Tag Archives: Gualala River

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Tamir Scheinok was paddle boarding in the Gualala several weeks ago. He wrote, “I have only seen Bald Eagles from a distance. This male landed about 30 feet from me and stood in the water for about ten minutes before heading off. It’s hard to describe sharing this space with him – a truly majestic creature.”

Tamir captured the moment the Bald Eagle lifted off, a magnificent photo, and what a wonderful experience for Tamir. I must say, I'm a little jealous!

Thanks to Tamir for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Fog covers the Pacific Ocean today like whipped cream, which sends cool air our way. The antidote for the heat wave inland is to head for the coast!

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We've been waiting and waiting for the mouth of the Gualala River to close. Rick and I checked the river late yesterday and it was still open, though the spillway had narrowed. Later this morning we found it closed and the lagoon filling up. Here are some photos from today, taken from the Gualala Bluff Trail.

The very long, skinny spillway that flowed south, and then emptied west into the ocean, stayed open until today. This was an unusual configuration of the river mouth.

With the river "closed" to the ocean, the lagoon will fill up, like a bathtub. Kayaking will be stellar now!

Sunny and breezy here on the Mendonoma coast today!

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Peter Baye wrote, "“I have had in-channel flowing river sightings of Foothill Yellow-legged Frog egg masses, over 20 egg masses in one reach only a couple hundred feet long, and hatched larvae. The black tadpoles are as numerous as toads!"

"And Steelhead fry that definitely came from recent redds [nests.] Fly fisherman Charlie Ivor noted that the Steelhead are making their nests later than normal, adapting to the wintery spring flows.”

The Gualala River, designated a "scenic and wild river" by the State of California, is a wonder. The river has many challenges and many of us are involved in protecting it. You can learn more at Friends of Gualala River's website: http://gualalariver.org/

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

Oh my, it's spectacular on the coast today. The wind died down and the temps are up. Low tide in the mornings have brought in sightings of beautiful Sea Stars, giving me more photos to share with you in the days to come.

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These juvenile Brown Pelicans have a brown head and a white tummy. They were hatched to our south and are now migrating northward. Gail Jackson photographed the sight at Gualala Point Regional Park. Here is a group right alongside the Gualala River.

Western Gulls don't mind hanging out with the bigger birds.

And here Gail photographed a juvenile in flight, always a happy sighting.

Brown Pelicans have slow wingbeats, so they can be easier to photograph.

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

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Peter Baye was north, up at Big River, where he found several pairs of elusive Wood Ducks. He wrote, “I almost always hear Wood Ducks on the Gualala River without seeing anything more than their backends in flight. They are even more shy on the water than Pond Turtles, but these were in partial cover in the native Pond-lilies. They were wary but not alarmed, long enough for me to see their painted plumage. They look like fantasy waterfowl.”

Wood Ducks' calls are quite different. You can listen to them here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/sounds

Here's what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to say about these beautiful ducks: "The Wood Duck is one of the most stunningly pretty of all waterfowl. Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather; the elegant females have a distinctive profile and delicate white pattern around the eye. These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches."

Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

It's still windy today, but warmer...almost 70 degrees!