Peregrine Audubon's board meetings generally take place the first Thursday of each month, September through June, at 7 P.M. Contact a board member for details. Board meetings are open to the membership. You are always welcome and encouraged to participate.

The chapter meetings are held the third Thursday of each month, September through May, at 7PM in the City Council Chambers inthe Ukiah Civic Center at 300 Seminary Avenue, Ukiah. Exceptions: The December meeting is held on the second Thursday to prepare for the Christmas Bird Count, and the May meeting will be held on the second Thursday this year. The CBC potluck is held at the Grace Hudson Meeting Room at 431 South Main. Refreshments available after the meetings. The public is always welcome.

Click in the table below for more information as it becomes available.

After the field trips are over, click in the completed table link for a trip report.

Directions to City Council Chambers in the Ukiah Civic Center: from Hwy 101: take Perkins St. west to North State St.; turn left and head south; take the third right (Seminary Ave) and go to the end.
Directions to Grace Hudson Museum: from Hwy 101 take Perkins Street west to the stop sign at Main Street. Turn left and proceed south for three blocks. After you cross Clay Street, look for a driveway on the left. Drive to the back and park. The Meeting Room is on the west (left) side of the museum.

Chapter Meeting: Matthew Matthiesson on the Birds of India

Article by Kate Marianchild

In December of 2007 Ukiah's expert birder-photographer Matthew Matthiessen traveled across northern India for 16 days with a tour group composed of avid bird watchers. As the group explored the foothills of the Himalayas, the Chambal River, two of India's national parks, and even the area around the Taj Mahal, Matthew took photographs of birds and other wildlife. Just before the end of the trip, however, Matthew's cameras and photos were stolen.

Not one to let people down, Matthew figured out a way to keep a commitment he had made before he left. Using slides borrowed from other members of his tour group, he will give a "Birds and Wildlife of Northern India" slideshow for Peregrine Audubon Society on Thursday, September 18, 7 p.m., at the Ukiah Civic Center

If Matthew's three previous slideshows "Birds of Borneo," "Birds and Wildlife of Uganda," and "Birds of Cameroon" are any indication, the approximately 250 images in the upcoming presentation will flash by so fast the audience will be left wishing for more. Matthew's skillful arrangements of images, his prodigious memory, and his snappy and often-humorous delivery combine for a vividly entertaining experience.

Saurus Cranes. Photo by Marcus Lilje

This program will feature images of birds such as Tawny Fish Owl, Malabar Pied Hornbill, and Red-billed Blue Magpie, as well as four-footed animals such as deer, a strange crocodile known as a Gharial, and maybe even some tigers. "I'd seen photographs of Gharials before," Matthew laughs, "but I was totally taken aback when I saw one in real life. They are fantastic creatures. Much larger than I was expecting.

"India is the Serengeti of Asia," says Matthew. "It's astonishing how much wildlife there is. The birds were very cooperative on this trip and the photographic opportunities were fantastic." Some of his other favorite birds were the stunning Greater Yellownape, the Brown Hawk-Owl, and the Wallcreeper. The Hawk-Owl and Wallcreeper were two of the five birds on his wish list for the trip.

The slideshow will also include some pictures of India's people and culture, including photographs of the Taj Mahal and scenes of cows walking down the middle of streets. "My main interest is birds," says Matthew, whose day job is at Ukiah Valley Medical Center, where he serves as Controller, "but a few photographs of less important things like people and buildings always creep in to my slideshows." This program is free to the public, but donations will be warmly accepted.

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Chapter Meeting: Floyd Hayes on the Galapagos

The Galapagos Islands comprise an archipelago of volcanic islands that straddle the equator approximately 900 km west of the South American continent in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The marine environments of the islands are influenced by two major oceanic currents: the westward-flowing South Equitorial Current at the surface and the eastward-flowing Equitorial Undercurrent below the surface. The interactions of these currents with the El NiÒo/Southern Oscillation result in an oscillating climate affecting both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. The differential ages of the islands combined with their isolation from the continent have resulted in the evolution of a highly endemic flora and fauna. The unique morphological and behavioral adaptations and phylogenetic radiations of the island's organisms have provided biologists, beginning with Charles Darwin, with a unique showcase of microevolution in progress.

