Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

•

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!

•

Many could hardly believe their eyes - the sunset was that spectacular. Allen Vinson photographed the splendor.

You can see the Pacific Ocean was pretty in purple from the reflection of the sunset. Sweet!

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

We received .30 inch of rain last night and the season to date is now 35.60 inches. Sweet! Today started off sunny. I took a walk with a friend on the Gualala Bluff Trail in the late morning and we were toasty warm from the sun and lack of wind. But then a cold fog swept in from the ocean, dropping the temps and cooling us right back off.

•

On Christmas day, Mel Smith spotted and photographed perhaps the first appearing Slink Pod, Scoliopus bigelovii.

This wildflower is a member of the Lily family. Its distinctive leaves are just barely showing. But they will grow in the weeks ahead. They are mottled, so if you see them in the spring, long after these exquisite flowers, then remember where they are so you can look for them next winter. Here's a photo of the leaves, taken by Craig Tooley a few years ago.

Thanks to Mel and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Clouds are pouring in and the surface water of the ocean is  now flowing northward - all signs that a storm is on the way!

•

Let's face it, 2021 was a tough year for us humans. But the beauty of Mother Earth continued unabated. Carl Shapiro photographed this rainbow last Monday, from The Sea Ranch. Such beauty!

Look how green and lush the coast looks after all the wonderful rain we've had!

Michael Beattie also photographed a magnificent rainbow, this one appeared near Point Arena about ten days ago.

Thanks to Carl and Michael for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Breezy and very chilly on the Mendonoma Coast today. Several dozen Gray Whales were spotted yesterday, Thursday, headed south. Looks like the southward migration has begun in earnest. Many thousand of Grays still to swim by, headed for the birthing lagoons off Baja California. You can see some photos of the whales seen yesterday on Shari Goforth-Eby's blog at this link: https://mendonomagraywhale.com/migraytions-blog-home/f/the-southbound-migration-is-in-full-swing

Happy New Year! May 2022 be a better year for us all.

• 2 Comments

•

Drew Fagan noticed this group of mushrooms on a stump at his Gualala area home. He put together this collage of what we think are Laughing Gym, Gymnopilus junonius, non-edible mushrooms.

You will see Drew labeled them as they aged. It's interesting that no animals ate these mushrooms. Perhaps they are toxic to animals too. It's also fun to note the grasses growing in Drew's collage. We've had a LOT of rain and the grasses are abundant and lush.

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

The rains have moved out for a few days, though it's still quite cold. It's nice to see sunshine today!