Tag Archives: Point Arena – Stornetta Lands

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Bill and Carol Frizzell discovered a Gray Fox looking up at them from a sinkhole. Bill wrote, “Carol and I were hiking along the Point Arena Headlands on Sunday, July 19, and she spotted a Gray Fox that is trapped in a 10 to 15 feet deep sinkhole east of the Lighthouse on the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands. We went back the next day and the fox was still in the hole. It appeared healthy and alert.”

Gray Foxes are excellent climbers so it’s possible the fox wasn’t trapped. It might have been a mother fox with a den. Virginia O’Roarke, Senior Environmental Scientist for the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, took a look at Bill’s photos. She wrote, “Let me know if you see the fox is still in the sinkhole and starts to look skinny or sick, as I will reach out to our local wildlife rehabilitators to assist if needed. If the fox is actually trapped, placing a large, down branch into the sinkhole would be a great solution. The fox will climb out on its own.”

Virginia cautioned not to feed the fox or to encourage it out as that could be detrimental to the fox and possibly cause harm. She wrote further, “If you need at number to call in the future for such issues, you can contact CALTIP at 1-888-334-2258 or text a message to 847-411. CDFW also maintains a reporting website at https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir.

The good news is the Gray Fox was gone when the Frissells went back to check.

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

Foggy mornings followed by sunshine in the afternoons - that's the prescription for August, or as some call it on the Mendonoma Coast, Fogust.

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To keep your mind off the news, here are three beautiful birds photographed recently by Sara Bogard at the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands bluffs. First, a Western Bluebird.

Then a Western Meadowlark perched on a post for Sara.

And finally this handsome Surf Scoter.

So, if you are troubled by today's events, think of these birds who are thriving.

Thanks to Sara for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Fog blankets the ocean, but Gualala was sunny today. Changes to come!

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Michelle Rossich was celebrating her birthday by taking a walk on the Lands. This beautiful Great Blue Heron took flight quite close to her, a real gift.

Michelle found more gifts in the tide pools. First a beautiful Sea Anemone.

And a healthy Ochre Sea Star.

Birthday gifts courtesy of Mother Nature!

Thanks to Michelle for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Sunny, breezy, so-not-winter, here today. Perhaps some rain by the weekend...we hope!

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Sara Bogard was at the bluffs of the Point Arena Lighthouse and the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands counting Harbor Seals, as she usually does once a week. Citizen science at it's best! She saw this American Kestrel.

These Kestrels are the smallest falcons in North America. They are fierce hunters, though, of insects and small prey. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says their numbers are declining and you can help them by putting up a nesting box. You can learn about how to do so at this link: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/?__hstc=75100365.3ba4c962035e2b46bef5a13526048f2b.1532470093277.1578698034623.1579993283940.72&__hssc=75100365.2.1579993283940&__hsfp=942012614#_ga=2.46727719.1805588219.1579993283-500012005.1532470093

American Kestrels have a distinctive call that can help you identify them. You can listen at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Kestrel/sounds

Thanks to Sara for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Bonus sighting - a pod of Orcas, Killer Whales, was seen off our coast yesterday!

As I type this at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon, it has begun to pour!

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Scott and Tree Mercer, of the Mendonoma Whale and Seal Study, sit out on the bluffs near the Point Arena Lighthouse most days, looking for Gray Whales and other marine life. The beginning of the southward bound Gray Whale migration was late this year, which caused concern. But yesterday, and again today, Gray Whales are passing by in big numbers. Yesterday the Mercers spotted 63 Grays Whales, and today by 2:00 p.m. they have seen 42. Here's an aerial photo of three migrating Gray Whales taken by Craig Tooley several years ago.

Here's a panoramic view of the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands taken by Peggy Berryhill. It's a great place to whale watch!

Thanks to Craig and Peggy for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

You can follow the Mercer's daily posts on their Facebook page, which is: https://www.facebook.com/Mendonoma-Whale-and-Seal-Study-1421926098039236/

Quite cloudy today, temps in the low 50s. Rain coming late tomorrow.