Here's a photo Mary Sue Ittner took of Lupine, Goldfields, Lasthenia californica, and Johnny Tuck, Triphysaria eriantha, all native wildflowers.
Peter Baye found Hoffman's Jewelflower, Streptanthus glandulosus.
And Blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia sparsiflora,
Many, many more species are blooming now, a feast for the eyes.
Thanks to Mary Sue and Peter for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Beautiful sunny, breezy, warm weather today!
Peter Baye was north, up at Big River, where he found several pairs of elusive Wood Ducks. He wrote, “I almost always hear Wood Ducks on the Gualala River without seeing anything more than their backends in flight. They are even more shy on the water than Pond Turtles, but these were in partial cover in the native Pond-lilies. They were wary but not alarmed, long enough for me to see their painted plumage. They look like fantasy waterfowl.”
Wood Ducks' calls are quite different. You can listen to them here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/sounds
Here's what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to say about these beautiful ducks: "The Wood Duck is one of the most stunningly pretty of all waterfowl. Males are iridescent chestnut and green, with ornate patterns on nearly every feather; the elegant females have a distinctive profile and delicate white pattern around the eye. These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches."
Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
It's still windy today, but warmer...almost 70 degrees!
Peter Baye came across this little Ten-tentacled Sea Anemone at low tide recently.
Sea Anemones come in varying colors and sizes. Here is a group of Aggregating Sea Anemones, photo taken by Grace O'Malley.
And a beautiful Blue Sea Anemone photographed by Sondra Hunter.
Sea Anemones are named after the flower, anemone, because of their beautiful colors.
Thanks to Peter, Grace, and Sondra for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Chilly weather on the Mendonoma coast today, with sunshine followed by brief downpours. It's quite lovely with clouds scudding across the sky.
Peter Baye went tide pooling during the last big minus tides. He was surprised to see such big and healthy-looking Abalones!
Peter wrote, “I don’t want to publicly identify the exact location, but I saw more large Abalone today in one area exposed at a foot minus tide. I counted 285 Abalone in the half hour before it got dark!"
Good news, we hope, for the health of the abalone off our coast. Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
This Bobcat was actually seen in Marin county, but I wanted to share it here because we don't often get looks at juvenile Bobcats.
You can see this young Bobcat is a successful hunter, as he/she has a vole for its dinner. Peter said the Bobcat didn't seem to be wary of him.
Fun Fact: Every Bobcat coat is unique, just like our fingerprints.
Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his photos with you here.