No totality here - just a wedge missing from the sun. Still, it's exciting to witness. Barry Weiss took this photo at 11:15 am.
Thanks to Barry for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
ah, today the weather was so nice. Low 70's, gentle breeze - a Mendonoma Coast delight!
Sunday night, May 15th, brought a celestial phenomenon, a total lunar eclipse. The Moon glowed red and orange, hence it’s often referred to as Blood Moon. Barry and Kathryn Weiss went to a suitable spot on The Sea Ranch to witness and photograph the event. Barry wrote, “So there we were, at the end of Piper’s Reach waiting for sunset. Friends driving by us would stop and ask if we were okay or did we need any help. ‘No, just waiting for sunset.’ ‘Waiting for the eclipse.’ They’d respond, ‘Oh,’ and then drive off. So there we were, freezing our…let’s say feet…off and then we saw it. When I examined my photos I saw that I might have captured the planet Jupiter in it.”
I sent Barry’s photo to sky watcher Mel Smith. Mel believes Barry photographed a star, not the planet Jupiter. Mel said if the eclipse happened during the Zodiac sign of Scorpio, which it did, then Barry photographed Antares. Mel said, “I’ve never seen a star next to an eclipsing Moon before.” There appears to be another faint star on the right side of the Moon.
Diane Hichwa also drove to view the eclipse. As the eclipse continued, she drove past a Raccoon that was huddled in a culvert.
Diane wondered if the Raccoon was scared by the event. When the eclipse was over, the Moon returned to its normal color and the excitement was over.
Thanks to Barry and Diane for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
It's very warm here today, after a warm day yesterday. Hot up on the ridge! Bring back our fog!
The smoke is much less today, thank goodness, and we expect rain next week. While the onshore breeze brought heavy smoke over the Mendonoma coast, the smoke turned the sun, and the moon, a scarlet red at times. Ron Bolander photographed this sight a few days ago. Look at the red/orange "pathway" across the Pacific Ocean.
Barry Weiss captured it too.
Craig Tooley photographed The Sea Ranch White Barn in the smoky air.
And Paul Palestrini photographed a fiery sunset.
Lastly, Ruth Alexander photographed this amazing sunrise at The Sea Ranch.
Everyone is praying for rain and the end of the terrible fires, and we are so sad for those who have lost everything. Many of us knew someone who lived in Paradise. We always hold our breath this time of year, knowing everything is so dry. With rain forecast for next week, we can let that breath out in relief.
Thanks to Ron, Barry, Craig, Paul and Ruth for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Barry Weiss was near Casper when he spotted this Snowy Egret striding along in a lagoon, with its reflection in the water.
Here it looks like the Snowy Egret spotted something tasty for dinner. These egrets have black bills.
They are an uncommon sighting on the Mendonoma coast. Great Egrets, on the other hand, are frequently seen here.
There is a third photo by Barry, which will be in my Mendonoma Sightings column tomorrow in Independent Coast Observer. Thanks to Barry for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Some of the "boys" were in an amorous mood but the lone female Gray Whale wasn't interested. To get away from the males, she did a maneuver that looks like she's standing on her head. Barry Weiss and Craig Tooley each got photos of this. The first photo is Barry's.
This isn't the right time of year for females to be impregnated. But tell that to the fellas.
Thanks to Barry 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