Tag Archives: Gualala River

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Jill Larsen was kayaking on the Gualala River. She wrote, "We saw this sunbathing turtle on the wonderfully full Gualala River while kayaking Memorial Day weekend.”

What Jill saw was a Western Pond Turtle, a shy resident of the river. You have to be quiet to have a sighting of one of these native turtles, otherwise your sighting will consist of ripples in the river, showing where the turtle dove.

Thanks to Jill for allowing me to share her photo with you here. We are having a foggy, cool day on the Mendonoma Coast today.

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Eric Zetterholm spotted one of the two Bald Eagles who have been seen for months at the mouth of the Gualala River.

We didn't see any sign of nest building from the mated pair. Maybe next year. They certainly "practiced" mating a lot this spring!

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

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Harbor Seal pups are being born on secluded beaches. While the mothers are busy with their sweet pups, it looks like the males were hanging out together at Gualala Point Regional Park.

Mark Hancock wrote, “Laverne and I went for a hike, hoping to see the Bald eagles – we didn’t, Gray Whales – we did, and walk the beach to the river mouth.

“We were delighted to see 40 Harbor Seals hauled out on the north end of the river mouth, or in the river itself, so we laid out our picnic on the south bank and watched the seals. One of the bigger ones was unhappy that ‘his’ spot was occupied, and he chased the occupant away and into the river.

“We were particularly amused by how the Harbor Seals raised their head and tails when the waves came over the top of the beach and flowed down through where they were laid out.”

Here's two favorite photos of Harbor Seals, both taken by Robert Scarola a few years ago. The first shows a seal managing not to get swept off the rock by the surf. The second shows what bliss it is to be on the Mendonoma coast!

Thanks to Mark and Robert for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Fuller Creek is part of the Gualala River and it's found on Fuller Mountain near Annapolis. Peter Baye photographed it after six inches of rain fell in one day last week.

Peter said it was a roaring whitewater, cascading down about 150 feet down to the main fork of the creek. Peter wrote, "I've never seen or heard it right after a heavy rain like this. It's like a little bit of the Sierras on the Gualala. This photo was taken just at the top where the sun was still on it at 5 pm."

One more small storm predicted for tomorrow, and then a stretch of sunny days and starry nights.

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

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Chris Beach photographed the action at the mouth of the Gualala River recently. A small group of Harbor Seals had a big Steelhead. One of the two mated Bald Eagles seen at the river tried to steal it away.

The Bald Eagle was not successful...this time!

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