We have had 6.56 inches of rain since the storm started last night. Lots of flooding, trees down and power outages. How fun is that? Tomorrow may bring us beautiful rainbows, such as this one taken a few weeks ago by Paul Brewer
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Paul Brewer has a front row seat to watch for marine life from his home in Gualala. He recently saw a lone Gray Whale and got this photo.
It looks like Paul has photographed a juvenile Gray Whale. It doesn't seem to have many barnacles and its head is rather stubby. We have a small group of juveniles staying along the coast of Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
Another time Paul capture these two tails of Gray Whales.
This photo makes us wonder if Paul photographed one of the first mother/calf pairs, but we don't know for sure. It's always exciting to see the mother/calf pairs arrive up here. And we should see the first ones pretty soon!
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. Another photo of the first Gray Whale will appear in this week's Independent Coast Observer. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
Another x-rated sighting for you. First I showed you mating Bald Eagles. Today, thanks to Paul Brewer, I can show you amorous male Gray Whales. According to whale expert, Scott Mercer, this isn't the time of year for female Gray Whales to mate. They prefer mating earlier in the year in the warm lagoons off Baja. But sometimes the males have other ideas. Here are some photos of a recent encounter just off Gualala - tails, bodies rolling, and a head next another whale are seen in these first three photos.
And here's proof of the male's intent. His male sexual organ has been dubbed the "Pink Floyd."
Unfortunately for the males, the females just want to get away and continue on their northward migration.
Speaking of the migration, this past weekend and Monday many Gray Whales were seen. Conditions were perfect for spotting their blows. It seems like we hit peak migration, which is normal for this time of year. The mother/calf pairs won't be seen off the Mendonoma coast for a couple of weeks yet.
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
There have been numerous sightings of this bull Elk, most often seen near the town of Elk, appropriately enough. Paul Brewer recently spotted him south of Elk. Here the Elk is resting amidst some domestic cows.
I sure hope he doesn't think these domestic cows are his harem!
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
Kathy Bishop caught a Great Blue Heron with its mouth wide open. Who knew this is what a GBH's mouth looked like?!
Great Blue Herons are year round residents of the Mendonoma coast. They can be seen hunting rodents on grassy meadows, and standing in calm water, looking for a tasty fish.
Here's a fun photo of a GBH coming in for a landing, taken by Robert Scarola.
They are quite beautiful when they lift off, as you will see in this wonderful photo by Paul Brewer.
Thanks to Kathy, Robert and Paul for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see more of Paul's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/