Tag Archives: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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I don't know how he finds such a wonderful sighting, but Michael Beattie once again photographs a beautiful scene. Here is a nest with the mother Great Horned Owl and her two chicks, seen north of Point Arena.

Great Horned Owls are powerful predators. They are able to take down birds and mammals bigger than themselves! But they  usually hunt for rodents. This is the owl that hoots. You can hear their call at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/sounds

Thanks to Michael for allowing me to share his photo with you here. You can see much more of Michael's photography at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Michael-Beattie-Photography-1856278251324808/

Sunny, breezy, simply beautiful here today.

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This year there are two nests in southern Mendocino county that I know of. Each has three white puffballs, chicks, in the nests. Michael Beattie watches one of the nests with his long lens. Here the mother has fed her chicks and is flying away to hunt for her family.

It will be fun to watch the chicks mature. That opening in the rocks looks to be a safe place for the Peregrines.

Fun Fact: A Peregrine can reach speeds of up to 200 mph when diving down on its prey, which are medium-sized birds. To hear the "kak, kak, kak" call of a Peregrine, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/sounds

Thanks to Michael for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

The heavy, wet fog of this morning has lifted, bringing us sunshine this afternoon.

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Peter Baye was north, up at Big River, where he found several pairs of elusive Wood Ducks. He wrote, “I almost always hear Wood Ducks on the Gualala River without seeing anything more than their backends in flight. They are even more shy on the water than Pond Turtles, but these were in partial cover in the native Pond-lilies. They were wary but not alarmed, long enough for me to see their painted plumage. They look like fantasy waterfowl.”

Wood Ducks' calls are quite different. You can listen to them here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/sounds

Here's what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to say about these beautiful ducks: "The Wood Duck is one of the most stunningly pretty of all waterfowl. Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather; the elegant females have a distinctive profile and delicate white pattern around the eye. These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches."

Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

It's still windy today, but warmer...almost 70 degrees!

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This time of year you are more likely to see a beautiful Cooper's Hawk. Craig Tooley recently spotted a young one, a juvenile, flying over The Sea Ranch, and Craig always has his camera at the ready!

Cooper's Hawks are amazing fliers. They prey on medium-sized birds, so sometimes one will perch near a bird feeder. If that happens to you, take the bird feeder down for a day or two. The male Cooper's Hawk is smaller than the female, which can work to his disadvantage if he resembles a medium-sized bird!

Their call is a "cak-cak-cak" which you can listen to at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/sounds

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

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We share the coast with Common Ravens. Many love them, and some do not. Allen Vinson recently photographed one. Look at that big beak.

They are extremely intelligent. They have many different calls and can even mimic humans. In fact, one raised in captivity was taught to say "nevermore."  Allen photographed this raven calling. If we only had sound with this photo!

To hear a few of the 33 different vocalizations Common Ravens make, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/sounds

Ravens eat practically anything, including carrion. Please don't feed them; they don't need our help to thrive.

Thanks to Allen for allowing me to share these photos with you here. To see more of Allen's photography, here is a link: http://allenvinson.smugmug.com/