During 1984, Dr. Hayes spent 9 weeks traveling to most of the islands with a biology class from Loma Linda University. The tour provided him with a splendid opportunity to photograph the physical environment and biota of the islands, which are best known for an assortment of srange vertebrates that occur nowhere else in the world. He also participated in a few research projects on the distributional ecology of seabirds and the ecology of Galapagos tortoises. He subsequently studied the taxonomic status of the Lava Heron based on museum specimens and recently returned to the islands in 2008. The knowledge gained from his adventures will be shared in a photographic essay.

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Chapter Meeting: Ron LeValley on the Birds of the Farallon Islands

Ron LeValley, wildlife biologist, dynamic speaker, and frequent Peregrine Audubon Society guest presenter, will conduct us on the second of our "Island Series" tours. On tonight's program we will venture 100 miles south and 27 miles offshore to the Farallon Islands, an area wisely protected for the seabird nesting habitat it is known for. The islands have been protected in the Farallon National Wildlife and Wilderness Refuge, established in 1969, and contains the largest seabird colony in the U.S. outside of Alaska and Hawaii. Twelve species of seabird and shorebird nest on the island; Western Gull, Brandt's Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, Cassin's Auklet, Tufted Puffin, Black Oystercatcher, Rhinoceros Auklet, Ashy Storm-Petrel, and Leach's Storm-Petrel. The story of the Farallones is rich, varied, and colorful, and you are sure to pick up some new informational tidbit.

Article by Kate Marianchild

"Ten thousand years ago, Mother Earth was shivering through the last major ice age. The world's oceans were as much as 330 feet lower and the polar ice masses extended much closer to the equator. The west coast of California extended 35 miles west of its present day location. At the edge of this coastline were foothills similar to Mt. Tamalpais. The ice began to melt, the water began to rise, and those little foothills became the isolated orphans that we now call the Farallon Islands."*

Comprised of seven major islands jutting from the Pacific Ocean, the Farallon Islands add up to 211 barren and largely uninhabitable acres - uninhabitable to humans, that is! Birds and marine mammals see things differently. The islands, which are set in the midst of one of the world's most biologically diverse environments, have been home to as many as 400,000 seabirds during a single breeding season - the largest colony of breeding seabirds in the contiguous United States. Six species of marine mammals also haul out on the islands to breed, and 36 species of marine mammals feed in the surrounding waters, including the largest population of whales found anywhere on earth. Great White Sharks are common in the nearby waters, probably due to the large populations of seals and sea lions.

What makes these islands and the waters that bathe them so rich in animal life? Ron LeValley, biologist and photographer extraordinaire, will answer that question and more during a slide lecture on Thursday, November 20 at 7 p.m. at the Ukiah Civic Center. LeValley was one of the first biologists to study wildlife on the islands after a research station was established there in 1968. He has visited and worked on the islands several times since, including for two weeks this past summer, and will discuss and illustrate the changes he has seen over 40 years.

The wildlife of the Farrallones was subjected to heavy predation by humans between 1810 and 1889 - originally for Northern Fur Seals and later, during the Gold Rush, for seabird eggs. The islands are now a shining example of successful conservation policies - efforts that began with Teddy Roosevelt in 1906 and culminated with the protection of waters surrounding the islands in 1981. Conservationists and the general public alike were ecstatic when, in 1996, the first Northern Fur Seal pup was born on the islands after an absence of 150 years.

Ron LeValley is founder and Senior Biologist of Mad River Biologists, a biological consulting firm in Arcata California. Best known for his work on the identification and distribution of Pacific Coast birds and for his CD's of bird songs, Ron also has a broad understanding plants and animals in general. One of his outstanding attributes is his enthusiasm in sharing his knowledge with others. As a professional photographer, Ron has compiled over 70,000 wildlife photographs for use in presentations and publications. He is also a founding member of the Mendocino Coast Photographer Guild and Gallery in Fort Bragg, where his photographic art can be seen.

