BABY MALLARD DUCK THE PUDDING CREEK ESTUARY 249 species have been reported in the area by Robert Keiffer, author of the "Field Checklist of the Birds of Mendocino County, California," to whom local birders and others owe a considerable debt. Flowing peacefully between redwoods, wetgrasses and meadowlands, the adjoining Pudding Creek Estuary serves as a natural habitat to hundreds of birds. Some include the American Coot, Double-Crested Cormorant, Mallard, Bufflehead, and Ruddy Ducks as well as Canada Geese, Tundra Swans, Grebes, Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Osprey, Quail, Oystercatchers, and others. As an assist to bird watchers, The Beach House Inn offers the most current bird watching checklist available.