Tag Archives: taking flight

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Perry Hoffman got this wonderful photo of a Red-tailed Hawk near the P'da Hau, aka the Garcia River. It looks like the hawk was just taking off. It's amazing to see the strength - and beauty -  in this hawk's wings.

Red-tailed Hawks are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast.

To  hear their distinctive, screaming call, you can listen here at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/sounds

I read on the site that they give this call most often while soaring.

Thanks to Perry for allowing me to share his photo with  you here. To see much more of Perry's photography, here is the link to his website: https://magentaraven.com/

We had another very hot day here. The heatwave is suppose to break tomorrow. My sister, who lives in Point Arena on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific, said it was much cooler there today. The temperature actually hit 97 degrees here today. Good news is that rain is in the forecast for late Friday into Saturday. Bring it, Mother Nature!

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Craig Tooley has been out in Nature, training his camera on a beautiful male Northern Flicker.

Northern Flickers are woodpeckers. They are often seen on the ground as they eat ants and beetles. They use their beaks to dig the insects up. Craig's photos shows the orange-red color on the flicker's wings. If you were in the eastern part of the US, the flicker's wings would show yellow. So the flickers here are Red-shafted Northern Flickers. The red feathers on this flicker's face show us he is a male.

To hear the calls of these woodpeckers, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/sounds

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

It's beautiful here on the Mendonoma Coast today. Sunny, mild with a gentle breeze - nice!

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Red-shouldered Hawks are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast, and it's always a treat to see and hear one. Craig Tooley recently photographed one of these beautiful hawks at the moment it took flight near the Gualala River.

Heidi Horvitz photographed a Red-shouldered Hawk that makes its home in the Timber Cove area. She said this hawk is very vocal!

To hear the calls of a Red-shouldered Hawk, here is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/sounds

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

We received 1.2 inches of rain overnight Friday, a nice soaking. Today, Sunday, is sunny and breezy, a beautiful day. More rain coming in tomorrow. Wildflower alert: The first Calypso Orchids are up!

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Jackie Brewer noticed the it first. She and Paul were  having lunch on their deck when she saw this young hawk. Paul grabbed his camera and got this photo of the moment the bird was launching itself - a juvenile Cooper's hawk. Perhaps it has spotted something to eat, perhaps a small bird, as that eye looks very determined.

immature-red-shouldered-hawk-by-paul-brewer

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

To hear the call of this beautiful hawk, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/sounds

I originally had this hawk identified as a Red-shouldered hawk. Mark Moore was nice enough to contact me so I could get this ID correct. Thank you, Mark!

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One of the most photographed birds on the Mendonoma Coast, Great Blue Herons are beautiful to see. Laura Cover photographed one taking off from the bell tower of St. Paul's Methodist Church in Point Arena, a study in elegance.

Great Blue Heron by Laura CoverAnother fun photo of a GBH taking off was taken by Robert Scarola.

Great Blue Heron Lift off by Robert ScarolaAnd one last photo of a Great Blue Heron taking flight, this one by Craig Tooley.

Great Blue Heron by Craig Tooley high resGreat Blue Herons are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast.

In all of these photos, it looks foggy. There is no fog on the coast today. It's warm with very little wind. Abalone divers were out this morning with the minus tide, and every pullout had vehicles. Hope everyone had a safe, successful dive.

Thanks to Laura, Robert, 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