Tag Archives: nest

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I don't know how he finds such a wonderful sighting, but Michael Beattie once again photographs a beautiful scene. Here is a nest with the mother Great Horned Owl and her two chicks, seen north of Point Arena.

Great Horned Owls are powerful predators. They are able to take down birds and mammals bigger than themselves! But they  usually hunt for rodents. This is the owl that hoots. You can hear their call at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/sounds

Thanks to Michael for allowing me to share his photo with you here. You can see much more of Michael's photography at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Michael-Beattie-Photography-1856278251324808/

Sunny, breezy, simply beautiful here today.

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The Peregrine Falcon nest that Michael Beattie observes has three growing chicks in it. Here's a look at the chicks, taken earlier this month. You can see they are getting dark feathers now.

Here one of the parents has delivered dinner and is flying off for more.

For comparison, here is what they looked like in late May. Quite a difference!

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

The Mendonoma coast has so many micro climates. At the ocean today, it's foggy. Up on the ridge, it's sunny. Take your pick!

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This year there are two nests in southern Mendocino county that I know of. Each has three white puffballs, chicks, in the nests. Michael Beattie watches one of the nests with his long lens. Here the mother has fed her chicks and is flying away to hunt for her family.

It will be fun to watch the chicks mature. That opening in the rocks looks to be a safe place for the Peregrines.

Fun Fact: A Peregrine can reach speeds of up to 200 mph when diving down on its prey, which are medium-sized birds. To hear the "kak, kak, kak" call of a Peregrine, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/sounds

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

The heavy, wet fog of this morning has lifted, bringing us sunshine this afternoon.

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Three species of swallows migrate to the Mendonoma coast to nest - Violet-green Swallows, Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows. Mark Simkins had a pair of Barn Swallows build a mud nest outside his home in Manchester this year. The parents are busy feeding their hungry chicks.

Here is a close-up of Barn Swallow chicks taken by Harm Wilkinson. Aren't they cute?

Thanks to Mark and Harm for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's a beautiful day on the coast. The morning fog pulled back and sunshine abounds. We have no smoke from the terrible inland fires. Here's hoping cooler temperatures will allow the firefighters to get the upper hand.

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Paul Brewer's wife, Jacquie, called out for him to get his camera quick! There in a tree by their Gualala home was an immature Bald Eagle.

Robert Keiffer and Ron LeValley took a look at Paul's photo and determined this is a one-year old Bald Eagle, an immature. They can fly great distances, so we have no idea if this eagle was born near here, or somewhere much further away.

Here is a photo Chris Beach took of the two mature Bald Eagles, presumably a mated pair, that have been thrilling us with sightings by the mouth of the Gualala River.

And we have news that there is a confirmed Bald Eagle nest north of Gualala, on private, remote land. I was told there was an active nest last year, and again this year. Perhaps we will have a nest discovered in the watershed of the Gualala River too. These are exciting developments for those of us who love these magnificent birds of prey.

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