Tag Archives: rare sighting

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Karen Wilkinson heard about this beautiful bird and convinced her husband, Mike Petrich, to get a photo. Karen wrote, “Getting outside and soaking up the sunshine and calm winds was a total treat, but so was the Manchester Christmas Bird Count this [past] weekend.  I joined Rich Trissel’s team for the southern territory and had a great day out. We saw 70 species of birds in a single day.  That's a decent number for a winter's day along the Mendonoma coast.  On the walk, some of the more experienced birders were talking about a rarity that was seen in Pt Arena earlier in the week - a Harris's Sparrow.  It was a long shot, but I bribed Mike with a Zack's Milkshake if he'd join me for a little sparrow stalking expedition.  It really was a long shot…BUT… we found it!  I got my 'lifer bird' and Mike got a banana chocolate milkshake.  Win, win.”

The wayward sparrow was with a mixed flock of White-crowned Sparrows and Golden-crowned Sparrows. The flock was immediately behind the blue apartment buildings (Point Arena Village Apartments) which can be accessed off of Port Road. I have not received any more sightings of this bird for some days now.

Harris’s Sparrow is the only songbird that breeds in Canada and nowhere else in the world. In winter it is found in the south-central Great Plains, which is nowhere near Point Arena. Their populations are declining due to their vulnerability to habitat loss on the wintering and breeding grounds.

It's beautiful here today with blue skies and very little wind.

 

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Deanna Boettcher found a rare-in-our-area butterfly, a Gulf Fritillary, in the gardens at Mar Vista, north of Anchor Bay. She wrote, “We have been so thrilled to see the abundance of butterflies this fall - first the onslaught of Monarchs, and then the Painted Lady Butterflies!  All of which are still around now, just not in as many numbers. In any case, I captured this beauty, a Gulf Fritillary, on our yarrow in the flower cutting garden yesterday, and I just had to share.”

Gulf fritillaries are native to the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. This butterfly has no native host plant in California and is entirely dependent on introduced species of the Passionflower/Passion Vine. They are a rare sighting here. I asked Deanna if they had a host plant and she wrote, “Yes, we have passion vine along one fence line of the flower cutting garden.”

Deanna reported this morning that many of these butterflies were seen today at Mar Vista. And she got more photos!

Thanks to Deanna for allowing me to share her photos with you here. Mar Vista is a charming place to stay. You can learn more about it at this link to their website: https://marvistafarmandcottages.com/

It's a magnificent, clear, windless day here on the Mendonoma Coast! This morning's sunrise was so very beautiful...sigh.

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Gary Hopkins found this butterfly recently - a Gulf Fritillary.

In over 15 years of writing my Mendonoma Sightings column, I've only had one other sighting of this beauty, and that was by Kate Gelles in 2009.

I've learned this butterfly, also called a passion butterfly, is expanding their range. So, hopefully, sightings of them will become a little more common. Time will tell.

Thanks to Gary and Kate for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Another stunning, sunny day with no rain in sight.

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A beautiful hummingbird was seen on October 2 and 3 at The Sea Ranch. John Batchelder’s daughter, Marianne, was the first to see it and identify it.

BBIH @TSR 100220

Diane Hichwa wrote, “There is a rare bird staying for a few days at Sea Ranch - a Broad-billed Hummingbird. It has been seen on two other occasions in Sonoma County.  It SHOULD be in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico, but not here. But it is.”

Several other photographers got wonderful photos of the colorful hummer, including Craig Tooley.  Craig wrote, “It is spectacular. Also, it makes a very different sound than our local Hummers.” Here is a link to hear their calls, which are quite different! https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-billed_Hummingbird/sounds

Karen Wilkinson also photographed the beautiful hummingbird.

Why this little bird was so far from its normal territory is a puzzle, but we know how to appreciate beauty when we see it. Welcome to the Mendonoma Coast, little hummer!

Thanks to John, Craig and Karen for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

We are having a oh-so-lovely autumn day today. Perhaps a little rain tomorrow, please rain gods and goddesses!

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Will Ericson had a rare sighting of a California Dogface Butterfly near Annapolis.

He wrote, “They had been hilltopping on the mountain and pollinating almost exclusively purple-colored flowers. I almost never see them.” Hilltopping, also spelled hill-topping, is a mate location behavior where the males fly up to the top of a hill to try an attract a female.

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

It's a lovely day today on the Mendonoma Coast.