Eric Zetterholm took this photo at the Gualala River. I wonder what the two Bald Eagles are thinking! They have interesting looks on their faces.
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Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Another sunny, windless day on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast. There was a green flash at sunset last night and there could be another tonight!
Ron Bolander was down at the Gualala River when he saw this beautiful Great Blue Heron. He got the magic moment when the heron was about to lift off. And the photo Eric Zetterholm took of the heron looking right at him makes me laugh.
Great Blue Herons are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast.
Thanks to Ron and Eric for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
ah, the sunshine today feels so good after all the rain. We got another 0.69 inches yesterday, Monday, for a total of 21.95 season to date. Today the clouds slipped south and sunshine ruled the day.
It's no surprise the Gualala River would be flowing quickly into the Pacific Ocean. We've had a ton (almost) of rain this past week. Thursday morning found the mouth open and a very muddy river. Karen Wilkinson photographed the sight.
A big sandbar "closes" the river to the ocean when the spring rains are done. Any Steelhead in the river are trapped in luxury! When the autumn or winter rains have fallen, the lagoon fills up like a bathtub with a plug. The river floods into its floodplain. With enough rain, and perhaps help from the tides, the river bursts through the sandbar. The Steelhead will be propelled out to their next life phase, which is in the ocean. Steelhead waiting to return to the river to spawn can now do so.
Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
It rained pretty steady for most of today, Monday. Rain total since last Wednesday is a hefty 17.71 inches. Yikes!
Catherine Miller and Jill Nussinow went out looking for one of the most delicious edible mushrooms a few days ago, and they found some beauties! Boletus edulis, aka Porcini, have made their most welcome appearance. See the joy on Catherine's face!
Catherine told me there were no bugs in these boletes. Lots of critters enjoy munching on these particular mushrooms, including many of us.
Thanks to Jill for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Jill is also known as the Veggie Queen. You can learn more about her, and her plant based meals, on her website: https://www.theveggiequeen.com/
It is lightly raining today. Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be clear. Then the rains are predicted to be heavy on Wednesday and continue through the weekend. We'll be on watch to see which day the Gualala River breaches the big sandbar, always a dramatic event. And seasonal creeks are sure to come to life, as their year-round ponds have been filling from previous rain events. They are primed, just like the river! Here's a photo I took on Friday of the Gualala River.
Craig Tooley noticed this handsome Double-crested Cormorant perched at the Gualala River. The bird then took flight and Craig got that photo too.
From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: "From a distance, Double-crested Cormorants are dark birds with snaky necks, but up-close they’re quite colorful—with orange-yellow skin on their face and throat, striking aquamarine eyes that sparkle like jewels, and a mouth that is bright blue on the inside." I like the "etching" on their feathers!
To hear the call of a Double-crested Cormorant, you can listen at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/sounds Fair warning! Their infrequent calls sound rather like a pig!
Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com
We had some puffy clouds moving in from the west, making for a beautiful morning. Temps are again mild today and there is no wind. A very nice day!