This first photo of the Ferruginous Hawk graced page one of the Independent Coast Observer this week. Shari Goforth was on Lighthouse Road in Point Arena when she noticed this large hawk perched on utility pole.
We only see these hawks in the wintertime.
To hear their screaming calls, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ferruginous_Hawk/sounds
Thanks to Shari for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Sara Bogard was out at the Point Arena Lighthouse Peninsula when she saw this Ferruginous Hawk looking at her. She quickly got this photo.
A few of these hawks will overwinter here on the Mendonoma Coast and it's always a treat to see them. They will be leaving soon as their breeding season will be commencing soon. Here's a map by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that shows where they will be headed.
Thanks to Sara for allowing me to share her photo with you here. And thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for being so awesome. Their website is http://allaboutbirds.org They also created the Merlin Bird ID that lets you use a smartphone to listen to a bird's call. It then will ID it for you. I've been waiting for this app all my life! You can learn about it here: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ It's a free app, but you just might be inclined to hit the donate button on their website as a thank you.
oh boy, we had a lot of rain the past five days, five inches of the wet stuff. I'm at 48.10 inches season to date, a nice wet winter. Today is sunny and breezy.
Ferruginous Hawk's scientific name is Buteo regalis. And this beautiful hawk IS regal! Ron Bolander recently spotted one, last Saturday to be more exact, near Lighthouse Road in Point Arena.
Here are two fun facts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website, http://www.allaboutbirds.org:
Ferruginous Hawks and Rough-legged Hawks (plus the Golden Eagle) are the only American hawks to have feathered legs all the way down to their toes.
Ferruginous means rust-colored, and refers to the reddish back and legs of light-morph birds (which are more common than dark morphs).
To hear the call of this hawk, here is the link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ferruginous_Hawk/sounds
Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
We are having rain today, Tuesday. Over 2/3 of an inch so far. More to come overnight. Coast waterfalls are beautiful now and seasonal creeks are full and racing towards the Pacific Ocean. There's a feeling of abundance in the moist air.
John Batchelder photographed a beautiful Ferruginous Hawk during the Sea Ranch annual Christmas bird count. We only see this large hawk in the wintertime. John told me this hawk wasn't squawking at him; it was yawning.
It's funny, but I've never thought of a bird yawning! John also photographed the hawk soaring seemingly effortlessly through the sky.
This is a light-morph Ferruginous Hawk due to the white underparts you can clearly see in the second photo. Their call is more of a scream and you can listen to it here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ferruginous_Hawk/sounds
Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photos with us here.
Allen Vinson recently visited the new addition to the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands. You access this beautiful land behind the Point Arena City Hall. While there Allen had some wonderful sightings. He also got this great photo of a fellow enjoying the waves off Arena Cove.
Allen visited at low tide as you can see by the photo below.
And he spotted a beautiful Ferruginous Hawk on top a tree.
I love this photo below of the big hawk taking off.
And here the hawk is soaring, perhaps looking for a meal.
And this last photo shows the hawk lit up by the sun.
We are very happy that these new lands were acquired and made available to all. They now form another portion of the California Coastal Trail.
Thanks to Allen for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Happy New Year! May 2014 be filled with wonder and joy.