After doing its summertime impersonation of a lake, the Pacific Ocean has come to life. Waves have begun crashing onto bluffs, sand and rocks. Richard Kuehn's home overlooks Gualala Point Island. He recently took these photos.
You can see we are having beautiful clear weather, albeit windy. This is a great time to be on the Mendonoma Coast.
Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Pine Siskins are named for their love of seeds of Pine trees. They also are attracted to thistle feeders. Richard Kuehn recently photographed one near his home on The Sea Ranch coming for some water.
Pine Siskins are slightly smaller than American Goldfinches. They are year round residents of the Coast.
I love seeing these little birds at my thistle feeder. They seem to get along well with the Goldfinches that also feed there. And one enterprising Acorn Woodpecker has discovered the feeder as well, to the displeasure of the Siskins and Goldfinches.
To hear their call, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/pine_siskin/sounds
Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photo. To see a photo of a Pine Siskin that landed on George Anderson's finger, here is the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/11/09/a-pine-siskin-lands-on-george-andersons-finger/
Richard Kuehn recently photographed the white fawn with its normal colored sibling. Despite its lack of camouflage, it has survived and grown bigger. You can see it is coloring up just a bit.
The fawn can often be seen by the 8th and 9th holes of The Sea Ranch Golf Links. It does look like a magical being.
Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
I rarely see these birds because they are hidden away in a tall tree, so you might ask why it is one of my favorites. The answer is its beautiful song. Swainson's are a medium-size thrush and they are found in forests. Richard Kuehn was lucky enough to capture one singing recently.
Swainson's Thrushes overwinter in Mexico and South America. Their arrival on the Mendonoma Coast signifies spring to me. When they pair up, you can hear them calling to each other during the day, keeping in touch with their beautiful song.
Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to hear their call: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swainsons_Thrush/sounds. But you will have to imagine a series of these calls, with the thrill going upwards on the scale, sometimes almost too high to hear - at least by human ear.
Thanks to Rich for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see a Swainson's Thrush nest, along with an American Goldfinch nest, here is the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/07/26/swainsons-thrush-and-american-goldfinch-i-have-two-nests-to-show-you/
So tiny, so exquisite and so well camouflaged, it's a miracle to even spot one. And to find it occupied is even better. Siegfried Matull found an Anna's Hummingbird nest with two eggs in it.
Below the mother Anna's is sitting on her nest. She builds it with lichen, bark and spider webs.
And below are the two babies. Siegfried tells me that the spiders webs used in construction of the nest, allows the nest to expand with the growth of the babies.
Richard Kuehn, The Birdman of The Sea Ranch, tells me, "The male mates with the female but afterwards she does it ALL - builds the nest, lays the eggs, incubates and then feed the young till they've fledged."
What wondrous photos that Siegfried has allowed me to share with you here. Thanks to Siegfried!