Tag Archives: Michael Beattie

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Let's face it, 2021 was a tough year for us humans. But the beauty of Mother Earth continued unabated. Carl Shapiro photographed this rainbow last Monday, from The Sea Ranch. Such beauty!

Look how green and lush the coast looks after all the wonderful rain we've had!

Michael Beattie also photographed a magnificent rainbow, this one appeared near Point Arena about ten days ago.

Thanks to Carl and Michael for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Breezy and very chilly on the Mendonoma Coast today. Several dozen Gray Whales were spotted yesterday, Thursday, headed south. Looks like the southward migration has begun in earnest. Many thousand of Grays still to swim by, headed for the birthing lagoons off Baja California. You can see some photos of the whales seen yesterday on Shari Goforth-Eby's blog at this link: https://mendonomagraywhale.com/migraytions-blog-home/f/the-southbound-migration-is-in-full-swing

Happy New Year! May 2022 be a better year for us all.

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Michael Beattie photographed one of three Gray Fox kits under the deck of the Pacific Community Charter School in Point Arena.

The kits love to play and wrestle with each other. Having a family under a deck or woodshed is guaranteed to give  you many hours of fun watching their antics.

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

Sunny and breezy seems to be the name of the weather game these days. The sunrise this morning was spectacular but very fleeting. If someone got a photo of it, I hope to share it here.

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I don't know how he finds such a wonderful sighting, but Michael Beattie once again photographs a beautiful scene. Here is a nest with the mother Great Horned Owl and her two chicks, seen north of Point Arena.

Great Horned Owls are powerful predators. They are able to take down birds and mammals bigger than themselves! But they  usually hunt for rodents. This is the owl that hoots. You can hear their call at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/sounds

Thanks to Michael for allowing me to share his photo with you here. You can see much more of Michael's photography at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Michael-Beattie-Photography-1856278251324808/

Sunny, breezy, simply beautiful here today.

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The Peregrine Falcon nest that Michael Beattie observes has three growing chicks in it. Here's a look at the chicks, taken earlier this month. You can see they are getting dark feathers now.

Here one of the parents has delivered dinner and is flying off for more.

For comparison, here is what they looked like in late May. Quite a difference!

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

The Mendonoma coast has so many micro climates. At the ocean today, it's foggy. Up on the ridge, it's sunny. Take your pick!

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This year there are two nests in southern Mendocino county that I know of. Each has three white puffballs, chicks, in the nests. Michael Beattie watches one of the nests with his long lens. Here the mother has fed her chicks and is flying away to hunt for her family.

It will be fun to watch the chicks mature. That opening in the rocks looks to be a safe place for the Peregrines.

Fun Fact: A Peregrine can reach speeds of up to 200 mph when diving down on its prey, which are medium-sized birds. To hear the "kak, kak, kak" call of a Peregrine, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/sounds

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

The heavy, wet fog of this morning has lifted, bringing us sunshine this afternoon.