Jul (JWe) • Harlequin Duck: 1m, KS , 27 Jun (MWa);1, Trinidad , 10 Aug (BBa, DFz) • White-winged Scoter:1m, KS, 22 Jun (MWa) • Black Scoter: 1m, KS , 24 Jun,6,11,18-29 Jul (MWa) • Long-tailed Duck: 1, KS , 16 Jun

– 29 Jul (MWa) • Hooded Merganser: 1 juv, AM , 4 Jul

KS, 23 Jun (MWa); max count for period: 300, Elk Rivermouth, 19 Jul (LMa) • Pomarine Jaeger: 5, off Table

Bluff, 2 Aug (RFo); 2, North Jetty, 2 Aug (SCa) • ParasiticJaeger: 6, North Jetty, 2 Aug (SCa); 8, Table Bluff , 2 Aug(RFo); 1, North Spit , 3 Sep (ABr); 12, North Jetty, 7 Sep(TKu, LTu, DCo, DSp) • LONG-BILLED MURRELET: 1, offshore Eel River, 31 Jul, (EE, MaM, BO); 1, SR mouth,6-7 Aug (EE, et al); 1-2, CC harbor, 7&11 Aug (LBr); 1,offshore Little River, 11 Aug (EE, et al); 1, offshore Camel

Rock , 12 Aug (KRo, RSm, RFo); 1, CC harbor, 31 Aug(TLo); 1, offshore Houda Point , 31 Aug (SCa, TKu, JSa) •Long-eared Owl: 1, Canyon Creek Lake (Tri Co), 5-6 Sep(GSL, LPL) • Common Nighthawk: 1-2, Blue Lake, 22-25Jun (PLo) • Whip-poor-will: 1 cont, Willow Creek , 21 Jun(EE, MoM, LRo) • Common Poorwill: 1, Lower CanyonCreek Lake (Tri Co), 5 Sep (GSL, LPL) • Black Swift: 1,

Eureka, 7 Sep (SCa) • Eastern Kingbird: 1, Centerville,7 Sep (TL) • Western Scrub-Jay: 1, Blue Lake, 22 Jul(KI) • Clark’s Nutcracker: 5, Grizzly Lake (Tri Co), 19

Jul (LMa); 4, Upper Canyon Creek Lake (Tri Co), (GSL,LPL) • Plumbeous Vireo: 1, Blue Lake, 3 Jul (KI) • Red-eyed Vireo: 1, Blue Lake, 30 Jul (KI) • Bank Swallow:24+(26 active nests), MR bluff , 29 Jun (KRo, RSm); 1,Garberville, 29 Jun (RSu); 2+, AM , 23 Aug (DSp, TKu); 1,

AM , 27 Aug (RFo) • Rock Wren: 1, n. Trinity Mt., 2 Aug(GFa); 1, Johnson’s, 8 Sep (RFo) • Canyon Wren: 1, UpperCanyon Creek Lake (Tri Co), 5 Sep (GSL, LPL) • Blue-grayGnatcatcher: 3, Alderpoint , 19 Jun (BSa); 1, Blue Lake, 26Aug (KI) • Northern Mockingbird: 1, South Spit, 3 Jul(RFo, MWa) • BROWN THRASHER: 1, Bayside, 23 Jul(BHa) • Tennessee Warbler: 1, Orick Dump, 11 Sep (KI)• Virginia’s Warbler: 1, MRCP, 21 Aug (LBr) • NorthernParula: 1, MRCP, 4 Sep (DSp); 1, CRI , 7 Sep (TLe); 1,

North Spit , 7 Sep (ZLo, SSc, IS) • Chestnut-sided Warbler: 1, SR Bottoms, 28 Jun (LBr); 1, Bald Hills Rd., 23 Aug(KI); 1, Mauer Marsh, 4 Sep (TLe) • Palm Warbler: 1,Samoa, 23 Jun (CMu) • Blackpoll Warbler: 1, Bayshore

Mall , 18 Jun (TLe); 1, Shay Park , 9 Sep (AWa) • American

Long-billed Murrerlet © Jeff Jacobsen

Hudsonian Godwit © Sean McAllister

HUDSONIAN GODWIT – Only the region’s tenth recordof this species was discovered at the new (“McKay”) pondcomplex at the Arcata Marsh on 4 Aug by David Fix, whoseregular monitoring of the site paid-off big-time, and sparkeda spree of other notable shorebird sightings there. On 26Aug, an amazing four Hudsonians were found togetherat Glass Beach in Fort Bragg by Dorothy “Toby” Tobkin,establishing a first record for Mendocino County.

BAR-TAILED GODWIT – It is unclear how many birdsthe three reports I received of individual Bar-tailed Godwitsrepresent. Two of the reports were from the same location,Humboldt Bay at Vance Road, but were separated by nearly2 months (1 Jul and 23 Aug; both, Leslie Tucci). The thirdreport came from the MR estuary on 30 Aug, where KeithSlauson found his second at that location. His first wasexactly two years prior.

Hooded Warbler © Scott Carey

American Redstart © Kerry Ross

Ruff © Scott Carey

Documents

October 2009 Sandpiper Newsletter - Redwood Region Audubon Society