Tag Archives: Robert Keiffer

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Karen Wilkinson had a rare sighting. Experts confirmed she had photographed a Sage Thrasher, a rare bird sighting here. She wrote, “It was a delightful but windy morning on the bluff and this sighting had me puzzling over an ID.  As I watched it for a while, its posture, behavior, and field marks sort of reminded me of three different birds (hermit thrush, mockingbird, rock wren), but none were right in the moment. I was stumped. After coming home and reviewing photos I'm fairly confident that I was looking at a Sage Thrasher - but I would really appreciate confirmation on this one, since I've certainly never seen one here on the coast.”

I sent Karen’s photos to Peter Pyle and Robert Keiffer who agreed with Karen’s ID. Robert wrote, “Yes, Sage Thrasher!  One of my nemesis species for Mendocino County, so the records are few and far-between for the county.  You cannot see the white wingbars, but the profile, mandible shape, light yellow eye, white tail tips evident, streaked breast, grayish-brown overall are all fitting characteristics. Do you enter your records on eBird?  You definitely should for this observation. Great find!” Karen’s sighting was in Sonoma County, where Diane Hichwa tells me there have been very few recorded sightings over the years. And Karen did post her sighting.

To hear the complex song of a male Sage Thrasher, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sage_Thrasher/sounds

I read on their website that one male was recorded singing for 22 minutes straight!

Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Fog over the ocean kept the immediate coast cool, but it heated up just a little ways away. Low 80's at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay today!

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Robert Keiffer wrote, "Today, April 28, I found a Turkey Vulture nest cavity in a hollow black oak tree."

"The trunk has a 1” crack near the base and I was able to peek at the two eggs inside.  The adult had scrambled up and out of the cavity as I got close to the base."


"I cannot stress the importance of old decadent hollow oak trees!"

Some years ago, Terry Pfardresher found a nest in a Redwood stump. Her photo shows the fledgling perched on the edge of the stump.

The moral of the story is, if you have a snag or stump and it doesn't endanger you, let it stand for the sake of birds and other wildlife.

Thanks to Bob and Terry for allowing me to share their photos with  you here.

It's a beautiful day on the Mendonoma Coast. Warm weather will be moving in this week!