Sightings

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A family of North American River Otters makes the Gualala River area their home. Rozanne Rapozo recently photographed the mother with her three offspring, called pups or kittens.

The pups will stay with their mom for about a year, or until she has another litter.

Here is a close-up of the mother.

River Otters are deemed semi-aquatic. They are equally comfortable in the water and on the land. For fun, here's a photo Catherine Miller took of River Otter prints, the prints with five claws.

Thanks to Rozanne and Catherine for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

The fog has been persistent over the ocean today, keeping temps down. No wind today, a lovely day here on the Mendonoma Coast.

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Young Fawns are being seen, proving that the birthing season of the Black-tailed Deer lasts a long time. The first Fawns usually appear around Mother's Day in early May. Jon Loveless saw this small family recently at The Sea Ranch.

Larain Matheson had a sighting of a mother Doe and her Fawn north of Gualala.

It's a good reminder to slow down while driving. Watch for a Doe crossing the road, and wait to see if a Fawn, or two or even three, might be following.

Thanks to Jon and Larain for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Fog over the ocean, but sunny at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay. Breezy too, with temps in the 70's. Huckleberries are beginning to ripen up!

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Pelagic Cormorants attache their nests to bluff faces, using their own guano as glue. Rozanne Rapozo recently photographed several nests.

Michael Reinhart found Pigeon Guillemots. They use openings in rocks for their hidden nests, much safer than the Pelagic Cormorant nests. This is a rather rare photo of a chick being fed.

Here are two Pigeon Guillemots on the water. It looks like they are talking to each other. Note the orange-red mouth!

Pelagic Cormorants are mostly silent, but Pigeon Guillemots have a whistling call that  you can hear on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pigeon_Guillemot/sounds

Thanks to Rozanne and Michael for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It was very foggy this morning, with the sun finally breaking through mid-afternoon, a lovely cool day on the Mendonoma Coast!

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I love owls! Esther Shain found this Barn Owl roosting in the daylight hours.

When I asked Diane Hichwa what this nocturnal owl was doing during the middle of the day, she said, "Well, they have to be somewhere!" Yes, I guess they do...

Thanks to Esther for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

There was some fog this morning, which came up from the south, but it's sunny this afternoon. Temps are on the cool side, just the way we like them! 69 degrees this afternoon.

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Peter Baye wrote, "Here's the underwater fish-eye perspective on the Wigeongrass canopy, reaching up like a vine growing through submerged dead tree branches - which these are, mantled in green filamentous algae."

"The bubbles in the Wigeongrass are pure oxygen produced by the Wigeongrass leaves getting sunlight under water. They can actually saturate the water column with oxygen by day.  May not be pretty to us, but the Gualala Roach and Steelhead juveniles love it!”

It will reach the surface in the lagoon soon. It’s not harmful; it’s beneficial. Watch for it!

Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

No wind today. There are some high clouds drifting by, and it's a nice, warm day on the Mendonoma Coast.