Tag Archives: Sonoma County

• 2 Comments

•

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!

• 2 Comments

•

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/

•

Last week Rick and I, with our Golden Retriever Huckleberry on leash, headed for Gualala Point Regional Park. It's a gem of a park and I've written about it here before. This day we wanted to see what was going on at Gualala Point Island, an important rookery for Seabirds.

It was a beautiful day; the fog had pulled way offshore. We headed down the trail towards the west and then entered The Sea Ranch public trail and headed south. What a wonderful walk this is right along the bluffs. It's the perfect solution for whatever might be troubling you. I have posted here several photos from that day.

                                            Here is the trail we took at the park, heading west.

Walking along the bluffs of TSR

                                               Gualala Point Island with nesting Seabirds

•

On a trip down Highway One this week Rick and I passed a blaze of color in a snag on the west side. "Was that a...Peacock?" I asked Rick, doubting my own eyes. He turned the car around and there it was, shining like an iridescent ornament in the fog. We were just north of Stillwater Cove County Park, which is in Sonoma County.

It turns out that Stillwater Cove Ranch is nearby and, yes, they have Peacocks. Apparently one of them caught the wandering bug - at least for a day. Every drive down the coast brings a bit of wonder.

• 4 Comments

•

Frank Drouillard and Nan Brichetto were hiking in Sonoma County when they heard the racket. They looked up and saw two heads poked out of a hole of a tree. Nan usually gets the shot, but she handed the camera to Frank and he got the fantastic photo of an adult Pileated Woodpecker at the opening of the nest cavity with the two babies' heads awaiting food. Thanks much to Frank for sharing his photograph here with us.

Pileated Woodpeckers are our largest woodpeckers here on the Mendonoma Coast. They have a prehistoric look to them, don't you agree? Their territory is quite large - 200 acres or more. Their call is unique. Once heard it will never be forgotten.