Tag Archives: Gualala River

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Eric Zetterholm noticed this River Otter fishing in the very full and muddy Gualala River.

There is a family of River Otters that lives in and alongside the estuary of the Gualala River. The family is comprised of a mother otter and her offspring. The male otter does his part impregnating the female but then he leaves. Deadbeat dad! River Otters can't tolerate pollution, so their presence is a testament to the clean waters of the Mendonoma coast.

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

We are having breezy, sunny weather today, without a cloud to be seen.

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Craig Tooley was out between storms, photographing streams filled with abundant water, a wonderful sight after several years of subpar rain.

Here is a tributary of the Gualala River. I love the mossy rocks.

The ground is so saturated, it squishes when you walk on it. And now we have a chance to dry out. This coming weekend should be stellar here on the Mendonoma coast!

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

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Eric Zetterholm often spots the mated pair of Bald Eagles that have made the Gualala River area their home. They have been seen mating just a few days ago. The male is in the foreground.

Eric found one of the Bald Eagles had snagged a Steelhead from the Gualala River. A group of Common Ravens tried their best to get the fish from the male, even pulling on the big eagle's tail feathers!

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

We saw the sun today after three days of pounding rain, and it seemed like everyone was smiling in downtown Gualala. We received 9.85 inches of rain from the river-of-rain event - one of the wettest storms we've ever experienced here. Our rain total season-to-date is 47.10 inches. A normal year for us is 50 inches, so we are in great shape this year.

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Julie Bower photographed the Gualala River on Tuesday and again this morning. After the river-of-rain deluges on Monday and Tuesday, the river full to the brim. By Wednesday morning the river was flowing completely over much of the sandbar.

So far, so good when it comes to this river. Other rivers, especially the Russian River, are flooding badly today. We received 9.60 inches from this rain event, bringing us to 47 inches season to date.

Thanks to Julie for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Many roads are either flooded or blocked by landslides. With the Garcia River flooding Highway One north of Point Arena, and other roads south of Point Arena closed, we are effectively blocked on the coast today. If you are thinking of coming here, best to wait a few days.

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Rick and I ventured out into the storm to take a look at the Gualala River. We received 4.55 inches of rain yesterday, and the watershed received much more. Here's what it looked like around noon today.

The Gualala River Bridge has never flooded, according to local expert Steve McLaughlin. Steve said in the early 1980's it came within a few feet of the bridge deck, but it didn't flood. It's not expected to flood during this storm either. But here's a look at it - I took these photosfrom the bend in the road at Gualala Point Regional Park.

Highway 1 is closed north of Point Arena due to flooding of the Garcia River. You can get reports on this closure at this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/236967076730512/

As this morning, we have received 42 inches of the wet stuff - rain! - season to date. No drought here, not this year. Hooray!