Tag Archives: Mike Petrich

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Mike Petrich was at Mill Bend recently. Mill Bend is the recently acquired land at the mouth of the Gualala river- thank you, Redwood Coast Land Conservancy! Mike found an Anna's Hummingbird perched on a branch after feeding on a red Bottlebrush plant.

After photographing the little hummer, Mike found a nest of America Robins close to the Gualala River. It looks like it's a very full house!

Mom or Dad must have been close as all those beaks are wide open..."feed me, feed me!" Looking closer at Mike's photo, I see one of the parents right behind the chicks!

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

This morning I drove to Point Arena to meet a friend for breakfast. It was drippy fog in PA. When I returned to Anchor Bay, the sun was out and it was 20 degrees warmer. ah, the micro climates of the Mendonoma Coast!

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Karen Wilkinson and Mike Petrich headed out to a tide pool with a UV flashlight at sunset during a recent low tide. They found a group of Sea Anemones shining with light. Karen wrote, “Things got weird on the edge of the Pacific last night! Scientists have found that the protein that helps Anemones light up also acts as a natural sunscreen. This protein allows Sea Anemones to protect their symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae, living in their tissues from harmful UV rays. The fluorescence we see may be a by-product of their natural sunscreen.”

I wondered if Karen and Mike had photographed bioluminescence but Bob Van Syoc wrote, “I’d call this fluorescence, which is a form of luminescence. The Anthopleura Anemones in Karen’s and Mike’s photos have absorbed light from their flashlight and are emitting a longer, lower energy wavelength of light that makes them ‘glow.’”

Aren't they beautiful? Thanks to Karen and Mike for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

The fog rolled in, as it is wont to do, and cooled things off quite a bit.

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Mike Petrich was at Black Point Beach on The Sea Ranch on Sunday. Bottlenose Dolphins had been spotted and a few people were called to photograph them. Keeping at least six feet from others, Mike got a very interesting photo with a surfer catching a wave, and three of these dolphins underneath him!

I wonder if the surfer saw the dolphins. What a fun photo!

Bottlenose Dolphins are expanding their territory northward, and we are seeing them more often. I think these dolphins were the original surfers, and they sure seem to enjoy surfing the waves.

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

Brisk, sunny with clouds, with rain coming in later tonight. We need it, we welcome it!

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Karen Wilkinson noticed this Bobcat hiding in the grasses near a trail at The Sea Ranch. She called Mike Petrich to come and take a look.

Mike photographed what I believe is a female Bobcat. Females are quite a bit smaller than males.

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

Our string of dry weather continues, much to our delight and much to our dismay. No rain yet in the month of February. No mushrooms to speak of with the dry conditions. I did see my first Western Trillums in bloom this morning!