Tag Archives: Steve Coffey-Smith

•

I had heard there was a seasonal waterfall at our new public access spot, Pelican Bluffs. Steve Coffey-Smith photographed it several weeks ago.

I know, it's not the most dramatic waterfall, but still it's nice to know one is there. Wildflowers are abundant at Pelican Bluff and this is a great time to explore this beautiful place.

Thanks to Steve for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To learn more about Pelican Bluffs, here's the website for the Mendocino Land Trust, the wonderful people who made this acquisition happen: https://www.mendocinolandtrust.org/trails/southern-coastal-trails/pelican-bluffs-trail/

You can download a map from their website. And here it is for you to see:

•

Steve Coffey-Smith was watching the fun from the Gualala Bluff Trail recently. Brown pelicans were coming in for a landing. So graceful in the air, they can be downright clumsy as they land, webbed feet stretched out. You will be hard pressed not to laugh.

Version 2Here's one of my favorite pelican photos. Craig Tooley photographed a Brown pelican about to land. Was it a smooth landing or did this pelican do a pratfall? Only Craig knows. This photo appears in our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year, in the November chapter.brown-pelican-pelecanus-occidentalis-coming-in-for-a-landing-nov-by-craig-tooleyah, we love the wonderful Brown pelicans. They were on the Endangered Species List because of the pesticide DDT. It made their eggshells so thin that the shells broke when the mother sat on them. With the banning of DDT in the 1960's, these birds have recovered, so much so that they are no longer listed on the ESL.

Thanks to Steve and Craig 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

 

•

River Otters live in and by Mendonoma rivers and creeks. Steve Coffey-Smith recently spotted three River Otters in the ocean.

River Otters by Steve Coffey-Smith

One place you might see River Otters is near the lagoon of the Gualala River. They cannot abide pollution so the fact that they are here is a good indication of the health of our waterways.

Though they look cute, they are feisty creatures. The female raises her pups; the male is only around for mating. One of my favorite photos was taken by Nan Brichetto of a River Otter sleeping on a beach.

River Otter sleeping in the sun by Nan Brichetto (Large)

Thanks to Steve and Nan for allowing me to share their photos with  you here.