Peter Baye noticed a group of Steelhead in the Gualala River. One of them was nearly white - a leucistic Steelhead.
That's not something you see every day! Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Tag Archives: Gualala River
Tiny Western Toads were everywhere!
Peggy Berryhill and Susan Ruschmeyer attended the Gualala River event a few weeks ago. They saw thousands of tiny toads, which turned out to be Western Toads. There are four in the first photo - can you spot them?
In the second photo Susan has one of the little toads in her hand. They hatched early this year.
Thanks to Peggy for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Seeing a Western Pond Turtle is a real treat!
Western Pond Turtles can occasionally be seen along the Gualala River. They are quite shy so often the only sighting is the ring of circles where the turtle just disappeared in the water. Will Ericson recently saw and photographed one.
These turtles are only found on the West Coast of the United States and Mexico, from Washington State to northern Baja California. They eat a wide variety of food, including plants, insects, and fish.
Thanks to Will for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
The emblem of the United States is the Bald Eagle.
Today in America we celebrate Independence Day. As the Bald Eagle was chosen in 1782 as the emblem of our country, I thought the 4th of July would be a perfect time to show you a few photos of mature Bald Eagles. Here is a recent photo taken by Kris Rose near Stewart's Point.
And here is a photo taken last year of a Bald Eagle that perched on a snag in the Gualala River. It was taken by Phil Wendt.
Here is what www.baldeagle info.com says about why the Bald Eagle was picked to represent America:
"The bald eagle was chosen June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States of American, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent. The eagle represents freedom. Living as he does on the tops of lofty mountains, amid the solitary grandeur of Nature, he has unlimited freedom, whether with strong pinions he sweeps into the valleys below, or upward into the boundless spaces beyond."
Happy 4th of July! Thanks to Kris and Phil for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see more of Phil's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.philwendt.org/
Northern River Otters can be seen in the ocean, in rivers and creeks, and on land.
Michael Reinhart was watching an Osprey eating a fish when he was startled to see this River Otter climbing up the bluff.
River Otters are fascinating creatures. A family of otters lives in the lagoon of the Gualala River. Below is a photo by Gary Hopkins of a River Otter and a Western Gull facing off. That gull should have been worried, as River Otters will take a gull for their dinner.
Thanks to Michael and Gary for allowing me to share their photos with you here.