Tag Archives: Gualala River

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I went to check on the Gualala River yesterday, Friday. We have had 6.8 inches of rain and I knew the river would be a big beneficiary of the wet stuff. I drove in to Gualala Point Regional Park and parked at the iconic bend in the river site. Here's what I saw.

It is already raining here on the Mendonoma Coast today. I believe the Gualala River could open with this big rainstorm. A large - maybe the largest ever - sandbar has the river "closed" to the Pacific Ocean. When the river opens to the ocean for the first time in many months, bursting through the sandbar, it can be a spectacular event. The best place to watch it is from the Gualala Bluff Trail. Be safe and stay off of the sandbar - we don't want to lose anybody!

The weather today is WET! I also checked Quinliven Creek yesterday, a seasonal creek that crosses our property. It was running in the upper reaches but not the lower part. I'm sure that's going to change today. To have this early rain is such a blessing. Thank you, Mother Nature.

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Mike Reinhard went to Mill Bend, the newly acquired land along the Gualala River this past week. He was visited by an adult Bald Eagle with its offspring. It's just a wonderful photo of these hawks!

Then Mike saw this group of ducks. I asked birder Tim Bray if Mike had photographed Mallards. Tim wrote, “It's ‘Brown Duck Season!’ More scientifically known as ‘eclipse plumage,’ the cryptic Summer phase when all the drakes look like hens. Thankfully that only lasts about a month and happens before they leave the breeding grounds. Some of them start migrating before they have grown breeding plumage and give us a few weeks of confusion. Most of these are indeed Mallards, the big ones with the yellowish bills, and you can see the drakes are already beginning to molt into breeding plumage. There appears to be two smaller ducks with dark bills that I can't identify. Most likely Green-winged Teal but it's hard to be sure.”

Mike also photographed Red-necked Phalaropes. These shorebirds have very thin beaks. They breed far to our north, in the Arctic tundra, and are migrating southward now.

Nice day at the Gualala River, Mike!

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

It's foggy today, Sunday, right at the bluffs, but sunny just a few yards inland.

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Eric Zetterholm saw this  young Gray Whale very close in. He went to the Gualala Bluff Trail to photograph it. A couple was on the beach with a dog and they had quite a wonderful show! First Eric photographs the whale spyhopping. Look how close this whale is to the sandbar of the Gualala River!

Here's the whale surfaces while a [lucky] person with their dog watches.

And here's a photo of the Gray Whale's tail.

What a wonderful experience for the people on the beach...and for Eric! Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photos with you here. Another great photo, of a man watching while this whale spyhops, will be in tomorrow's Independent Coast Observer.

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There is a nest of Purple Martin chicks near the Gualala River. Craig Tooley watched as one of the parents caught an insect to bring to the hungry chicks. I just took a closer look at Craig's photo, and I believe the Purple Martin has a dragonfly in its beak!

Late in June Mike Petrich photographed a fledgling Purple Martin being fed.Purple Martins here on the West Coast usually nest in woodpecker holes. They are the largest swallows. You can hear their chirpy calls at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Purple_Martin/sounds I read there that the male sings his loudest song at dawn.

Thanks to Craig and Mike for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

Lots of cool, moist fog for our Sunday morning, though it is pulling back this afternoon, with wind-free sunshine.

 

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There is a mated pair of Bald Eagles who have claimed the Gualala River area as their home. We believe they had one successful chick last year, and this year it appears they have two! Gaily Jackson recently photographed the young eagles at Gualala Point Regional Park.

There's more to this story as a Peregrine Falcon came and harassed them. Gaily got some amazing photos which I will share tomorrow. Here's a preview though - it's the mother Bald Eagle, who was perched nearby her offspring, snarling at the Peregrine!

Thanks to Gaily for allowing me to share her photos with you here. To see more of Gaily's nature photography, here is her website: http://gailyimages.com/

The fog lifted early this morning and we have oh-so-blue skies today.