Sightings - September 2025
Photo of Franklin’s Gull, 8/26, by Roger Adamson.
Looking back on the summer of 2025, there are several interesting sightings; there are too many to include every report. There was a Long-tailed Duck found on 5/28 (JB), notable because we usually only have these in the winter months, and this bird stayed through most of June. On 6/4 a Brewer’s Sparrow and a Sharp-shinned Hawk were reported from National Forest Route M1 east of Covelo (TE). A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was heard and photographed in Russian Gulch State Park on 6/10 (RS). A single Mountain Bluebird was seen along Briceland Road at the Mattole River in the far north of our county (SK). A group of pelagic birding visitors found a Great-tailed Grackle in the inner Noyo Harbor on 6/15 (AS, JB, TH, MH). A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was out-of-place when found at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens on 6/17 (MBA). These are usually seen in oak woodlands or chaparral habitat. A Common Nighthawk was reported from Westport on 6/19 (HG).
On 7/13 a White-faced Ibis was noted at the Ukiah Water Treatment Plant (CV & GG). Ibis are very irregular in our area and usually seen during spring or autumn migration, not in mid-summer. A lone Ancient Murrelet was photographed from the South Caspar Headlands on 7/22; again, this is a bird out of season that is usually here in winter (RA). A Calliope Hummingbird was seen on Middle Ridge near Albion on 7/22 (TB). Breeding in montane regions from the Great Basin to the northern Rocky Mountains, Calliope Hummingbirds are the smallest North American breeding bird and a long-distance migrant that winters in southern Mexico. It was very unexpected on Middle Ridge in July.
On 7/25 a Bar-tailed Godwit in the river was seen by one birder from the Ten Mile River Bridge (FH) and by another who was working below the bridge (SG). No one else found that bird in Mendocino County; it apparently moved on.
The first bird of note in August was a Greater Roadrunner seen along Highway 128 near Yorkville on 8/3 (AC). Roadrunners are uncommon in this county but sometimes seen in chaparral or oak woodland. A White-winged Dove was reported in Westport on 8/16 (LK). An unexpected Black-chinned Hummingbird, was seen at the Stanford Inn near Mendocino on 8/16 (PP). These are common in riparian habitat of the Central Valley and eastern foothills of the Sierra. While there are a handful of records from the east side of this county, this appears to be the first record along the Mendocino Coast. On 8/26 a hatch year Franklin’s Gull was photographed on Ten Mile beach (RA). And, on 8/27 a group of three, apparently hatch-year, Eastern Kingbirds were found near Virgin Creek (LW & SKJ).
Photo of possible Herald Petrel by Roger Adamson.
Several notable sightings were made during the many pelagic trips. Briefly, Short-tailed Albatross have been seen three times; Manx Shearwater, Hawaiian Petrel, and Black Storm-Petrel all were seen on various trips. Three more taxa should be noted. Cook’s Petrel, which has previously only been seen from repositioning cruise ships 40-50 miles off-shore, were found on 6/15 only about 12 miles directly west of Inglenook to the delight of numerous birders on the Kraken (Anchor Charter Boats, Richard Thornton, Captain). During the trip on 7/15 a Least Storm-Petrel was photographed and seen by several birders; this was the first county record of this species.
Lastly, we go back to 5/24 when the Kraken was out for a half-day “mammal-dedicated” pelagic trip. While near the Noyo Canyon, having found numerous Murphy’s Petrels and Hawaiian Petrels, we had a far too brief encounter with an unknown Pterodroma petrel. The bird made two rapid passes near the Kraken, allowing only a few photos. It is possible that this was the first California record of Herald Petrel, a bird of the southern Pacific and Indian Oceans found mainly between 30 degrees south and 39 degrees north latitude. Older field guides show Herald Petrel as an Atlantic species, but after a split the related Atlantic species is now called Trindade Petrel. The name of the Pacific Ocean species, Herald Petrel, is derived from the HMS Herald, a British warship that surveyed the Pacific from 1852 to 1863. We await comments from a variety of seabird experts and the deliberations of the California Bird Records Committee.
Thanks to all who reported sightings: Junco Bullick (JB), Todd Easterla (TE), Robert Snow (RS), Scott Kramer (SK), Aidan Sinha (AS), Troy Hibbitts (TH), Marla Hibbitts (MH), Mary Beth Abordo (MBA), Chuck Vaughn (CV), George Gibbs (GG), Roger Adamson (RA), Frank Hall (FH), Sarah Grimes (SG), Alexis Chaine (AC), Logan Kahle (LK), Peter Pyle (PP), Lisa Walker (LW), Sam Koski-Jones (SKJ).