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Chapter Meeting: Christmas Bird Count Review

If you are someone who would like to learn which birds live here in the winter, which live here in the summer, and which ones only migrate through our area, the CBC slideshow or count might be for you. If you have ever seen a bright blue bird that you just knew wasn't a jay, but couldn't figure out what else it might be...well, the CBC might help. The slideshow is a good introduction to the birds that spend the winter here, and the count itself is an opportunity for beginning or intermediate bird watchers to go out with more experienced birders and learn to recognize birds. Novice or intermediate bird watchers might see cedar waxwings, with their velvet-sleek feathers and bandit eyes, for the first time. Others might learn that most osprey migrate south in the winter, but a few usually stay behind (to please the counters). Even if you know nothing about birds you can help by spotting movement in the tree tops or keeping tallies on a clipboard. You are welcome!

"Know Your Local Birds" Slideshow & Christmas Bird Count "Pre-meeting" set for Dec. 11

Article by Kate Marianchild

Peregrine Audubon Society invites all members of the public to come to a "Know-Your-Local-Birds Slideshow" and Christmas Bird Count "pre-meeting" on Thursday, December 11, 7 p.m, at the Ukiah Civic Center. Ukiah's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is part of a remarkable all-volunteer effort that has taken place every Christmas season since the year 1900 – an outpouring of enthusiasm and dedication that spans the length and breadth of the western hemisphere and involves up to 60,000 people each year. The data collected during the CBC is used by ornithologists to monitor the health of bird populations and their habitats.

Whether or not you plan to participate in the Christmas Bird Count, you are welcome to come to the pre-meeting to enjoy Matthew Matthiessen's excellent photographs of local birds and learn how the CBC works from Count organizer Bob Keiffer. The Count itself will take place on Saturday, December 20. Anyone who wants to participate in the Count should come to the pre-meeting to sign up on a team. Those unable to attend the pre-meeting can contact Bob Keiffer at rkeiffer@ucdavis.edu or call him at 744-1160.

On "Count Day,", Saturday, Dec 20th, seven teams, each with a designated leader, will assemble in the morning at seven different spots within a 15-mile-wide circle. Participants will then scan trees, bushes, fields, and ponds for birds, and will record the approximate numbers seen of each species. People who aren't yet proficient at identifying birds can make themselves useful by spotting movement in trees, guessing the numbers of birds in a flock, or recording numbers on a clipboard. New birdwatchers will have the option of joining a "beginning birders" group led by Roger Foote.

Several dedicated birders will get up long before dawn to listen for owls, but most teams will gather at the more civilized hour of 7:30 or 8 a.m. Counters keep going as long as energy and time permit. At the end of the day all participants and their significant others are invited to a potluck "Compilation Dinner" where food, drink, and stories will be shared and the day's tally of species will be reported. Each year CBC regulars hope to break Ukiah's record for number of species seen during one day, which currently stands at 128 species. Will Ukiah reach 129 this year?

The Compilation Dinner will be held Dec 20th at the Grace Hudson Museum at 6 p.m. Please bring your own plates, silverware, and cups, along with your contribution to the meal

The Ukiah Civic Center is located at 300 Seminary Avenue. From 101 take Perkins west to State Street (3rd light). Go left on State Street and turn right on Seminary. Take Seminary to the end.

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Chapter Meeting: Scott Koller - All About Bears

Scott Koller, Mendocino Wildlife Resource Manager for the Department of Fish and Game, will give a slide lecture on bears. The talk will focus on the population of black bears in Mendocino County, their habits, personalities, and ecological interrelationship, and how humans should behave around bears. The slideshow will include images of bear tracks and other bear sign to assist audience members in recognizing the presence of bears. Koller will also bring actual bear and mountain lion skulls to illustrate the effect of diet on the head structure of the two largest wild animals in the county.

