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LAKE COUNTY – Known as a prime area to view a variety of our feathered friends by expert birders, several areas of Lake County were represented in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which took place Friday, February 12, through Monday, Feb. 15.
A joint project led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada and sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited, the GBBC is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent, according to BirdSource.org, the project’s website.
Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts, in as little as 15 minutes on one day of the event. However, bird watchers can count for any time period each day of the event.
This event is an opportunity for families, students, and people of all ages to discover the wonders of nature while making an important contribution to conservation to help the birds at the same time, states BirdSource.org.
“Anyone who can identify even a few species can contribute to the body of knowledge that is used to inform conservation efforts to protect birds and biodiversity,” said Audubon Education Vice-President, Judy Braus.
The data help researchers understand bird population trends across the continent, according to www.birdsource.org , and this information is critically important for effective conservation efforts.
Reports were filed from around Lake County including Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Cobb, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Lower Lake, Lucerne, Middletown and Upper Lake.
Over 3,300 birds were counted throughout the county by 46 watchers, with over 50 species of birds reported in Cobb alone, and more than 75 species countywide.
Bald eagles were spotted in Cobb, Clearlake Oaks, and Kelseyville during this four-day event, and a peregrine falcon was spotted in Cobb, and a prairie falcon in Lakeport.
The most numerous birds spotted around the county included the American robin, California quail, herring gull, lesser goldfinch, dark-eyed junco, Brewer's blackbird, oak titmouse, red winged blackbird, California gull, mallard, and bufflehead.
Other species typically seen in Lake County and recorded during the four-day event included American white pelican, golden eagle, Canada goose, wood duck, wild turkey, western, pie-billed, horned, and Clark’s grebes, acorn woodpecker, northern flicker, California and spotted towhees, golden-crowned and white-crowned sparrows, great blue heron, Anna’s hummingbird, American and lesser goldfinches, and many more.
Located along the Pacific Flyway, Lake County hosts more than 300 species of birds, and the Clear Lake Area is designated an “Important Bird Area” by Audubon California because of the diversity of birds and valuable bird habitats, making participation in nationwide bird watching events, including the GBBC and the Christmas Bird Count, as easy as stepping out in to your own backyard, local schoolyard, or community park.
Businesses, schools, nature clubs, Scout troops, and other community organizations interested in the GBBC can contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at (800) 843-2473 or Audubon at (202) 861-2242, Ext 3050 or visit www.birdsource.org .
Lake County bird and wildlife viewing information:
The Redbud Audubon Society hosts monthly informative meetings and field trips: www.redbudaudubon.org
The Lake County Land Trust offers weekly guided bird and nature walks at Rodman Slough Preserve:
www.lakecountylandtrust.org/rodman.htm
Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association offers guided nature walks:
Annual Heron Festival and Wildflower Brunch:
Events and tour information:
E-mail Terre Logsdon at
Households throughout Northern California can expect to receive the much-anticipated, 10-question form as soon as Monday, March 15.
Census officials hope that people will fill out their 2010 census questionnaires and mail it back as soon as possible, saving millions of taxpayer dollars.
It costs the government just 44 cents for a postage paid envelope when a household mails back the 10-question form, which should take just 10 minutes to complete. It costs the Census Bureau $57 to send a census taker door-to-door to follow up with each household that fails to respond. In 2000, the nation reversed a three-decade decline in mail rates, achieving a participation rate of 72 percent.
Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the census takes place on April 1, 2010.
Census data determine boundaries for state and local legislative and congressional districts. More than $400 billion in federal funds are distributed annually based on census data to pay for local programs and services such as free lunch for low-income students, vocational training, road construction and emergency services.
For more information about language assistance guides and translations of the form, which are available in 59 languages, visit www.2010census.gov .
Telephone assistance in filling out the form is available in Spanish (1-866-928-2010), Chinese (1-866-935-2010), Vietnamese (1-866-945-2010), Korean (1-866-955-2010) and Russian (1-866-965-2010) in addition to English (1-866-872-6868). Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons can call the TDD number: 1-866-783-2010.
The US Constitution requires that everyone living in the United States be counted every ten years. All census information collected, including addresses, is confidential and protected by law (Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9).
By law, the Census Bureau can’t share respondents’ answers with any government agency such as the FBI, the IRS, welfare and immigration. No court of law or law enforcement agency can find out respondents’ answers.
All Census Bureau employees — including temporary employees — take an oath for life to keep census information confidential. Any violation of that oath is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and five years in prison.
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William Michael Farrell, 49, was last seen leaving in his boat on Clear Lake from the Konocti Vista Casino Resort Marina on Sunday night, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Late last Monday afternoon, Gene Bedros, a friend of Farrell's, contacted deputies and reported that Farrell had left the Konocti Vista Marina in his 14-foot wooden boat to meet Bedros at his home near Rocky Point in north Lakeport. Bauman said they were planning to get together to celebrate Farrell's birthday.
However, Farrell never arrived, and Bedros apparently did not realize he had actually embarked until the following day, according to Bauman.
Bauman said that Bedros and Farrell’s girlfriend, Roberta Perchar, reportedly spent most of the day Monday checking the shoreline between Konocti Vista and Rocky Point for Farrell or his boat but found no sign of either.
While gathering preliminary information on the missing boater Monday evening, the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol was called out to commence searching the lake. Bauman said searches were conducted, spanning the waters north of the Konocti Vista marina and beyond Rocky Point, as well as to the south and east of the marina.
