Michael Reinhart caught this Allen's hummingbird taking a short rest.
Fun Facts: Allen's Hummingbirds live an average of 5 years. They only weigh about 0.11 ounces. Hummingbirds are the only birds known to fly backward.
Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Sunny this morning but the fog rolled in this afternoon. It feels like autumn today, temps in the low 60's.
Karen Wilkinson wrote, “Have you ever really seen a flower? Walking the Gualala River to find wildflowers in bloom is a beloved pastime. Sharing it with botanical buddies is even better. The closer you look at a flower, the more exquisite they become. Take this Scarlet Monkeyflower, if you touch the stigma with the tip of your finger, it closes up. I think this is connected to the way it gets pollinated, but I'm not sure why. What I am sure about is that this flower is my new favorite.” Karen got a nice photo of an Anna’s Hummingbird coming in for nectar and another showing the stigma and anthers touching the hummer’s head.
I asked Botanist Peter Baye why the stigma, the part of the flower that receives pollen during pollination, would close. He wrote, “Had to look this one up! Fortunately there was some new research just published this year on it by Lila Fishman and colleagues at the University of Montana. Closure of the stigma lobes in monkeyflowers are interpreted as a means of maximizing cross-pollination over less advantageous self-pollination.”
Peter also wrote, after looking at Karen’s beautiful photos, “It is wonderful to see photos of observant naturalists rediscovering the Gualala River bed, and not just a stone's throw from Highway 1! It needs to be rediscovered constantly, as its never the same two consecutive years! I know people love the Russian River, but frankly, the native biological richness of the Gualala has more to offer explorers.”
Very interesting to learn about this! Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
While it is hot, hot, hot inland, a fog bank is keeping things cool along the Mendonoma Coast. Temps have been in the mid sixties. Nice!
Rozanne Rapozo has nesting material, which we think is raw cotton, available for birds. She recently saw several Anna's Hummingbirds pulling strings of it out of the enclosure.
Anna's Hummingbirds do nest early here on the Mendonoma Coast. They build incredible nests. Here is a photo by the late Siegfried Matull showing the female sitting on her eggs. Her nest is also made of spiderwebs and lichen.
Thanks to Rozanne for allowing me to share her photos with you here, and I always appreciate being able to share the photos of Siegfried.
Cool, breezy, sunny, cloudy...changeable conditions! Rain headed our way in a day or two.
Sara Bogard took this photo of an Anna's Hummingbird looking directly at her. Just what is this little hummer thinking?
Perry Hoffman had a Common Raven take a good at him and his camera!
And lastly Ron Bolander found this male American Kestrel giving him the eye.
These photos cry out for a caption! Feel free to chime in.
Thanks to Sara, Perry and Ron for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Today is sunny, windy and cool. Yesterday a quick but potent storm moved in and dumped a half inch at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay. 19.98 inches season to date!
Sarah Flaim is a talented photographer. She has previously let me share several of her photos, including ones of the Milky Way. But she trained her camera on something much smaller recently. She photographed an Anna's Hummingbird at the moment its tongue pierced a droplet of water. How amazing is this?
Thanks to Sarah for allowing me to share her spectacular photo with you here. You can see more of Sarah's photography at her Instagram page - @redwoodsinger.
The fog is hovering over the Pacific Ocean keeping temperatures mild, but most coastal locations have sun this afternoon. It's a beautiful summer day on the Mendonoma Coast.