Tag Archives: Eric Zetterholm

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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.

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Eric Zetterholm leaves work for his lunch break and he often heads to the Gualala River. This past week he spotted this adult Bald Eagle.

A few days earlier he photographed this Bald Eagle (the same one?) and the eagle nabbed a Lamprey, an eel-like fish, for its meal.

A little after this sighting, the adult Bald Eagle flew off. And, to Eric's wonderment, a juvenile Bald Eagle flew in and posed for him.

It's always a thrill to see a Bald Eagle!

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

It rained last night (.20 inches) and it's lightly raining this afternoon. It's suppose to dry up for the holiday weekend, and then watch out! Lots of rain predicted for next week, a river of rain event.

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Eric Zetterholm was the first to photograph this nearly-white Red-shouldered Hawk, seen on The Sea Ranch.

We weren't sure what kind of hawk this was, but hawk expert Larry Broderick ID'd it for us. Here's another photo of this unusual hawk, taken by Eric.

Rozanne Rapozo located the hawk a few days later and got these photos.

So, you can see this hawk is not an albino as he/she does have some color. But this bird is mostly white on the back!

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

We had a wild storm overnight - .55 inches in our gauge. There was lightning and thunder which shook the house! More rain coming in this evening, for which we are grateful.

 

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Gail Jackson was at Gualala Point Regional Park at sunrise when she spotted this Coyote on Monday, October 17.

Four weeks ago, Eric Zetterholm photographed theses two Coyotes above Reef Campground, near Fort Ross. I wonder if one of these two might have traveled up the coast to GPRP.

We don't see Coyotes very often here on the Mendonoma Coast.

Thanks to Gail and Eric for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's a beautiful Autumn day here today, temps in the 60s with some high clouds passing by, and a nice breeze. Humpbacks were seen yesterday!

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The long-lived generation of Monarch Butterflies has arrived on the Mendonoma Coast. These are the butterflies that migrate south, living up to seven months, and they are known as the Methuselah generation. They are looking for plants on which to feed. So nectar plants, particularly native nectar plants, are very important to them here on the coast. Here are some recent photos of these large, beautiful butterflies.

These photos were taken in different locations and the Monarchs are feeding on different flowers. The photos were taken by, starting with the top -  Tempra Board, Craig Tooley, Eric Zetterholm, and Grace O'Malley.

I thank all these photographers for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

The best way to report your sightings of Monarch Butterflies in the autumn is to either send them to me and/or post your sighting on iNaturalist. The experts monitor Monarch sightings on iNaturalist. You will be contributing to their study of these butterflies that have struggled mightily in recent years. Here's hoping this will be a good year for the Monarchs.

Once again, the day started off gray and cold, with a moist fog bank greeting the dawn. It pulled back somewhat but it is still over the Pacific Ocean and may well in on the immediate coast in places. Temps in the low 60's.