Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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Strong spring winds can sometimes drive By-the-wind-Sailors, or Velella velella, onto local beaches. DeDe Plaisted found a group of these animals mixed with Kelp that had also been tossed up on the beach. They are a vibrant blue which tells us they had very recently been stranded.

They have a small sail that catches the wind and blows them over the surface of the sea. Under certain wind conditions, they may be stranded on the beach, as DeDe found out recently. Mother Nature gave these animals an edge - about half of them have the sail tilted in one direction, and the rest have it tilted in the opposite direction. This way, some are driven out to sea where they can survive, while others sometimes perish on the beach.

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

There is no wind today at my place and it's warm and toasty.

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Brandt's Cormorants are nesting along the Mendonoma Coast. Jon Shiu photographed this group at the Mendocino Headlands.

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: “The largest cormorant on the Pacific Coast, Brandt’s Cormorant is an expert diver that can swim deeper than 200 feet in pursuit of fish and shellfish. In addition to standard cormorant black, Brandt’s sports a vivid cobalt-blue throat patch and eyes during breeding season, along with wispy white feathers on the head. This species nests and forages in the California Current, an area of rich upwelling between British Columbia, Canada, and Baja California, Mexico.”

How great to see the blue throat patch in Jon’s photo!

Thanks to Jon for allowing me to share his photo.

It’s sunny with a gentle breeze…a beautiful day on the Mendonoma coast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Suzy Rudy wrote, “A heads up to local botanical observers. The nice patch of Coastal Lilies at the southern border of Salt Point State Park, northbound lane is blooming. The population is quite a bit larger than last year - no doubt the blessing of the year’s rains.”

These orange beauties are endemic to California and are now only found on the North Coast. A visit to Salt Point State Park would be a great choice for the holiday weekend.

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

Super foggy this morning but the sun has chased the fog back over the ocean. It's a beautiful afternoon here on the Mendonoma Coast.

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Shari Goforth-Eby was at the Point Arena Lighthouse Peninsula when she spotted some rippling on the ocean. It was the first clue Gray Whales were approaching. As she watched, the calf breached and then breached ten more times. Yes! Ten. More. Times!

I wish I had seen that. But fortunately for us, Shari got this great photo of one of the breaches. Thanks to Shari for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

This is the time to see Gray Whales mothers and calves, but we've had a lot of fog. Today was no different but the fog did recede in the afternoon.

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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.