"Black Bears of Mendocino County: Biology, Ecology, and More"

Slide lecture by Scott Koller set for Jan. 15
Article by Kate Marianchild

How well are black bears surviving in Mendocino County? What do they eat during each season of the year? Where do they sleep when they're not foraging for food? What risks do humans pose for them and vice versa? Scott Koller will answer these questions and more on Thursday, January 15, 7 p.m, at the Ukiah Civic Center. Koller, who is the Mendocino County Wildlife Resource Manager for the California Department of Fish and Game, will begin his slideshow with a discussion of human-black bear management issues, and will then focus on the biology and ecology of our ursine neighbors.

Black bears, which can actually be blond, cinnamon brown, or black in color, are the only members of their family (Ursidae) left in California. When grizzly bears ruled the food-rich valleys and foothills of California, black bears were forced to settle for life in poorer highland habitats. Since the death of the last grizzly bear in California in 1922, however, black bears have been slowly filling in the ecological niche once occupied by their only predator and main rival. As a result their numbers and their range are generally on the rise throughout California. There are currently 25-35,000 in the state.

Excellent climbers, black bears were able to survive encounters with grizzly bears in the past by dashing up the nearest tree trunk. Cubs still climb trees to escape danger, and both cubs and adults scramble up trees looking for shelter and food. Mother bears have been observed discouraging their cubs from climbing smooth-barked trees in favor of rougher-barked trees, which are easier for inexperienced climbers.

Bears are omnivores whose digestive systems are not very efficient at extracting nutrients from plants, although they eat a tremendous amount of plant material, including berries and acorns. They also eat ants, larvae, honey, small animals, and carrion. They have even been known to catch and consume fawns. When food is abundant, black bears may eat up to 45 pounds a day, gaining 5 pounds per day, to prepare for winter. Scott Koller sometimes performs necropsies on dead bears and gains interesting information, which he will share, about their diets.

Black bear cubs "purr" when nursing, cry when hungry or cold, and make low squeals when comfortable or pleased. Adults huff, growl, roar, and chomp their teeth as warnings to other bears or people. Black bears make great mothers and sometimes adopt orphaned cubs. A female black bear will allow her daughter to use her territory so she has the opportunity to learn survival practices while under the protection of her mother.

The presence of black bears can be determined by tracks, scat, torn-apart trees, ground excavations,and logs that have been turned over in search of grubs and other delicious morsels. Koller will show slides to help audience members identify bear sign.

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Chapter Meeting: Reny Parker - North Coast Wildflowers

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Chapter Meeting: Norma Ferriz on "Veracruz River of Raptors"

The largest hawk migration in the world will be the subject of a slide presentation by biologist Norma Ferriz. During a two-month period each fall, a vast stream of birds known as the "Rio de Rapaces" or "River of Raptors," funnels through a narrow coastal plain near Veracruz, Mexico on the way to Central and South America. Veracruz is on Mexico's east coast, just north of the Yucatan Peninsula, on the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the 7 million birds that pass through are raptors (birds of prey), but tens of thousands of pelicans, storks, ibises, songbirds, and even Green Darner dragonflies join the migration. It is not uncommon to see 50,00 to 400,000 birds in one day; the record number of hawks ever counted during a single day is 1.5 million.

Norma Ferriz, a biologist with a master's degree in nonprofit organizations management, was executive director of Pronatura Veracruz, a branch of the national environmental organization Pronatura, from 2002-2007. The Veracurz branch dedicates a significant part of its efforts to monitoring the raptor migration each fall. Ferriz comes highly recommended as an excellent speaker who is well-informed and enthusiastic.

ERNESTO RUELAS AND HOW THE "RIO DE RAPACES" GOT ON THE MAP

by Kate Marianchild

As a young boy growing up near Veracruz, Mexico, Ernesto Ruelas was fascinated with the "Rio de Rapaces" or "River of Raptors" that streamed by over his head every year. After graduating from high school, Ruelas traveled to the United States to study hawks and other raptors. In the course of his studies he met numerous bird experts, all of whom stared at him blankly when he mentioned the hawk migration he had witnessed as a boy. He finally concluded that eastern Mexico's raptor migration was largely unknown, and he guessed that it might be one of the largest in the world.

