Tag Archives: Manchester State Beach

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Michael Reinhart saw this female Common Merganser at the Gualala River and the merganser had caught her lunch!

Mike also photographed an American Goldfinch feeding on thistle.

And Marbled Godwits at Manchester State Beach. You can also see the Bull Kelp tossed up on the beach by the ocean waves.

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

It's about 20 degrees cooler today, with a big fog bank back over the Pacific Ocean. It really feels like Autumn today. I found King Boletes, a Queen Bolete, and a Shrimp Russula late yesterday afternoon. Lots of mushrooms are popping up now.

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Snowy Plovers are a species of concern and deemed "near threatened," which means their numbers are decreasing and we humans are to blame...as usual. There is a section of Manchester State Beach that is off-limits to dogs because Snowy Plovers live there. Michele Melio recently photographed these birds, which were feeding on kelp flies.

Their calls are a short whistle which you can listen to at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Plover/sounds There is a video showing the Snowy Plover making its nest in the sand, then making a couple of calls. You can see why dogs aren't allowed here, and people need to be very careful. Doug Forsell told me he actually makes depressions in the sand with his boots to help out these birds. Great idea!

Thanks to Michele for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

We had a pretty vigorous storms in the wee hours of Friday. .80 inches fell and the season to date total is 36.40, well in excess of the TOTAL season of last year. Today we have nothing but blue skies, temps in the mid-50s. It's startlingly beautiful!

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Ron Bolander photographed this Snowy Plover at Manchester State Beach. The bird has four bands on its legs.

I'd be interested in learning why any bird needed four tags. Snowy Plovers are wading birds. Their numbers have been decreasing and their status is "Near Threatened." A flock of several dozen call Manchester State Beach home. Dogs are not allowed in that area to protect these birds. The Snowy Plover's call is a soft whistle. You can hear it at this link, which is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Plover/sounds

Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Today started out cloudy, then the sun broke through. But the wind picked up and it's blowing pretty hard this afternoon. Rain for tomorrow, Sunday.

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Due to the virus, every beach access is currently closed. I thought you might enjoy discovering Manchester State Park, which has a fabulous beach, meadows, and much more. Anne Mary Schaefer will show you some of the beauty through the lens of her camera.

Rick and I have been to this special place and found it nearly to ourselves. When this virus threat is over, you might plan at trip to visit Manchester State Park. To learn more about it, here is the link: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=437

Anne Mary is a very talented pet photographer, though she photographs special occasions too. She has photographed Rick and me with our first two rescue Golden Retrievers, Sunny and Duffy. Here is Sunny smiling  for Anne Mary, and below with Rick and me.

Thanks to Anne Mary for allowing me to share her photos with you here. To see her many wonderful pet photos, here is her website: https://www.pawpawrazzipetphotography.com/

Temps warmed up some today and a fog bank appeared on the ocean. The storms have left for now. The first Harbor Seal pups were born on Monday, which always makes me happy.

Spring doesn't know...

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Mary Sue Ittner was at Manchester State Beach with the Thursday Ramblers, a local hiking group. She found California Poppies blooming in profusion.

And Baby Blue Eyes.

And Cream Cups too.

Here's what it looked like when Mary Sue photographed the scene.

Thanks to Mary Sue for allowing me to share her photos with you here.