The clouds make for a dramatic sunset and the ship on the horizon adds to the interest. Shari Goforth-Eby photographed this beautiful sight.
Thanks to Shari for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
Cloudy this morning, but the sun broke through. The temps are going to rise for the weekend. I took a walk with my sister, Linda Bostwick, on the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands this afternoon and the wildflowers are amazing!
Sara Bogard actually saw a pair of Peregrine Falcons at the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands bluffs. She was able to photograph one of them perched on the bluff edge.
Peregrine Falcons hunt medium-sized birds. They can reach speeds of nearly 70 MPH when in their hunting dive. Those "medium-sized birds" most assuredly never knew what hit them.
Peregrine Falcon calls are high-pitched notes that you can listen to at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/sounds
Thanks to Sara for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
It's warm on the Mendonoma Coast today, with strong breezes. Tomorrow is forecast to be warmer still.
Mary Sue Ittner recently found this wildflower, Clarkia amoena, blooming at the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands. It's common name is Farewell to Spring as it usually blooms in late spring and early summer. Seems late then, doesn't it?
Mary Sue also photographed Coastal Sneezeweed, Helenium bolander. Its common name really doesn't apply as this member of the Sunflower family is pollinated by bees. It's flowers that are wind-pollinated that can cause allergies. So feel free to sniff this beautiful wildflower!
Thanks to Mary Sue for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
It's sunny and warm, but a strong breeze has picked up this afternoon.
All Nudibranchs are beautifully colored, but this is a new one for me. Liam Ericson found this Nudibranch off the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands.
Robert Van Syoc took a look at Liam's photo. He wrote, “It’s Anisodoris nobilis, sometimes called the Sea Lemon. They feed on sponges and repurpose noxious chemicals in the sponge tissue as their own defense against predation. They taste bad to fish! The bright showy coloration of most nudibranchs evolved as warning coloration to predators.”
The Sea Lemon, so bright yellow, has a white flower on one end - a nice touch by Mother Nature.
Thanks to Liam for allowing me to share his photo with you here and Bob for sharing his expertise.
Waiting for another storm to come in later tonight. Not a big one, but we always welcome the wet stuff.
Bill and Carol Frizzell discovered a Gray Fox looking up at them from a sinkhole. Bill wrote, “Carol and I were hiking along the Point Arena Headlands on Sunday, July 19, and she spotted a Gray Fox that is trapped in a 10 to 15 feet deep sinkhole east of the Lighthouse on the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands. We went back the next day and the fox was still in the hole. It appeared healthy and alert.”
Gray Foxes are excellent climbers so it’s possible the fox wasn’t trapped. It might have been a mother fox with a den. Virginia O’Roarke, Senior Environmental Scientist for the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, took a look at Bill’s photos. She wrote, “Let me know if you see the fox is still in the sinkhole and starts to look skinny or sick, as I will reach out to our local wildlife rehabilitators to assist if needed. If the fox is actually trapped, placing a large, down branch into the sinkhole would be a great solution. The fox will climb out on its own.”
Virginia cautioned not to feed the fox or to encourage it out as that could be detrimental to the fox and possibly cause harm. She wrote further, “If you need at number to call in the future for such issues, you can contact CALTIP at 1-888-334-2258 or text a message to 847-411. CDFW also maintains a reporting website at https://apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir.
The good news is the Gray Fox was gone when the Frissells went back to check.
Thanks to Bill for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Foggy mornings followed by sunshine in the afternoons - that's the prescription for August, or as some call it on the Mendonoma Coast, Fogust.