Sightings

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Michael Reinhart photographed a skein of Aleutian Cackling Geese heading south.

Here's a close-up photo Mike got recently.

And Jon Shiu got this video, taken off the Mendocino Headlands, where you can hear them cackling away.

Video of Aleutian Cackling Geese flying south by Jon Shiu

Aleutian Cackling Geese can be confused with Canada Geese but they are quite a bit smaller and have shorter necks that the Canadas. I love hearing them. On calm days, I can hear them at Rick's and my place which is a half mile from the ocean. They usually fly over the ocean, but in stormy weather, they can be a bit inland.

Thanks to Mike and Jon for allowing me to share their photos and video.

It's raining here - hooray! It's a nice, gentle rain with no wind. 0.43 inches so far.

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John Meyer photographed an Elegant Sheep Moth, Hemileuca eglanterina, a few weeks ago. They are day flying moths, and they fly fast and close to the ground.

Bob Rutemoeller found two of these moths mating.

Yes, x-rated Sightings today! Why are they named sheep moths, you might ask? Apparently because they were seen in pastures where sheep were grazing.

Thanks to John and Bob for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

oh, what a beautiful day today! Temps in the low 70's with just a gentle breeze. And the promise of a little rain late Friday/early Saturday.

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It's good to have water for wildlife. Adrian Bennett has a birdbath that subs as a drinking fountain for Deer, in this case, a big Buck.

This is the time of year for the mating season - the rut - of the Black-tailed Mule Deer. They are bound to get thirsty chasing the Does around!

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

It's still quite warm when you are a little ways away from the Pacific Ocean. 85 degrees here this afternoon, down from a high of 97 yesterday. Further cooling is forecast with the possibility of some wet stuff late Friday into early Saturday. I hope so!

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Perry Hoffman got this wonderful photo of a Red-tailed Hawk near the P'da Hau, aka the Garcia River. It looks like the hawk was just taking off. It's amazing to see the strength - and beauty -  in this hawk's wings.

Red-tailed Hawks are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast.

To  hear their distinctive, screaming call, you can listen here at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/sounds

I read on the site that they give this call most often while soaring.

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

We had another very hot day here. The heatwave is suppose to break tomorrow. My sister, who lives in Point Arena on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific, said it was much cooler there today. The temperature actually hit 97 degrees here today. Good news is that rain is in the forecast for late Friday into Saturday. Bring it, Mother Nature!

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Craig Tooley noticed this handsome Double-crested Cormorant perched at the Gualala River. The bird then took flight and Craig got that photo too.

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: "From a distance, Double-crested Cormorants are dark birds with snaky necks, but up-close they’re quite colorful—with orange-yellow skin on their face and throat, striking aquamarine eyes that sparkle like jewels, and a mouth that is bright blue on the inside." I like the "etching" on their feathers!

To hear the call of a Double-crested Cormorant, you can listen at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/sounds  Fair warning! Their infrequent calls sound rather like a pig!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

We had some puffy clouds moving in from the west, making for a beautiful morning. Temps are again mild today and there is no wind. A very nice day!