Gary Levenson-Palmer noticed a different look to the ocean. There was a layer of green out near the horizon, an unusual sighting.
We had a sunny, warm day today. It's hard to believe we might have a storm tomorrow, Christmas Eve, as there isn't a cloud in sight!
Thanks to Gary for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Peter Cracknell wanted to see what the Wheatfield Fork of the Gualala River looked like from the Annapolis Road Bridge. Here's what he found.
John Sperry was out by Stump Beach, which is found at Salt Point State Park, and this is what he found - a seasonal waterfall and stormy seas.
Now we have a chance to dry out for a few days. After 28 inches in such a short time, we deserve a pause. Hello, sunshine!
Thanks to Peter and John for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Last week as a huge storm approached the Coast, the sunset was very dramatic. As I stood on our deck, camera in hand, it looked like a purple tornado cloud as the sun was setting.
And this photo I took a few moments earlier shows the big swells on the Pacific Ocean.
Mother Nature has been acting like a drama queen. But we continue to appreciate the rain. So what if the ground squishes when we walk on it! We have received over 28 inches of rain season-to-date at our home in Anchor Bay. A normal rainy season for us is about 50 inches, so we are more than halfway there and December isn't even over yet. Hooray!
Richard Kuehn noticed spouts over the Thanksgiving holiday, perhaps the vanguard of the southward Gray Whale Migration. More Grays have been seen, though in small numbers.
Scott Mercer, a Gray Whale expert, related the theory that, because there was an early ice-out in their prime feeding grounds, they were able to feed earlier than usual. It was then thought the Grays might be on the move earlier than usual, and that has proved to be the case.
Here is an aerial photo of a Gray Whale that Craig Tooley took last year.
Thanks to Rich and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much, much more of Craig's Nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com
Winter is a good time for spotting hawks. Where there are open meadows, you can often spot a hawk sitting on top of a telephone pole looking for its next meal.
Paul Brewer spotted this Hawk, just as it took flight. It is a immature Red-shouldered Hawk, a hawk of the forest.
Red-shouldered Hawks are found where there are tall trees and water, and they are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast. Their call is a plaintive whistle. If you'd like to hear it, here is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/sounds
To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
I thank Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here.