Richard Kuehn recently photographed the white fawn with its normal colored sibling. Despite its lack of camouflage, it has survived and grown bigger. You can see it is coloring up just a bit.
The fawn can often be seen by the 8th and 9th holes of The Sea Ranch Golf Links. It does look like a magical being.
Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
On Saturday Rick and I finally kayaked the Gualala River, courtesy of Adventure Rents. They donated this trip to a popular fundraiser for Gualala Arts, called Art off the Wall. Along with art, there are various adventures. I chose this for my prize. Gualala Supermarket donated four delicious box lunches.
I am in the double kayak, awaiting my adventure, excited but just a little nervous.
We went with George and Rozann Grunig; they are in the yellow kayak. We are exploring the lagoon before heading up river, as advised by Wayne Harris of Adventure Rents. In summer months this river is closed to the ocean by a big sandbar, making kayaking very safe.
We found this group of Common Mergansers sunning themselves on a log.
We saw two River Otters. Rozann got a great photo, which I'll share another day. Can you spot the River Otter looking at me on the muddy riverbank?
Any nervousness is now gone and Rick & I are enjoying our first kayak ride.
Passing under the Gualala River Bridge unveiled over a hundred Swallow nests.
George and Rozann, more experienced than us, led the way. In two places we did have to get out and walk, as the river is low in spots. We had a dry winter/spring, which accounts for the lower levels. Jan Harris, of Adventure Rents, said, "Embrace your inner child" on the portages. We did and had fun doing it.
And here Rick and I are, four hours later, happy with our day on the beautiful Gualala River.
Thanks to Rozann for allowing me to share her photos with you here, along with several I took.
To learn more about the river, visit Friends of the Gualala River at: http://gualalariver.org/
To see many beautiful photos of the river and to learn about kayaking, here's the website for Adventure Rents: http://www.adventurerents.com/
Also, I highly recommend the box lunches Surf Super is putting together. You can order your own custom design at http://surfsuper.com/Home.html
Neotamias ochrogenys, Yellow-cheeked Chipmunks, are only found near the Coast in Northern California. Peter has recently been able to photograph them.
Peter says they are very elusive. Members of the squirrel family, they are associated with redwood trees. I have never seen one, but I will be looking for them now that I know what they look like.
Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Paul Brewer has been photographing an Osprey nest with one chick. It's been wonderful to see the baby grow. Now it is big enough and strong enough to leave the nest. Paul was there with his camera. Just look at this healthy fledgling, with its beautiful feathers of many shades of black, brown and gray, along with the bright white ones.
Here the juvenile Osprey landed in a nearby tree. Wow, has this bird's world just gotten bigger.
Thanks to Paul for taking us along for this experience. To see the first photo Paul took of the hatchling, here is the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2013/06/08/a-chick-has-been-born-in-an-osprey-nest-and-paul-brewer-recently-photographed-it/ What a difference six+ weeks make!
To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here's his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
Manzanita bushes are native to California. We have several different types on our property in Anchor Bay. This big specimen is peeling, something manzanitas do every year.
Once the manzanita has done shedding its outer bark, smooth and silky bark remains. It's almost impossible not to run your fingers along a red branch once the peeling is done. When the bark peels, it's difficult for insects and other organisms to stay attached to the bush. So it is partly a defensive mechanism.
Manzanita bushes, with their beautiful branches, add beauty to the Mendonoma Coast.