Tag Archives: Gualala Point Regional Park

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Kathy Bishop recently photographed this White-tailed Kite. Kathy wrote,

“I was watching an elegant pair of White-tailed Kites skimming a pasture near Manchester when one glided toward me and settled to take a break.”

They mostly eat small mammals. I have seen one hunting at Gualala Point Regional Park. They have the ability to hover in the air. Here is what allaboutbirds.org says about White-tailed Kites: "While hunting, the White-tailed Kite characteristically hovers up to 80 feet off the ground and then drops straight down onto prey items. This ability to hold a stationary position in midair without flapping is accomplished by facing into the wind, and is so characteristic of these birds that it has come to be called kiting. White-tailed Kites also perform ritualized courtship displays in which a male offers prey to a female prior to egg laying. In an often spectacular aerial exchange, the female flies up to meet the male, turns upside-down, and grasps the prey."

Siegfried Matull once witnessed this ritualized courtship and photographed this amazing sight as the male brought a vole to his mate.

White-tailed Kites are year round residents of the Mendonoma coast. Their call is whistle-like and you can hear it here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Kite/sounds

Thanks to Kathy and Siegfried for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Roberta Chan spotted this CA Red-legged frog while closing the gates at Gualala Point Regional Park recently.

This frog is listed as threatened and is federally protected by the Endangered Species Act. That they live next to the Gualala River, in its floodplain, is wonderful. I would suggest that any Gualala River floodplain logging plans should be rejected, for many reasons, including the existence of this threatened frog.

Thanks to Roberta for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

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Tom Eckles was at Gualala Point Regional Park when he saw this beautiful scene.

We had high surf warnings, bringing big waves. The island in the middle is Gualala Point Island, an important rookery for seabirds.

The surf was high enough to flow over the sandbar and into the Gualala River. That, combined with last week's rain, has really filled up the lagoon. Kayaking this weekend could be epic! Our local kayak company is Adventure Rents. http://www.adventurerents.com/

Thanks to Tom for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Tom's photography, you can view them here: https://www.flickr.com/people/eckles/

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A very unusual sighting happened on the beach at Gualala Point Regional Park a few weeks ago. Doug Forsell wrote, “There is several hundred thousand Euphausiids, Krill, washed up on the beach. They are Thysanoessa spinifera, which are the most common nearshore species in California."

‘These are small shrimp-like animals that feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton.  They can form large swarms providing food for whales, birds, and fish. They are an important link in the ocean food chain, and many species are dependent on them. The unusual thing about the stranding is the winds have been calm, and the surf low for the past couple days. Perhaps it was so calm there was no surf to warn them away from shore. All of these animals appeared very fresh.”

Doug said there were over five hundred “fat and happy” Gulls and a handful of Turkey Vultures gorging on the Krill. He watched a Peregrine Falcon take a pass at the feasting Gulls, but the falcon didn’t nab one. And out on the water he could see Surf Scoters, Loons and other birds that appeared to be eating Krill.

I sent Doug’s photos to whale expert, Scott Mercer. Scott wrote, “Watch for feeding Blues and Humpbacks. That's prime Blue Whale dinner. Sounds like prime avian dinner too.  What a bonus for the vultures. I've never seen euphausiids wash up like that.”

So, thanks to Doug, we learned of this event. It's wonderful to know the Pacific Ocean is filled with these creatures that feed so many animals, including the biggest of them all, the Blue Whale.

Thanks to Doug, also, for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

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Rick and I took a walk with Sunny, our golden retriever, at Gualala Point Regional Park. When we got to the bluffs, we could see the magnificent waves, with big rollers coming in.

gualala-point-beach-11-17-16-by-jeanne-jacksonThe spray drifted up to the bluffs were we stood and we got a little salt-water blessing. A little further along the bluffs, I took this video of a couple of waves coming in.

We have a pretty big storm coming in late on Friday. The Pacific Ocean is showing us in advance that changes are afoot!