Tag Archives: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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A small flock of Western Sandpipers was seen at Cook's Beach recently, running along the surf line. Tom Eckles photographed the scene, which shows kelp on the beach.

Several years ago Tom saw Sandpipers at the same place, as you will see in the photo below, looking for tasty insects in the surf and sand.

There's something quite endearing about these birds - they make me smile when I see them. If you'd like to listen to their calls, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/western_sandpiper/sounds

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

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I rarely see these birds because they are hidden away in a tall tree, so you might ask why it is one of my favorites. The answer is its beautiful song. Swainson's are a medium-size thrush and they are found in forests. Richard Kuehn was lucky enough to capture one singing recently.

Swainson's Thrushes overwinter in Mexico and South America. Their arrival on the Mendonoma Coast signifies spring to me. When they pair up, you can hear them calling to each other during the day, keeping in touch with their beautiful song.

Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to hear their call: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swainsons_Thrush/sounds. But you will have to imagine a series of these calls, with the thrill going upwards on the scale, sometimes almost too high to hear - at least by human ear.

Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see a Swainson's Thrush nest, along with an American Goldfinch nest, here is the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/07/26/swainsons-thrush-and-american-goldfinch-i-have-two-nests-to-show-you/

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Last week Richard Kuehn took Rick and me to a very special spot on The Sea Ranch. We were told to be quiet as we made our way out to a point where we could observe the nesting Pelagic Cormorants on the protected bluff face. Below is a female sitting on eggs with her mate next to her.

 And a resettling of the female allowed Rich to get a photo of her eggs. It looks like four eggs are in the nest.

There were perhaps a dozen or so nests and the males were coming and going, bringing food to the nesting females. It was magical to observe them and not disturb them in any way.

To hear their calls, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/pelagic_cormorant/sounds

Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photos and for showing Rick and me this spot. I will share a few more photos of this place soon.

Bonus sighting - the first Wild Rhododendrons have begun their bloom. Rick and I saw the first bloom yesterday, Thursday, April 25.

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Allen Vinson got this closeup photo of a  majestic Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis. Red-tails are our most common Hawk and they are here year round.

Seeing this big hawk soaring you can catch a flash of its red tail.

I love the raspy scream of a Red-tailed Hawk high above me. To hear it for yourself, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-tailed_hawk/sounds

Thanks to Allen for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

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Craig Tooley was out with his camera when he spotted this beautiful Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus, just lifting off the ground. She's magnificent!

This Hawk is a year round resident here on the Mendonoma Coast. Northern Harriers use their ears as well as their sight to spot prey. They fly low over the ground looking for small mammals such as mice. They also eat frogs and small birds. To hear the call of this hawk, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier/sounds

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