Tag Archives: Pacific Ocean

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Rozann Grunig captured this dramatic photo of a Great Blue Heron perched on a rock during the wild surf. Storms to our north can cause high surf on the Mendonoma Coast in November.  The heron sure looks like it is hunkered down!

To see a lovely photo by Marianne Rittenhouse of a Great Blue Heron at the moment it takes wing, and to learn more about Great Blue Herons, click on this link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/09/30/great-blue-heron-photographed-just-as-it-takes-flight-a-lovely-photograph-by-marianne-rittenhouse/

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On Saturday we again sauntered down the beautiful Gualala Bluff Trail. Yes, it was foggy but we could see under it. It looks like it will take more rain to open the river. Stay tuned!

In the foreground of this photo is the river, then the sand bar with Gulls flying overhead. Beyond is the Pacific Ocean. You can see some fanciful structures made out of driftwood on the beach at Gualala Regional Park.

As we walked on the GBT we heard flapping and splashing. Gulls were bathing in the Gualala River. At the top of the photo you can see where the river has expanded into the floodplains.

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I thought this Saturday would be the first day of Boletus edulis, or King Boletes, but I just received this photo by Rozann Grunig of a beauty found this morning in Sonoma County. It's almost as big as the pineapple. Game on for bolete season!

We spent some time watching the beautiful Gualala River yesterday and again today. It is still closed to the Pacific Ocean but it could open any time. The river will break through the sandbar soon and I would dearly love to be there when it happens. I'm told the sound is amazing. Juvenile Steelhead are in the river's lagoon, waiting to go on their next journey. You can see the ocean waves washing over the sandbar in the photos below.

There are lots of wonderful things going on here on the Mendonoma Coast this week! My best to you, Jeanne Jackson

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On a walk along the Gualala River last Saturday with friends, we can across a rare wildflower blooming in the forest. It is the Fringed Corn Lily, Veratrum fimbriatum. It is only found in Sonoma and Mendocino counties so it is a treat to see. You will see in the photo that the lovely flower attracted a lot of interest from photographer Nan Brichetto and Karen Tracy!

The leaves are quite handsome but are long gone in the autumn. Here's a link to see what the leaves looked like in spring. http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/04/08/fringed-corn-lily-leaves-a-rare-mendonoma-plant/
We had a lot of rain from yesterday's storm, three inches recorded at our house. I don't think it will be long before the Gualala River opens to the Pacific Ocean. Stay tuned!

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With the recent rains, the Gualala River is full. Since the river is still closed to the Pacific Ocean, the lagoon has expanded into the floodplains. It's a lovely sight to see. On a walk yesterday I took several photos of this wild river. When we receive enough rain, the river will break through the sandbar. And waiting for the river to open are Steelhead!

To see an albino Steelhead spotted in the Gualala River in July, click on this link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/07/14/albino-steelhead-found-in-the-gualala-river/

And to learn more about this beautiful river, the web site of Friends of the Gualala River has it all. http://www.gualalariver.org/