Tag Archives: The Sea Ranch

I have never found one of these beauties. But Chris Pechal found this blooming at The Sea Ranch recently. It's called Pleated Gentian, Gentian affinis.

I shared Chris’ photo with botanist Peter Baye. He confirmed the ID, writing, “Definitely Gentian affinis. That’s an exceptionally pure and large-spotted one. It is distributed right along the immediate coast in well-drained sandy marine terrace soils. There are some old records of it near you in Anchor Bay, and Amy Ruegg reported one from Sea Ranch.” I’ll be looking at my place in Anchor Bay. I have well-drained sandy soil!

Breezy and cooler today, temps in the low 70's.

We know several Black Bears live on the Mendonoma Coast. The proliferation of motion detector cameras/wildlife cameras gives us a peek at their nocturnal visits - this visit was on July 24, 2024.

Pat Whelan sent in two videos for us to enjoy. Once the bear disappears in the video, you can stop watching. I need to learn how to crop a video - soon!

Bear visit 7.24.24 courtesy of Pat Whelan

Bear leaving 7.24.24 courtesy of Pat Whelan

This sure looks like a healthy bear! Thanks to Pat for allowing me to share her videos with  you here.

Same weather pattern, fog in the morning and mild temps in the afternoon.

 

Young Fawns are being seen, proving that the birthing season of the Black-tailed Deer lasts a long time. The first Fawns usually appear around Mother's Day in early May. Jon Loveless saw this small family recently at The Sea Ranch.

Larain Matheson had a sighting of a mother Doe and her Fawn north of Gualala.

It's a good reminder to slow down while driving. Watch for a Doe crossing the road, and wait to see if a Fawn, or two or even three, might be following.

Thanks to Jon and Larain for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Fog over the ocean, but sunny at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay. Breezy too, with temps in the 70's. Huckleberries are beginning to ripen up!

Pat Whelan's motion detector camera has been busy lately. Just several weeks ago it photographed a Black Bear, which I shared on this blog. Then this beautiful Mountain Lion saunters across her front porch, looking very comfortable with the surroundings. Here's a screen shot from the video.

And here is the video: Mountain Lion visit courtesy of Pat Whelan

Thanks to Pat for allowing me to share this photo and video with you here.

Sunny and very breezy today. The wind whipped up the Pacific Ocean, creating many whitecaps.

 

The Northern Lights began to appear around 11 pm last Friday. Molly Scaramella got a series of photos in Point Arena. Here is one of them.

Alan Reinke got this photo around 11:15 pm from The Sea Ranch.

We were hoping for more of this beauty Saturday and Sunday, but the fog rolled in, pulling the curtain on any more Northern Lights. What a treat, though! It's very rare to see them here.

Thanks to Molly and Alan for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Foggy this morning, but it has pulled back a bit. It's cool too, not even 60 degrees.