As night time fell, a search of the open water between the west and north shores of Clear Lake continued by use of radar but neither Farrell or his boat could be located, Bauman said.
Shortly before 9 p.m. Monday, adverse conditions on the lake prevented any further efforts and the search for Farrell was suspended for the day. Bauman said deputies continued checking with friends and acquaintances of Farrell the following day to see if anyone had heard from him but none had.
On Wednesday at about 8 a.m., the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol located an object adrift on the surface of the lake about 400 feet off the Buckingham Peninsula, Bauman said.
On closer inspection, the object was identified as a capsized boat, partially submerged with only 2 feet of the bow remaining above the surface. Bauman said the boat vaguely matched the description of Farrell’s boat and was towed in to the Marine Patrol facility at Braito’s Marina.
Farrell's friends and family members were asked to respond to examine the boat and it was positively identified as Farrell’s. Bauman said personal items found in the boat were also identified as belonging to Farrell. There were no obvious signs of a collision or other damage to the boat.
Perchar and Farrell reportedly live near the Konocti Vista Marina and she told deputies that on Sunday evening, Farrell had asked her to accompany him in his boat to go to Bedros’ home for an informal birthday celebration, according to Bauman's report. Perchar declined as it was too windy and cold for her to go out on the boat.
Sometime between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. that night, Perchar noticed Farrell’s car was gone from the residence and was now parked near the resort. She went to the casino to see if he was there and after an employee told her they had seen Farrell about 40 minutes prior, she checked on his boat and it was gone.
Based on information provided by Perchar, it appears Farrell’s boat had a possible leak and was underpowered with an outboard motor that had a history of mechanical problems, Bauman said.
The boat was very old, built in 1956, and an examination of the boat by Marine Patrol personnel indicates it could have easily been swamped by the windy conditions that prevailed on the lake Sunday afternoon and evening, he explained.
Farrell is described as a white male adult, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 185 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes and a goatee-style beard. Bauman said Farrell has tattoos on both forearms and a significant surgical scar at the center of his chest and abdomen. It is unknown what he was wearing Sunday night.
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LAKEPORT – The Lake County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man allegedly responsible for sexually assaulting a local woman.
Capt. James Bauman said a young woman reported being assaulted on Thursday morning by a suspect who was unknown to her.
The suspect is described as a heavyset male Hispanic adult in his late 20s or early 30s, unshaven but not to the point of having a beard.
Bauman said the suspect claimed his name was “Roberto” and he was wearing a red snow beanie with tassels and blue “Dickie” style pants and shirt. The vehicle he was driving was described only as a dark blue or black Honda Civic.
On Thursday at about 11:20 a.m., deputies responded to a North Lakeport residence to investigate a sexual battery, Bauman said.
A 26-year-old woman reported that she was walking towards Lakeport on Lakeshore Boulevard near the old Rainbow restaurant at about 9 a.m. when a man pulled up in a vehicle and offered her ride to town, according to Bauman's reported.
The woman accepted the offer and, at her request, the man took her to a local church in Lakeport. Bauman said the woman went inside the church for a short time but when she came out, the man was still parked in front of the church. The man talked her into giving her a ride back to her home and again, she accepted the offer.
While driving back towards her home on Lakeshore Boulevard, the man started asking the woman intrusive questions and then began taking various turns away from her primary route home, Bauman said.
As the man drove around randomly in the area of Crystal Lake Way and Keeling Avenue, he started making sexual comments to the woman. Bauman said that despite the woman telling the man to cease and either let her out or take her back to the main road, the suspect continued with the comments and began sexually assaulting her.
After screaming and pleading with the man to let her out, the suspect eventually stopped and let her out at the 3000 block of Lakeshore Boulevard before continuing southbound, Bauman said. The victim went to the first home she could, got a ride back to her home and called 911.
Anyone with information on the possible identity of the man, or further information on his vehicle, is encouraged to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Department at 707-262-4200.
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LAKE COUNTY – With the switch to daylight savings time this Sunday, March 14, Cal Fire and the Office of the State Fire Marshal are reminding all California residents to change their smoke alarm batteries when setting their clocks ahead one hour.
Daylight Saving Time begins each year at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March. This year, Daylight Saving Time begins on March 14 and ends on Nov. 7, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Move clocks ahead one hour at the start of Daylight Saving Time.
For fire officials, it's a good time to remind people about the importance of fire prevention and the importance of keeping smoke alarms in working order.
Every year, lives are lost due to inoperative smoke alarms. More than 66 percent of home fire deaths that occurred between 2003 and 2006 were in homes without a working smoke alarm, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
The changing of the clocks provides an ideal reminder to change your smoke alarm batteries at least twice a year, according to fire officials.
“With proper maintenance and regular testing, smoke alarms play a pivotal role in the early notification of a fire emergency,” said Chief Tonya Hoover, acting state fire marshal. “By taking just a few seconds each year to replace the battery, you can truly make a difference in protecting your family and your home.”
Cal Fire has the following tips on smoke alarms:
Test smoke alarms once a month.
Replace batteries in all smoke alarms twice a year.
Don’t “borrow” or remove batteries from smoke alarms even temporarily.
Regularly vacuum or dust smoke alarms to keep them working properly.
Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
Don’t paint over smoke alarms.
Practice family fire drills so everyone knows what to do if the smoke alarm goes off.
To find more information visit the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov .
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