Staking his reputation on this belief, Ruelas obtained funding from conservation organizations in both the United States and Mexico for an official count of the raptors migrating through Mexico. In mid-September, 1992, counters from North America and Mexico assembled on a hot rooftop in a small town called Cardel. Equipped with binoculars, counting devices, and excellent bird identification skills, they prepared for the difficult task of estimating the numbers and kinds of birds contained in tornado-like formations known as "kettles."

Hawks are normally solitary animals, but they migrate in groups. Spiraling upwards on thermals (updrafts of warm air), they spin out at the top and coast slowly downward until they find another thermal. This migration technique allows them conserve precious energy on flights of up to 5,000 miles, during which they eat almost no food. "Kettles" are the large loose cylinders created by hundreds or thousands of hawks circling upwards.

The count in September of 1992 started out slowly, averaging 12,000 birds per day for a week or two, until it peaked at 88,000 birds (seen in one day)...and promptly dried up. 88,000 was a lot of hawks, but far short of what Ruelas had been hoping for. Discouraged, Ruelas and the other counters kept watching, though they thought they had somehow missed the main part of the migration.

Then, suddenly, on a certain hot clear morning, the sky was alive with hawks. Huge kettles, some containing as many as 30,000 birds, formed across the landscape, looking like vast tree trunks rising to the sky. Struggling to concentrate on cold, dry numbers in the face of such incomparable beauty, the counters began clicking off groups of birds as they exited the kettles at the top – first by 10's, then by 100's, and finally, as the kettles grew to insane proportions, by 1000's. In the words of Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind, "Nothing in a lifetime of birding had prepared me for this spectacle. I wanted to stand, head back and jaw slack, and simply drink in the sight of a sky electric with birds." By the end of the day the watchers on the rooftop had counted 435,000 hawks, establishing the Veracruz hawk migration as the largest in the world.

Norma Ferriz, former executive director of Pronatura Veracruz, has been able to stand, head back and jaw slack, watching the River of Raptors. She will give a slide presentation about this incredible phenomenon on Thursday, March 19, at the Ukiah Civic Center, 7 p.m. Pronatura Veracruz, a branch of the Mexican national organization Pronatura, monitors the hawk migration and educates the local population about protecting the birds.

Ferriz is a biologist with a master's degree in nonprofit organizations management who worked with Pronatura from 1992 to 2007, working in several branches of the organization until she was made executive director in 2002. While working with Pronatura she also served as a consultant to Mexico's National Commission of Natural Protected Areas. Before working with Pronatura, Ferriz was Education and Community Service Coordinator for Up With People in Colorado (U.S.A). She is currently the Operations and Onsite Manager of the St. Helena Family Resource Center in Napa County. She volunteers with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and is training for her own long migration, a bicycle trip from Athens, Greece, to Helsinki, Finland.

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Chapter Meeting: Dr. Ambrose on Life in the Canopy

Life in the Canopy of California's Old Growth Redwoods

 

Article by Kate Marianchild

 

When Europeans first encountered California they were astounded at the geological and biological extremes contained within its boundaries: the deepest, hottest valley in North America, the highest mountains in the nation, the greatest number of endemic species. They also discovered the largest organisms on the surface of the earth: the Coast Redwoods of Northern California and the Giant Sequoias of the southern Sierra Nevada.

 

Over time nearly every inch and niche of the new land was explored by daring adventurers and entrepreneurs, so that by the early 1900's the frontier atmosphere of danger and discovery had largely disappeared. Almost a century later it would reappear in a surprising new arena: old-growth redwoods.

 

Until 1987, when two young men free-climbed a 300-foot Coast Redwood, few humans had ever closely observed the crown (top) of an ancient redwood. That historic climb (see story below) eventually led to the emergence of a new frontier, complete with adrenaline-inducing risks and an intense atmosphere of scientific discovery. The complex canopies of these giant trees are now recognized as one of the last unknown realms on the planet.

