Michael Reinhart saw this Great Blue Heron strutting along the bluff recently.
This looks like a Heron with an attitude!
Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
The rains are gone for now, though we had a lot of cloud cover. Temps were in the low 60s. This weekend could be stellar!
Bonny Dunn is a licensed drone pilot. After last week's storm, she took these two photos from the Fish Rock area, just north of Anchor Bay.
Aren't they beautiful? I love the perspective these photos display. Another of Bonny's photos will be in tomorrow's Independent Coast Observer. What? You don't have a membership, which gives you the print and the online edition? You can donate here: https://mendonoma.com/memberpay.html
Thanks to Bonny for allowing me to share her photos with you here. To see much more of Bonny's photography, here is the link to her website: https://bonnydunn.com/
We had downpours this morning interspersed with rainbows. This afternoon we have sun mixed with beautiful clouds. What a storm! 4.62 inches, 43.92 season to date at Rick's and my place.
Yesterday we had the first storm, which brought 1.94 inches of rain. I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the color in the sky. I don't believe I've seen the sky look quite like this before.
The colors intensified for a minute as the sun began to sink below the horizon. I saw a green flash for a second or two. I caught a hint of it in the photo below.
At 4 pm on Sunday, we've had a little over 0.90 inches and it's still raining. My season to date roared past 41 inches yesterday. 50 inches is a "normal" wet winter at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay. Hooray!
Sara Bogard saw this rare visitor to our coast off the Point Arena Lighthouse Peninsula. It's a Harlequin Duck.
When talking to each other, Harlequin Ducks make un-duck-like squeaks, which gives them another common name, Sea Mouse.
A week or so earlier, in the same area, Sara had watched while two Common Ravens attempted to chase off a Red-tailed Hawk.
Can't we all just get along?
Thanks to Sara for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Saturday's storm was suppose to be the smaller of the storms but it's really pouring here. 1.60 inches so far. Yikes!
Linda Bostwick went mushroom foraging with me a few weeks ago and we found several very large Sweet Tooth Hedgehogs Mushrooms. They are deliciously edible.
When Linda got it home, she measured and weighed it. It weighed in at one pound two ounces, and measured seven and a half inches across the top. These are considered beginner mushrooms as they have no dangerous lookalike. Instead of gills, they have many slender spikes. Dry sauté to release the moisture, then sauté with some butter, salt and pepper. Absolutely delicious with scrambled eggs! A gift from the forest.
I took the photo.
As I type this late Friday afternoon, it's the calm before the storms. Yes, storms, a series of them. Batten down the hatches!