Tag Archives: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers here on the Mendonoma Coast. They are so very striking and their calls are unmistakable. Craig Tooley recently found this male Pileated working on a tree with its very powerful beak.

You can see bits of bark flying as he uncovers a nest of tasty carpenter ants, his favorite food.

To hear their call, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/sounds

They often call while flying. Peter Baye told me these woodpeckers also like Concord grapes. Peter grows them and leaves some of the crop for the Pileateds. He said they will often gorge upside down!

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

It's sunny, breezy and cool today. In a walk in the forest today, I noticed the ponds of water in a seasonal creek have gotten deeper from the recent rains.

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Eric Zetterholm found this American Kestrel nicely posing for him with the moon as a beautiful accent. Nice!

I love how the breeze has ruffled one of this Kestrel's feathers!

To listen to this small falcon's calls, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Kestrel/sounds

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

As I type this at 3:30 Friday afternoon, the storm has just begun. It's raining pretty darn hard!

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Perry Hoffman got this wonderful photo of a Red-tailed Hawk near the P'da Hau, aka the Garcia River. It looks like the hawk was just taking off. It's amazing to see the strength - and beauty -  in this hawk's wings.

Red-tailed Hawks are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast.

To  hear their distinctive, screaming call, you can listen here at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/sounds

I read on the site that they give this call most often while soaring.

Thanks to Perry for allowing me to share his photo with  you here. To see much more of Perry's photography, here is the link to his website: https://magentaraven.com/

We had another very hot day here. The heatwave is suppose to break tomorrow. My sister, who lives in Point Arena on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific, said it was much cooler there today. The temperature actually hit 97 degrees here today. Good news is that rain is in the forecast for late Friday into Saturday. Bring it, Mother Nature!

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Craig Tooley noticed this handsome Double-crested Cormorant perched at the Gualala River. The bird then took flight and Craig got that photo too.

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: "From a distance, Double-crested Cormorants are dark birds with snaky necks, but up-close they’re quite colorful—with orange-yellow skin on their face and throat, striking aquamarine eyes that sparkle like jewels, and a mouth that is bright blue on the inside." I like the "etching" on their feathers!

To hear the call of a Double-crested Cormorant, you can listen at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/sounds  Fair warning! Their infrequent calls sound rather like a pig!

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

We had some puffy clouds moving in from the west, making for a beautiful morning. Temps are again mild today and there is no wind. A very nice day!

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Mike recently photographed a Savannah Sparrow and I love his photo of the sparrow with its head down in a flower, looking as if he/she was taking a sniff. Of course it’s more likely there was an insect or spider in there, but still, it’s fun to imagine.

This distinctive sparrow with a short tail, small head, and telltale yellow streak above the eyes. Savannah Sparrows are one of the most numerous songbirds in North America. In the spring, when the male is trying to attract a female, he sings a three-part song. You can hear it at this link at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/sounds

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

No fog today, just blue skies! There could be some rain coming in Friday - bring it, Mother Nature!