 

Anthony Ambrose, a UC Berkeley botanist who has ventured to the tops of old-growth redwoodshundreds of times, is one of a small cadre of daredevil scientists who are discovering that ancient redwoods are complicated "ecosystems-in-the-sky." The crowns, which are often huge horizontal platforms, contain water reservoirs, tiny wetlands, and thick mats of soil that support a diverse array of organisms. Many species, including lichens, ferns, huckleberries, insects, crustaceans,salamanders, squirrels, and voles, spend their entire lives high in the trees, supported by the water and soil that collect there. The water that accumulates in the trees' cavities also supports the trees themselves, which roots into the cavities to tap the moisture.

 

"Climbing the trees is magical," says Ambrose. "It was unnerving at first to be dangling several hundred feet off the ground, but over time you get used to it and now it's quite enjoyable." Ambrose is one of the old-growth tree scientists who have expanded their studies to include Giant Sequoias. In his slideshow Ambrose will show photographs of the plants and animals that live in the canopy; he will also discuss the structure and physiology of Coast Redwoods and Giant Sequoias, such as their capacity to absorb moisture from fog and their ability to move water as much as 379 feet from ground to crown.

 

Originally planning to study fire ecology, Ambrose got hooked on canopy ecology the first time he climbedwith Professor Steven Sillett in 1997. He received his Master's Degree in Forest Ecology under Dr. Sillett at Humboldt State University in 2004. His thesis examined the microclimates surrounding the big soil mats found in tall redwoods and their importance to the organisms living in the trees. Ambrose is currently co-authoring several papers with Dr. Sillett and is working on his doctoral dissertation at UC Berkeley's Dawson Lab on the effects of climate and water stress on the physiology of Coast Redwood and Giant Sequoia trees.

 

The Historic Climb

One fall afternoon in 1987, three young men got out of a battered Honda and headed into Prairie Creek Redwood State Park in northern California, searching for the tallest redwood tree they could find. Nineteen-year-old Steve Sillett finally stopped under a towering giant and said, "I'm lusting for this tree." While his brother watched in terror, Steve Sillett and his friend Steve Marwood swarmed hand over hand up a small neighboring tree until it petered out at 70 feet. Hanging on to the very top, Steve Sillett swallowed his fear of heights and leaped through the air toward the bigger tree. He managed to grab the branch he'd been aiming for and hung from it trapeze-style until he could pull himself up. After Steve Marwood followed suit, the two monkeyed their way upward through a magical world of ferns, lichens, and filtered light. When they reached the tree's storm-sheared crown they were speechless with amazement. They were not only 300 feet in the air but they were also surrounded by a lush patch of ripe huckleberries and a forest of small redwoods sprouting from the big trees top horizontal branches.

 

Steven Sillett never again climbed without ropes. He and his colleagues have since designed state-of-the-art gear specialized for use in old-growth trees.Sillett went on to become the first person to rigorously study the canopies of redwood and other old-growth trees.

 

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Chapter Meeting: John Muir Laws on Finding Connection in Nature

PEREGRINE AUDUBON SOCIETY BRINGS JOHN MUIR LAWS TO UKIAH ON MAY 14

Article by Kate Marianchild

         Passionate about the Sierra Nevada and its wildlife, John Muir Laws backpacked the peaks, passes, and foothills of our country's highest mountain range for six years to observe and paint 1,700 species for The Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada. This pocket-sized book is packed with 2,710 original watercolors illustrating the full spectrum of life forms: mushrooms, lichens, wildflowers, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The guide also includes sections on animal tracks, weather patterns, and stars. Laws will give a presentation in Ukiah titled "Finding Connection in Nature" on Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m., at the Ukiah Civic Center.
         John Muir (Jack) Laws is in high demand around the state as a speaker and environmental educator. He has been the keynote speaker at numerous conferences and conventions since the publication of his book, including a climate change conference, a CNPS conservation symposium, and numerous birding conventions.
         Trained as a wildlife biologist and artist, Laws shares his delight in the natural world through workshops on wildlife, conservation, sketching from nature, and scientific illustration. "Finding Connection in Nature" will be illustrated with Laws' vivid and detailed paintings of "the beautiful and amazing species of the Sierra and the relationships between them." His talk will also touch on the natural history of the Sierra Nevada, the process of creating a field guide, and the conservation challenges facing the stewards of the Sierra Nevada. Signed copies of The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada as well as his book Sierra Birds: A Hiker's Guide, will be available for purchase at the presentation.
         Please note that in order to secure Jack Laws as a speaker, Peregrine Audubon Society has made a departure from its usual schedule. Laws will speak on the second Thursday in May rather than the third Thursday.

