Siegfried and Gretel Matull were parked at Jenner, overlooking the mouth of the Russian River. They were watching the Harbor Seals lounging alongside the river bank when a large bird flew by. Gretel thought it was an Osprey but it turned out to be a Bald Eagle.
What a thrilling sight to see this beautiful bird, which is an adult. We continue to hope that a pair will soon nest on the Mendonoma Coast.
Thanks to Siegfried for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
The expression on the faces of Harbor Seals is so endearing it is easy to fall in love with them. Siegfried and Gretel Matull have been studying and photographing Harbor Seals at The Sea Ranch for some years now. Recently Siegfried photographed two very relaxed seals. It seems all was peaceful in the rookery.
And then the Matulls got very lucky. A Harbor Seal gave birth right on the beach and Siegfried got the shot!
Thanks to Siegfried for allowing me to share his wonderful photos with you here.
I'm very pleased to have Siegfried Matull doing a guest blog today. He and his wife Gretel live on The Sea Ranch and delight in seeing and photographing nature.
"For many years my wife Gretel and I have been admiring and photographing Gray Foxes, which now show up year-round on our property. Our biggest surprise occurred when, for the first time, we saw a Gray Fox climb up into a tree.
"Gray Foxes are the only members of the fox species that can climb up, down and through trees. They have relatively short legs but they are very powerful. One time we watched a Gray Fox in a tree, slowly descending BACKWARDS down to the ground. We have watched several times how Cats also climb backwards down from trees in the same way the Gray Fox performed.
"On another occasion we were also tremendously surprised when a Gray fox was descending down a steep branch, supporting itself by holding on with its tail around the branch.
"Surprises never end in our beautiful Mendonoma Coastal area!"
A big thank you to Siegfried for his guest blog and beautiful photos.
Recently Siegfried and Gretel Matull returned to their Sea Ranch home via Cazadero. That put them at the top of Fort Ross Road. They were above the fog, looking down. And to their wondering eyes they saw what Siegfried called, "a miracle fog bank" with blue sky above it.
What they were seeing was most likely a partial fog bow, also called a cloud bow, a similar phenomena as a rainbow. A fog bow is usually seen from an airplane. The Matulls were in the right place, at the right time! Thanks to Siegfried for allowing me to share this unusual photo.
Western Bluebirds are cavity nesters so people can entice them to nest by putting up a birdhouse in the right location. Siegfried and Gretel Matull have done just that as the photo below will attest. Their numbers are declining so any help we can give them is all good. And don't rush to take down a dead tree - that snag can be a nice home to a cavity dwelling bird for many years.
