Sightings

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There are a few Peregrine Falcon nests on the Mendonoma Coast. Chris Skyhawk has been watching one. And he was treated to an aerial show recently. Here's the video he took:

Peregrine Falcons by Chris Skyhawk

Here's a recent look at a Peregrine near the Gualala River with its catch, taken by Ann Adel Rudinow Saetnan. In the one photo you can see the falcon eating while flying!

Thanks to Chris for allowing me to share his video and to Ann for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Sunny and mild with no wind today - a lovely, lovely day.

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Eric Zetterholm photographed an Osprey framed by the moon, a spectacular photo worthy of being on greeting cards. Eric wrote, “We were down at Shell Beach and saw an Osprey hunting the shallow waters during a low tide. With a light wind, the Osprey was able to hover above the cove with the waning moon, and then dive down after its prey."

Isn't this lovely? Ospreys have such distinctive, whistling calls - I was hearing their calls earlier today. You can listen for yourself at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/sounds

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

Cool fog blanketed the Mendonoma Coast early Saturday morning. It pulled back to leave us with a beautiful day, low 70's with no wind. Lots of visitors are here this weekend!

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Last Saturday Rozanne Rapozo was at a friend's lily pond in Gualala. There she found dragonflies, as they zipped around like the tiny helicopters they are. The first is the orange Flame Skimmer. Look how very nicely this dragonfly posed for Rozanne. They never do that for me!

And here is an Eight-spotted Skimmer.

A Blue Dancer was also spotted, but that will be for another post.

Thanks to Rozanne for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

This morning fog blanketed the coast and a ways inland. It pulled back as the morning progressed, at least in Anchor Bay. It's in the low 70's with a...you guessed it!...a breeze. Happy Summer Equinox!

 

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Several weeks ago John Batchelder wrote, “Here are some pictures of the Pacific Loon that landed on Wild Moor Reach, The Sea Ranch. This is one of the sometimes thousands of birds per hour that have been migrating past our area recently.:

After the original sighting and report to Diane Hichwa, the Loon disappeared, but was later observed farther down the street by Marge Entwisle. Marge kept the bird under observation until Roberta Chan arrived and skillfully cornered and captured the Loon in a garage for transport to Bird Rescue.

Truly a team effort lead by Marge and Roberta. Thanks.”

I add my thanks to all. I was astounded at the beauty of the Pacific Loon.

If you see a bird in trouble, call Bird Rescue at 707) 523-2473 [BIRD]. They will send a trained local volunteer, like Roberta,  to assess the bird and arrange necessary transport. We hope this bird is doing well and can be released soon.

Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

Fog has returned over the ocean, sneaking on land in places. It cooled the temps by ten degrees - nice! Fog is the coast's air conditioning! The cool, moist are also aids in fighting the first inland.

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There is an active nest near the Point Arena Lighthouse of Common Raven chicks. The mother and father raven have been busy bringing food to the seemingly insatiable chicks. When Perry looked at his photos on his computer, he was surprised to see the mother was feeding her chick blackberries!

Ravens are omnivorous, eating even carrion. It's interesting to see the mother feeding the ripe berries to her chicks.

Ravens are highly intelligent. They've been known to use tools to get food and defend their territory. I've seen a video of a raven dropping a stick on a steep roof and then racing down to catch it before it hits the ground - over and over. So they know to use an object to play. They can also mimic human speech, and several have been taught to say, "Nevermore!"

Thanks to Perry for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Perry's photography, here is the link to his website: https://magentaraven.com/

A beautiful, sunny day today, with some high clouds. Wind picked up in the afternoon.