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Monthly Field Trips:

Mackerricher State Park

We will join members of the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society led by David Jensen for a joint foray around Lake Cleone and nearby birding destinations.

Marine mammals and many varieties of shorebirds and pelagic species can usually be scoped from Laguna Point. We will leave from the Ukiah Long's parking lot at 7:30 a.m. Sharp! We will arrive at the Lake Cleone parking lot at 9:00 a.m. for those wishing to meet us there.

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Clear Lake State Park and Rodman Slough

Vishnu will lead us on this outing which has consistently been one of the most satisfying birding and general outdoor excursions that the Peregrine Chapter conducts.

Lots of bird species, it's nearby, there are picnic tables, a beautiful lake, and it's October and a simply wonderful time to be outdoors. This has consistently been one of the most satisfying birding excursions that the Peregrine Chapter conducts. From Ukiah it is approximately an hour's drive to scenic Clearlake State Park which is about 12 miles east of Lakeport. We will likely have the park mostly to ourselves as we stroll around with binoculars and spotting scopes visiting various creeks and lakeside riparian habitats. Most species including American White Pelicans and at times intersting marsh birds (Least Bittern, Virginia Rail, Sora) have been found at the mouth of Kelsey Creek. We have also at times had close-up views of Wood Ducks, Great Blue Herons, Pied-billed Grebes, and many varied passerines. On our return to Ukiah a visit to Rodman Slough on the northwest shore of the lake usually produces views of a few different avian species. We will depart in the morning from Ukiah Long's parking lot at 7:30 a.m.

Click here to see last year's trip report.

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Round Valley and Covelo

Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Ukiah Long's parking lot or at 8:00 a.m. at the Willits High School. Chuck Vaughn will again lead this field trip into one of California's most beautiful valleys. In past years birds of note here have included Horned Larks, Ferruginous Hawks, Lewis's Woodpeckers, Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, Merlins, and Canyon Wrens.

Click here to see last year's trip report.

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Christmas Bird Count and Potluck

Christmas Bird Count: A Century-Old Tradition Continues in Ukiah This Year

Article by Kate Marianchild

At the turn of the 20th century a common Christmas Day activity was the "side hunt" a "social outing" during which participants shot as many birds and small mammals as possible. Shocked by the slaughter, a group of 27 conservationists proposed, in the year 1900, to count birds on Christmas Day rather than shoot them. Led by a man named Frank Chapman, they organized bird counts in 25 communities, unwittingly launching a tradition that has changed the course of history and saved the lives of thousands, perhaps millions, of birds: the Christmas Bird Count.

Over 50,000 people across North America now participate every year in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), having fun and contributing important information about the health of bird populations at the same time. Every participating community divides a 15-mile diameter circle into sections, and enthusiastic bird watchers sign up to count birds under the direction of a section leader. The results of the CBC contribute to an understanding of increases and declines in bird populations in the northern hemisphere and help scientists assign conservation priorities. Ukiah's Peregrine Audubon Society will hold this year's local CBC on Saturday, December 2, and invites all interested persons, experienced and otherwise, to participate.

