Tag Archives: Gualala River

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Besides the juvenile Bald Eagle, which I showed you last week, two adult Bald Eagles have been seen near the mouth of the Gualala River. Ken Bailey photographed one of them in flight last Thursday.

adult-bald-eagle-by-ken-baileyWhat a thrill it is to see this majestic eagle! We hope a mated pair will decide to build a nest in the watershed of the Gualala River.

Thanks to Ken for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Ken's photography, including his wonderful underwater photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.seadreams.org/

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With our delicious early rains, the Gualala River opened on October 26th this year. Yes, the big sandbar that had closed the river off to the Pacific Ocean was finally breached. Eric and Annie Mills watched as it opened. But this year, for a while, it opened in two places, a very unusual occurrence.

First, let me show you what the river looked like just before it opened, as photographed by Bob Rutemoeller. It was full and flooding into its floodplain.

before-the-gualala-river-opened-by-bob-rutemoellerEric noticed the river breach the sandbar at the north end, just a tiny rivulet.

gualala-river-beginning-to-open-by-eric-millsAnd then it opened a little to the south, a much bigger opening.

gualala-river-breaks-through-a-little-south-of-the-north-end-by-eric-millsWithin a few minutes the pent up river was pouring out to the ocean. Steelhead that had been trapped in luxury in the river were sent into their briny destiny. Snags and branches shot out the opening. It was quite a spectacle.

gualala-river-opening-to-the-pacific-ocean-by-eric-millsThis year the river opened on a sunny day, another unusual occurrence! It's usually raining when it opens.

Here's the after photo, taken by Bob Rutemoeller.

after-the-gualala-river-opened-by-bob-rutemoellerWe've had more rain, so the river isn't this low now.

Thanks to Eric and Bob for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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Rick and I were sitting outside at Trinks restaurant in Gualala yesterday when a friend saw a Bald Eagle in a snag at the north end of the Gualala River. I had my camera in the car and got this photo using my super zoom.

immature-bald-eagle-by-jeanne-jacksonDiane Hichwa said this big eagle is probably in its fourth plumage before it reaches its adult plumage at age four. To see a mature Bald Eagle, here is a photo taken by Eddie Mikus a few years ago.

bald-eagle-by-eddie-mikusBald Eagle sightings are tantalizing us with the possibility that someday soon we might have a nesting pair in the watershed of the Gualala River.

Thanks to Eddie for allowing me to share the mature Bald Eagle photo.

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I took this photo of the Gualala River from the Gualala Bluff Trail just before the rains came. You can see it was very low and the sandbar is huge.

the-gualala-before-the-storms-10-13-16Bob Rutemoeller photographed the river after the rain, an amazing difference. The Gualala River has been closed to the Pacific Ocean by a huge sandbar for months. With enough rain, the river will burst through the sandbar, but that will have to wait for another day as the river is still closed.

the-gualala-river-after-the-rain-by-bob-rutemoellerFor now, we have sunny, warm weather. This would be a perfect time to kayak or canoe on the Gualala. But once another storm brings rain, you won't want to be anywhere near or on the river. It's an amazing spectacle. Here is a short video taken by Dane Behrens a few years ago when the river opened. It's titled "Standing Waves." Tree trunks, steelhead, pretty much anything in the river gets thrust into the ocean at an extremely rapid speed. Fun fact: when the river is closed by the sandbar, the mouth is called a lagoon. When it's open, it's called an estuary.

Thanks to Bob and Dave for allowing me to share their photo and video with you here.

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Steve Coffey-Smith was watching the fun from the Gualala Bluff Trail recently. Brown pelicans were coming in for a landing. So graceful in the air, they can be downright clumsy as they land, webbed feet stretched out. You will be hard pressed not to laugh.

Version 2Here's one of my favorite pelican photos. Craig Tooley photographed a Brown pelican about to land. Was it a smooth landing or did this pelican do a pratfall? Only Craig knows. This photo appears in our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year, in the November chapter.brown-pelican-pelecanus-occidentalis-coming-in-for-a-landing-nov-by-craig-tooleyah, we love the wonderful Brown pelicans. They were on the Endangered Species List because of the pesticide DDT. It made their eggshells so thin that the shells broke when the mother sat on them. With the banning of DDT in the 1960's, these birds have recovered, so much so that they are no longer listed on the ESL.

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