Can you imagine yourself driving up Highway One with the sky glowing with color from the sunset? Whether you are heading home or heading for a Mendonoma adventure, it is sure to gladden your heart.
Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
After the Labor Day weekend heatwave the fog reappeared, the coast's air conditioning system. Foggy today, but the sun has broken through, temps in the 60s.
Craig Tooley went tide pooling at a recent low tide. He wrote, “I got this picture in one of the tide pools near Green Cove. So fun to see them anytime, but having the little hitchhiker hermit crab added just a little extra smile to my face.” Craig photographed a new-to-me nudibranch, also called a sea slug. They come in many different colors and shapes. Jan Roletto of NOAA confirmed that Craig’s photo shows a San Diego Dorid, Diaulula sandiegensiss.
They have irregular dark rings or spots arranged in two rows on their backs. They are an uncommon find this far north and they feed on sponges. To see a tiny hermit crab on this nudibranch is a treat.
Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com
No fog today, though there are some wispy clouds overhead. It's pretty darn warm - close to 90 degrees.
Shari Goforth headed out in two weeks ago on a Saturday for a pelagic trip out of Noyo Harbor on The Kraken along with 24 other seafarers. Many on board were birders, excited to see different kinds of petrels, albatrosses, skua and terns. Shari is mostly on the trip to spot whales. A blue whale was seen and Pacific white-sided dolphins. And humpbacks! Shari wrote, “It was a gray day, so here are a few photos that are not fogged-in. We were about from eight miles from the red and white whistle buoy outside Noyo Harbor when we encountered a group of humpback whales.”
Look at the green light on the water on the lower right. It's the sun reflected on the whale's body that is underwater. Shari says they can often see a whale before it spouts by noting this green reflection.
Shari got a clear photo of a distinctive fluke and she sent it in to Happy Whale to see if they had a previous identification of this particular whale. They did. Shari wrote, “That fluke is CRC-20332, Cascadia Research collective’s research number, no nickname, first recorded off Baja 01-03-2022, the only sighting before our photo record on 08-17-2025."
Another photo is of a humpback rostrum showing the mouth nearly closed after a lunge feeding event with one other whale. The barnacles visible on the lower mandible pouch show their exposed cirri, the barnacles’ feeding appendages. Needless to say, it was a great trip!”
Thanks to Shari for allowing me to share her photos with you here. If you'd like to learn more about the pelagic trips out of Noyo Harbor, here is the link: http://noyopelagics.com
To be on their mailing list, you can sign up here: https://groups.io/g/Mendocino-Pelagics
The fog bank is smaller and a ways out over the ocean. Breezy sunny weather happening now!
Kate Bloch managed to photograph a rare blue flash to go along with the green flash.
The reason we can't see more colors than green has to do with atmospheric dispersion.But every now and then, a talented photographer will catch magic and show us the blue flash.
Thanks to said talented photographer, Kate Bloch, for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
Thick fog this morning but it finally cleared at Rick's and my place mid-afternoon. Temps in the low 60's.
Ospreys fish in the ocean and in rivers for fish. Their other name is Sea Hawks. Yep, the Seattle Seahawks are named after an Osprey...I presume! Ron Bolander was out with his camera and he was ready when this Osprey flew by with its catch.
If you know what kind of fish this is, I'd love to know. So would Ron. See how the Osprey has positioned the fish? It's the best aerodynamic position for the big bird to fly with the fish.
This is a good time to see and hear Ospreys on the Mendonoma Coast. The chicks have fledged and they are beginning to fish for themselves. To hear the distinctive call of an Osprey, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/sounds
Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photo with you here. And get well soon, Ron!
The heat has left the immediate coast and the fog has returned. We also have some high clouds drifting through, making it a little humid today. Temps in the low 70's. Yay!