To help participants prepare for "Count Day," local bird experts Bob Keiffer and Matthew Mattheissen will present a slideshow on local birds on Thursday, December 11 at the Ukiah Civic Center at 7 p.m. The slideshow, which was compiled by Keiffer and birder/photographer Matthew Matthiessen, emphasizes the field characteristics of birds likely to be seen during the CBC. The slideshow is open to all, including people who do not wish to participate in the Count. The evening will also include team sign-ups (optional) and instructions for "Count Day." The official Count Day lasts for 24 hours, though most birders participate for 3-8 hours, depending on interest, stamina, and weather. At the end of the day participants share a potluck "Compilation Dinner" to celebrate another successful Count and to hear the results of the day's effort. The compilation dinner takes place at 6 p.m.at the Grace Hudson Museum.

For more information click here

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Gray Lodge Birds

We will leave from the Ukiah Long's parking lot at 7:00 a.m., and although this tends to be a somewhat long drive, it can result in a spectacular trip. The birds will be massed on the refuges treating us to a variety of species, some seldom seen in Mendocino County. Sandhill Cranes, White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilts, Eurasian Wigeon, and Snow and Ross's Geese, to name a few species, are regularly observed at Gray Lodge. There are usually also excellent views of Blue-winged, Green-winged, and Cinnamon Teal as well as Northern Pintails, Redheads, and Canvasback ducks. If the weather cooperates, all of this is observed against the background of Mount Lassen. Consider lunch, binoculars, warm clothes, and rain gear de rigueur

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Owling in Hopland

We will leave the Ukiah Long's parking lot at 6:00 p.m. Rain cancels. In case of light drizzle, meet at Long's and trip leader Chuck Vaughn will make an executive decision whether to continue to Hopland or cancel. Bring a flashlight and good boots.

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Trail Building Day

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Hopland Research and Extension Center

Chuck Vaughn, who has worked at the UC-HREC for over 30 years, will lead us on a birding tour through various ecosystems at this 5300 acre University of California research facility. Habitats include creeks, ponds, oak woodlands, grasslands, upland chaparral, and much more. We usually see and hear a variety of spring migrants as well as many year-round residents. Expect to see California Thrashers, Sage Sparrows, and Rufous-crowned Sparrows. If our timing is good, we might also see Golden Eagles, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Lawrence's Goldfinches. There are always surprise migrants seen. We will leave from the western edge of the Ukiah Long's parking lot at 8:00 a.m., or you can meet us at the center at 8:30. Bring your lunch, water, binoculars, and favorite ID book.

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Potter Valley and the Eel River

This trip will be led by George Chaniot. Warblers, chats, grosbeaks, vireos, and possibly Purple Martins occur here. The primary birding is done along the locally scenic main stem of the Eel River with stops at the Pioneer Bridge, Trout Creek, and possibly Burris Lane. MacGillivray's Warbler and Hermit Warbler are two species usually seen here which can be difficult to find elsewhere in the county. In a good year there is a lot of singing and a lot of color darting among the trees. We will leave from the Ukiah Long's parking lot at 8:00 a.m., or you can meet us at the old Potter Valley bridge site along the Russian River (1/4 mile north of Highway 20) at 8:30 a.m. Bring your lunch, water, binoculars, and favorite ID book.

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Annual Rummage Sale

The final event before summer break will be Peregrine's Annual Rummage Sale on Saturday, June 7 at Alex R. Thomas Plaza, next to Ukiah's Farmers' Market.!

Peregrine Audubon Society welcomes you to its annual rummage sale on Saturday, June 7, from 8 - 2 p.m. at the corner of Clay and School Streets (next to Alex R. Thomas Plaza and Ukiah's Farmers' Market). Peregrine's members and friends save high-quality furniture, tools, books, jewelry, clothing, garden items, camping supplies, and much more throughout the year for this sale, which regularly attracts repeat donors and customers. If you have something to donate, please bring it at 7 a.m. Difficult-to-sell items will be turned away. If you have a large item that needs to be picked up, please call Park Steiner at 462-5110.
This sale, which is Peregrine's main fundraising event of the year, concludes Peregrine's season of nature-related slide presentations and field trips.

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Field Trip Guidelines

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Last revised April 28, 2009
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