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Amy Ruegg went out on a local trail last Sunday and while she found trees down because of the recent storms, she also found early wildflowers. Milkmaids, Cardamine californica, are blooming now. They are members of the Mustard family.

Amy also found Western Trilliums, Trillium ovatum.  This photo shows one covered in raindrops. The white blossom tells you it is freshly bloomed. The blossom will turn pink and then darker still in the days ahead as it "ages."

And lastly, Amy found Wild Ginger, Asarum caudatum.

Wonderful to see! Thanks to Amy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

It's a lovely day here on the Mendonoma Coast today, sunny with little breeze, and temps briefly hit 70 degrees!

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All the storms have brought a great deal of rain to the creeks and rivers of the Mendonoma Coast. When the Gualala River opened this autumn with the first rains, it breached the sandbar at the far north end. But after the recent rains, take a look at the new opening of the river. Rick Denniston photographed it for us to see.

When I zoom in on the right side of the sand spit, there are the two Bald Eagles, standing very close to each other, perhaps looking for a Lamprey, one of their favorite meals.

Thanks to Rick for allowing me to share his photos with you here. The Gualala River is always changing, always fascinating, and so worthy of protecting.

Yesterday's storm has blown through. I received 0.80 inches from the last storm. We had hail and downpours and brilliant sunshine between. It was a wait-five-minutes kind of day! Today is sunny and warmer. And that is the forecast for the rest of this week!

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Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers can be difficult to tell apart. Diane Hichwa identified this woodpecker Michael Reinhart photographed as a Hairy.

Here's what Diane said about how to ID a Downy versus a Hairy:

"The white down the back is indicative of a Downy OR a Hairy.

The white outer tail feathers with NO black dots tell me it is a Hairy.

(D for downy and D for dots).

Also the bill length to head width says bigger Hairy."

Here is a photo of a Downy Woodpecker, taken by Craig Tooley, for comparison sake.

Hairy Woodpeckers have a quiet "cheep" call which you can hear at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hairy_Woodpecker/sounds

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here. And thanks to Craig for allowing me to show his photo here also. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

0.60 inches of rain overnight, sunny and mild today. Another smallish storm coming in Saturday afternoon/evening.

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Last Sunday there was a 10% chance of rain. We didn't get any rain but it was close. Roxanne Holmes photographed the sight of rain streaming out of the storm clouds but not hitting the ground. It's call virga.

It's sure is beautiful to see. Thanks to Roxanne for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

If you are on the Mendonoma Coast this weekend, I'll be doing a meet and greet at the Four-Eyed Frog Bookstore in Gualala. I'd love to meet some of you.

It's cloudy and breezy today, but not so cold. Temps reached 60 degrees this afternoon. But a storm is moving in and it's predicted to rain overnight.

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White-tailed Kites are exciting to see. Usually they are spotted hovering in the air as they search for prey for a meal. Eric Zetterholm found two Kites resting in a tree along Salal Trail, which is a public access trail on The Sea Ranch.

Perhaps this is a mated pair, as some birds are pairing up already. White-tailed Kites aren't found in much of the United States, so it's a treat that they are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast. They have a rather sweet call which you can hear at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Kite/sounds

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

oh, it was a beautiful day here on the coast today, albeit quite cool. The horizon is clear and I'll be watching to see if there is a green flash at sunset.