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Perry Hoffman said this was the happiest Harbor Seal he's ever met.

Now...did Perry's photo make you smile? Hope so!

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

We are having an amazing warm day after yesterday's storm. I had 0.46 inches in my gauge. The first Boletus edulis was found yesterday with many more to come in the days ahead.

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Adrian Adams photographed this beautiful Anise Swallowtail Butterfly feeding on marigolds in his The Sea Ranch garden - a vision of loveliness.

Monarchs continue to arrive on coast where they feed before migrating southward. Rozanne Rapozo recently photographed one of these magnificent butterflies.

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

We are having another warm autumn day, and the Pacific Ocean is roaring. On my drive down to the radio station, KGUA, in Gualala this morning for my monthly Sightings talk with host Peggy Berryhill, ocean mist was spilling across the highway. On the east side, the morning sun created multiple sunbeams through the trees. The combination was amazing to see.

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Bob Yeager wrote, “Our friend, Alex Pierce, took this wonderful photo of a Northern Pygmy Owl while she and her husband Donald were on vacation at Sea Ranch a couple of weeks ago.” In receiving Alex’s permission to share her photo, Alex wrote, “I love going to [the coast] and photographing birds and everything nature.”

I love owls, and Pygmy Owls are a treat to find. Rick and I had one land on our deck railing some years ago. Did you know they have false eyes on the back of their head? That's what I photographed!  Quite an interesting feature Mother Nature gave this tiny owl, a little help from predators.

Their calls are a high pitched hoot and you can hear it for yourself at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/sounds

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

We are having a two-day heatwave for today and tomorrow. It's quite warm away from the ocean, and even toasty in downtown Gualala. The Pacific Ocean is all riled up today - huge breakers and the mist from them is drifting across Highway One. I was told by Ron at Surf Market that the ocean is riled up because of a storm in the Gulf of Alaska. Wow!

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I love it when Mike Reinhart is out and about with camera in hand. He's a pro at photographing birds. He found perhaps the first returning Say's Phoebe recently, perched on a bush (coyote bush?)  in a meadow at The Sea Ranch.

The Peregrine falcon was soaring through the air, always a thrilling sight.

And this Osprey coming in for a landing was seen at Mill Bend, the mouth of the Gualala River. Ospreys will be leaving us soon, unless one or two decide to overwinter here. The vast majority will migrate south for the winter, returning to the Mendonoma Coast around the first day of spring.

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Mel Smith saw this Bobcat near his home in Point Arena. He took the photo with his phone through a spotting scope.

Bobcats are often seen in the daylight hours here on the Mendonoma Coast. They are supposed to be nocturnal but perhaps they have evolved. I receive many sightings of Bobcats during the day.

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

It's a beautiful autumn day here, mid-sixties, with no wind. We've had 1.60 inches of rain so far. Mushroomers are wondering if this is enough rain to get the boletus edulis, the porcini, going in the days ahead, but that's an unknown at this point.