Great Egrets are year-round residents of the coast and can often be seen alongside the Gualala River. Rozann Grunig spotted one recently resting on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Here is a fun photo taken by Siegfried Matull some years ago of a Great Egret standing next to a Brown Pelican.
Thanks to Rozann and Siegfried for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Chris Beach got this wonderful photo of the juvenile Tundra Swan as it flapped its wings in the Gualala River.
The swan hasn't been seen for a few days, so perhaps he/she has moved on. Mel Smith told me he saw the swan flying northward late last week.
We've had visits from mature Bald Eagles recently. I'll be posting about them soon.
Thanks to Chris for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Tom Eckles was at Gualala Point Regional Park when he saw this beautiful scene.
We had high surf warnings, bringing big waves. The island in the middle is Gualala Point Island, an important rookery for seabirds.
The surf was high enough to flow over the sandbar and into the Gualala River. That, combined with last week's rain, has really filled up the lagoon. Kayaking this weekend could be epic! Our local kayak company is Adventure Rents. http://www.adventurerents.com/
Thanks to Tom for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Tom's photography, you can view them here: https://www.flickr.com/people/eckles/
It's very rare indeed to see a Tundra Swan in early autumn, but one arrived last Monday and has been seen at the Gualala River since then. Mel Smith reported he saw the swan today, paddling in the river.
Bob Rutemoeller was the first to spot the Tundra Swan while he was volunteering at the Gualala Bluff Trail on Monday. The Swan was preening itself while standing on the riverbank.
Rick Denniston spotted the swan too, this time swimming in the river.
I have never had a sighting before of a Tundra Swan in the Gualala River. We always hope to see these beautiful white swans in the winter when they migrate down to the Garcia River floodplain.
Here is a collage Anne Mary Schaefer took of two Tundra Swans flying by. Just look at those long necks!
And here is a photo Martin Steinpress took on 12/31/15 of three adult Tundra Swans swimming with Mallards in a creek north of Point Arena.
I hope we see more of these swans in the months to come. So far the juvenile swan seems happy to be at the Gualala River. Being at the Gualala River makes me happy too!
Thanks to Bob, Rick, Anne Mary and Martin for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Weather report! We had .66 inches of rain overnight at our house. The air is clear and smells so sweet, just the way we like it. Thank you, Mother Nature, for the healing rains.
Craig Tooley was out photographing dragonflies when he came across a tiny toad, only the size of a quarter. It's a Western Toad.
Peggy Berryhill was alongside the Gualala River one summer day when she spotted hundreds of juvenile Western Toads. You can see how tiny they were by the one in her hand.
The second photo shows four tiny toads, looking like pebbles in the river. I show this photo to children as one of many reasons why people should never drive in a river or along its banks. You'd never spot these little guys.
Thanks to Craig and Peggy for allowing me to share their photos with you here.