Tag Archives: Gualala Point Island

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A Mendonoma sunset is something to be savored. This is what John Wall saw from his Sea Ranch home last week. Isn't beautiful?

I asked John if those were Brown Pelicans resting on the island and he said yes! Brown Pelicans are now headed southward. They are being seen here in very large numbers.

Bonus photo from John! Dash, the dog, points out a vole or gopher. What a dog!

Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

Smoke from fires far to our north drifted in overnight...ugh. And it's quite warm, over 80 degrees at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay. Cooler weather is predicted and even a chance of sprinkles on Friday. So, hopefully the smoke will be fleeting.

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Gualala Point Island is found off the far north end of The Sea Ranch. It is an important rookery for nesting seabirds. So it shouldn't be a surprise that the island gets a covering of white guano.

Steve Woolson took a photo of the island after the January storms, and he found it all washed clean.

Thanks to Steve for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

There is a big, thick fog bank over the ocean today but it pulled back, showing me some of the Pacific Ocean. Then I noticed a black line on the calm ocean. An anomaly on the ocean means a feeding frenzy could be going on. And that was the case. Gulls and Brown Pelicans were diving in what I think was a huge group of Anchovies. At the front of the southward moving line, I saw spouts which could have been dolphins! Hopefully someone closer to the ocean was able to identify them.

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Pam Ryan was out last Sunday to observe bird life at Gualala Point Island, which is found off the north end of The Sea Ranch. The public access trail from Gualala Point Regional Park gives you an up close view. The one Western Gull is sitting on her nest while her mate is standing close by. They don't seem to be bothered by the young Brown Pelicans.

 

These pelicans have brown heads and white tummies, signifying they are juveniles. Born off the Santa Barbara coast, they have arrived a little earlier than usual this year. Perhaps their food source to our south has become too scarce. In any case, it's wonderful to see them.

Thanks to Pam for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

It's a cool day today. The fog has pushed inland, and there are high clouds too.

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Brown Pelicans use offshore rocks to rest overnight on their travels. So it's not surprising to see hundreds roosting on Gualala Point Island. Craig Tooley photographed the sight.

GPI is off the north end of The Sea Ranch.

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

Heavy fog this morning, with sun this afternoon/

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You might have a chance to see a spectacle at Gualala Point Island this weekend. Common Murres, seabirds, nest on the island. When the chicks are ready to fledge, they have to take a leap of faith off the island and into the water where their fathers wait, calling up to them with encouragement. As of Friday, July 31st, the chicks were still on the island but they could fledge at any time now.

Sara Bogard was at the Point Arena Lighthouse bluffs when she saw a Common Murre chick in the water following its father, so this chick fledged earlier than the ones on GPI.

Once the chicks are in the water with dad, the mother birds are free from child rearing, something other bird mothers must be jealous of!

Thanks to Sara for allowing me to share her photo with you here.