Tag Archives: rare sighting

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Michael Reinhart spotted this bird a few weeks ago, a Rock Wren.

He wrote, “I spotted this Rock Wren on the point to the west of Sea Ranch Lodge, Bihler Point.”

There have only been three sightings of one in recent years. The male Rock Wren is a tremendous singer, singing over 100 different songs. You can hear some of the male's calls here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rock_Wren/sounds Let’s hope we have more sightings of this bird.

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

Today we are having a big, wet, windy storm. Batten down the hatches!

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It's pretty rare to see one of these birds on the Mendonoma coast, but Gail Jackson spotted this Yellow-headed Blackbird in the parking lot of Surf Supermarket.

Their call is described on allaboutbirds.org: Males sing a few musical notes followed by a screeching buzz, rather like a heavy door swinging on a very rusty metal hinge. You can hear it at this link - it's pretty funny to hear: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-headed_Blackbird/sounds

Thanks to Gail for allowing me to share her photo with you here. We had fog this morning but it has given way to blue skies and very mild temps.

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Hall and Jane Kelley were walking with their dog when they spotted four of these wildflowers in Gualala. They found a rare sighting of Pink Star Tulip, Calochotus uniflorus.

What a wonderful find! Thanks to Hall for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

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Terry Pfardresher was hiking in a Redwood forest in Gualala when she heard a hissing sound. There on the edge of a Redwood stump was a Turkey Vulture chick. Terry took nature photographer, Craig Tooley, to the site and he got this photo.

Fledgling Turkey Vulture by Craig Tooley

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has this to say about their nests: "Turkey Vultures nest in rock crevices, caves, ledges, thickets, mammal burrows and hollow logs, fallen trees, abandoned hawk or heron nests, and abandoned buildings. These nest sites are typically much cooler (by 13°F or more) than surroundings, and isolated from human traffic or disturbance. While they often feed near humans, Turkey Vultures prefer to nest far away from civilization."

Here is the photo Terry took several days earlier. The young bird hopped down into the hollowed out Redwood stump just after she took this photo, so we're sure that's where the nest is.

Fledgling Turkey Vulture by Terry Bold

This is a rare sighting and I thank Terry for sharing it with us. Thanks also to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

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This medium-sized Owl is a rare sighting on the Mendonoma Coast. Ron LeValley recently photographed one.

They fly low over grasslands listening for small mammals, or sometimes birds. Yes, they find their prey mainly with their ears rather than with their eyes.

This owl must have heard Ron, as it turned and looked directly at him.

Such a beautiful bird! To hear its call, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/short-eared_owl/sounds 

I thank Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Ron's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.levalleyphoto.com/home/