I love owls! Esther Shain found this Barn Owl roosting in the daylight hours.
When I asked Diane Hichwa what this nocturnal owl was doing during the middle of the day, she said, "Well, they have to be somewhere!" Yes, I guess they do...
Thanks to Esther for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
There was some fog this morning, which came up from the south, but it's sunny this afternoon. Temps are on the cool side, just the way we like them! 69 degrees this afternoon.
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.
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.
Ron Bolander used the new Merlin bird ID app to try and identify a shorebird but it steered him wrong. Ron wrote, “While I was on the beach, mid Tuesday afternoon, I got some pictures, that "Merlin" identified as Semipalmated Sandpipers. Checking on the Cornell site for information, these are not supposed to be here. They migrate from the Arctic to South America, but the migration is east of the Rocky Mountains.”
I sent Ron’s photos to Diane Hichwa, who in turn sent them to a shorebird expert, Lisa Hug, who wrote, “It is a Least Sandpiper - yellowish legs, dark streaking on chest.” Diane commented, “Shorebirds are SELDOM easy, and in transitions from breeding plumage to winter plumage, they are even more challenging.”
Ron also photographed a Western Sandpiper.
Such beautiful birds plying our beaches! Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
The weather is changing! We actually have some rain headed our way beginning Saturday evening. Today it is windy and mild. It feels very good to know rain is in our near future!
Sunday night, May 15th, brought a celestial phenomenon, a total lunar eclipse. The Moon glowed red and orange, hence it’s often referred to as Blood Moon. Barry and Kathryn Weiss went to a suitable spot on The Sea Ranch to witness and photograph the event. Barry wrote, “So there we were, at the end of Piper’s Reach waiting for sunset. Friends driving by us would stop and ask if we were okay or did we need any help. ‘No, just waiting for sunset.’ ‘Waiting for the eclipse.’ They’d respond, ‘Oh,’ and then drive off. So there we were, freezing our…let’s say feet…off and then we saw it. When I examined my photos I saw that I might have captured the planet Jupiter in it.”
I sent Barry’s photo to sky watcher Mel Smith. Mel believes Barry photographed a star, not the planet Jupiter. Mel said if the eclipse happened during the Zodiac sign of Scorpio, which it did, then Barry photographed Antares. Mel said, “I’ve never seen a star next to an eclipsing Moon before.” There appears to be another faint star on the right side of the Moon.
Diane Hichwa also drove to view the eclipse. As the eclipse continued, she drove past a Raccoon that was huddled in a culvert.
Diane wondered if the Raccoon was scared by the event. When the eclipse was over, the Moon returned to its normal color and the excitement was over.
Thanks to Barry and Diane for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
It's very warm here today, after a warm day yesterday. Hot up on the ridge! Bring back our fog!