MCRCD Blog

This Red-shouldered Hawk and White-tailed Kite have been using the same perch to scan for prey and fill their bellies. The White-tailed Kite feasts on a California Vole it successfully hunted!

November 21, 2023 As fall continues, leaves cover the ground, trees become silhouettes, bird nests are exposed, and it is much easier to see any bird in a tree. As I look around, the raptors that have migrated here from the northern plains are easy to spot which has me constantly surveying the treetops. Yesterday…

Watch these Turkey Vultures scavenge for food, drink some water, and bask in the sun!

November 15, 2023 One of the birds that is resident here but seems to increase in number during the fall and winter months, is the large and magnificent Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura. This often-maligned bird is an essential and important member of our food web. Without scavengers, like the Turkey Vulture to clean up dead…

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: 3:00 P.M. December 5, 2023 As part of the Northern Mendocino Forest Health Collaborative Program, the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District (MCRCD) is accepting proposals for a contract, or contracts, to perform forest health, wildfire fuels reduction, and other treatments as part of Phase 1B in an area divided into three (3) treatment…

A group of passing deer piques the interest of these coyotes on the Willits Bypass Mitigation Lands.

November 6th, 2023 This time of the year the Bryophytes begin to shine. Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are all around us! Liverworts and mosses can get confused while the hornworts are quite distinctive. This blog will be about mosses and their role in the ecosystem. The oak woodland on the upland area of the Willits…

Enjoy a day of moss hunting and birding on the Willits Bypass Mitigation Lands. We hope to see some migratory birds and possibly some Tule Elk herds! Please wear appropriate shoes for walking and if significant rain has fallen rain shoes/rubber boots might be needed. Bring snacks, lunch, and water. RSVP: text or email Marisela@mcrcd.org…

Watch this wide array of wildlife go about their lives on the Willits Bypass Mitigation Lands.

October 24, 2023 As the seasons cycle through the Willits Little Lake Valley, it is time once again for the return of several species of sparrows that are only here in the fall and winter months. The White and Golden-crowned Sparrows have arrived in large numbers, along with Lincoln’s, Savannah, and Fox Sparrows. The Song…

October 15th, 2023 While driving our small electric vehicle out in the valley to check on wildlife cameras, my colleague Rob and I observed a small mammal in the narrow grassy roadway. It was instant recognition because I had seen the same creature in my garden earlier in the summer. This was a Broad-footed mole,…

These bears are roaming the valley in search of good food. They gorge themselves on acorns to put on a layer fat to help get through the cold months ahead.