HI: FYI:
Rare Seabirds Being Spotted in Calif.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 28, 2005
Filed at 6:40 p.m. ET

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Scientists are stumped about why thousands of rare
seabirds are suddenly being spotted on land in Northern California.

The small birds, called red phalaropes, live many miles off the Pacific
coast and usually only land in the Arctic, where they breed and raise
their young.

But bird enthusiasts began spotting the birds in Sonoma County on
Christmas Day, and flocks have since been reported in residential
neighborhoods in San Francisco, Palo Alto and Los Gatos, among other
areas. The largest sighting was a flock of 1,200 near Half Moon Bay.

Scientists said many of the birds are emaciated and weak from flying in
strong ocean storms, which may have pushed them onto land to look for
food. Some have fallen victim to predatory cats and gulls, while others
have reportedly been struck and killed by drivers along Highway 1.

The sightings come as birders from around the San Francisco Bay area
conduct the annual Christmas Bird Count, an annual census of individual
birds in certain neighborhoods.



--

Ian Paulsen
Bainbridge Island, WA, USA
A.K.A.: "Birdbooker"
"Rallidae all the way!"