This is the male Bald Eagle. He has been seen fishing for a lamprey in the Gualala River and flying upstream. Perhaps the female is at a nest? We hope so.
Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Sunny and warm with just the slightest breeze.
I only have a few more days to say...spring doesn't know.
Eric Zetterholm had fun watching Caspian Terns fishing together at the Gualala River.
Here one rests in the river.
Here's what Eric observed: “There are three that seem to work together. They fly into the wind that blows up the river and allows them to move slowly as they fish. They fly up to the mouth together with a space of a hundred yards or so between them, and return in a group. It is a fun challenge to get a picture of them flying by and diving for the fish. They seem to be getting along with the few Osprey on the river, but there is a lot of chatter and calls between them all.”
Thanks to Eric for this fun sighting and for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Breezy, sunny, and warm on the Mendonoma Coast today.
Spring doesn't know...
Many of us are enjoying watching the mated pair of Bald Eagles at the Gualala River. Eric Zetterholm witnessed an interesting encounter which featured the female Bald Eagle. He wrote, “I took a walk out to the Gualala Point Beach Wednesday morning and found very large numbers of different Gulls there. A few were chasing a fish head as it was pushed and pulled by the waves. I managed to grab it without getting too wet and took a few photos before I left it for the Gulls." Not a pretty sight, I know! We think it's the head of a Steelhead.
Eric continues, “When I had walked a few hundred yards up the beach, I got sight of a Bald Eagle coming at me from down the beach. She passed me very quickly and swiftly snatched up the fish head, carrying it off to the river."
"I decided to make the long hike back up the beach, up the pathway, over the hill, down the trail, and back up the river. The eagle was still enjoying the fish as I walked down river and I was able to get fairly close to her while keeping out of her view.”
Lots going on alongside the Gualala River and the Pacific Ocean!
Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Sunny, breezy, cooler day today!
The Christmas Bird Count takes place in January here on the Mendonoma coast. During the event, a Red-tailed Hawk nest was seen at The Sea Ranch. The call went out to wildlife photographer Craig Tooley to come and photograph it. Craig got one of the Red-tails perched on the side of the nest as the other flew away. The hawks were working on reinforcing the nest. They use the same nests for some years.
Eric Zetterholm recently photographed a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, the larger female and the smaller male, near the Gualala River.
We don't know if the nest Craig photographed is their nest.
John Wall also photographed a Red-tailed Hawk, perched on a Sea Ranch road sign. John said there was a new traffic cop in town!
Thanks to Craig, Eric and John for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's wildlife photograph, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com
Finally! What many of us have been watching and waiting for has been photographed by Eric Zetterholm. One of the two Bald Eagles seen most days near the Gualala River was spotted flying with a large stick covered in lichen – nesting materials. This photo was featured on page one of last week's edition of the Independent Coast Observer.
Eric wrote, “I’d like to share with you a couple of pictures I took Monday afternoon, Jan. 6, of one of the Gualala Bald Eagles as it flew past Gualala Point Regional Park carrying a large stick – for its nest? I was able to watch the eagle get past a pair of Common Ravens who were interested in its clutch, and fly well up river and south over the treetops.”
Last year we watched as the Bald Eagles mated numerous times; one photo was labeled, “Get a room, Bald Eagles!” But we saw no signs of nest building. Bald Eagles nest quite early in the year, so we have hopes that these two Bald Eagles are building a nest in the watershed of the Gualala River.
Thanks to Eric for his good news and for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
ooo, we had a pretty darn vigorous storm hit in the night and it rained hard until early this afternoon. The creek that crosses our land is gloriously pumped up now - a joyous sight!