The past several nights the sunsets on the Mendonoma Coast have been exquisite. Here are three different nights.
I love it when the sun shines like a spotlight through the clouds. It reminds me of the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
A small pod of young Gray Whales has spent the summer, autumn, and now winter off the Mendonoma Coast. They are called subadults. It is a new phenomenon for us that Grays didn't migrate. The vast majority do migrate north in March and April and then south in December and January. But these whales decided to stay put. They have more white on them, I am told, because they swim slower and stay in less turbulent water. It must have been thrilling for that surfer to be so close to this whale.
Once again I thank Deborah for allowing me to share her photos. Another of her photos is featured in today's Independent Coast Observer. You can see Sightings photos on the ICO's website at www.mendonoma.com. There's an on-line subscription available if you'd like to read my weekly Mendonoma Sightings column and keep up to date on the goings of our beautiful Coast.
Really, the return of Al, the Laysan Albatross, to the waters off the Point Arena Pier was exciting enough. But the excitement levels rose when two juvenile Gray Whales swam in close to the pier on New Year's Day. Deborah Heatherstone was there to witness the event.
You can see a buoy in the second photo. This whale was very close in. Tomorrow I will share a photo of a surfer and one of these whales. And I will tell you more about this group of Gray Whales that didn't migrate. It's a fascinating new phenomenon.
Thanks to Deborah for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Joel Crockett was enjoying Cook's Beach with his dog, Argish, early one morning recently. Lucky for us Joel had his camera and took this beautiful photo.
I thank Joel for allowing me to share his photo with you here. Joel is the owner of The Four-eyed Frog bookstore in Gualala. If you'd like to support this independent bookstore - one of the friendliest places in Gualala, perhaps the world - here's the website: http://www.foureyedfrog.com/
If you'd like to discover Cook's Beach for yourself, here's a link that gives directions: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/02/12/cooks-beach-a-beautiful-pocket-beach-just-north-of-gualala/ Just make sure that when you park your tires are off the pavement to avoid a ticket. I want you to have only good memories of your visit to this special spot.
Tundra Swans, Cygnus columbianus, overwinter on the floodplains of the Garcia River. Last year, with our drier than normal winter, brought just a handful of these beautiful white swans. Eight were spotted last week. Richard Kuehn photographed four Tundra Swans in flight recently, always a thrilling sight.
We hope to have hundreds in residence soon. Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photo with you here.