Richard Denton noticed the beach at the mouth of the Russian River was covered in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of gulls. The two dozen or so Harbor Seals look to be surrounded!
Thanks to Richard for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
We had quite a bit of rain from the storm to the north. Then the fog settled in to spend the rest of the day on the Mendonoma Coast. Sunny and warmer is the forecast.
Two other coast residents photographed the grand conjunction, where Jupiter and Saturn were the closest they had been to each other since the Middle Ages. Elizabeth Fernandes photographed the event.
Molly Scaramella also photographed it, zooming in on the two planets.
This conjunction won't happen again until March 15, 2080.
Thanks to Elizabeth and Molly for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
A little overnight rain, and a drippy, foggy day today. The Pacific Ocean has been LOUD with huge swells hitting the Mendonoma Coast. The King Tides are 1/11/21 and 1/12/21.
Teresa Denniston got this lovely photo of the sun shining on a Bald Eagle resting on a snag near her Gualala house.
Last Sunday, Eric Zetterholm got a photo of the Gualala Bald Eagle pair mating! It is in today's Independent Coast Observer, in my Mendonoma Sightings column. Eric said the two eagles were very loving towards each other. Nice to see.
Thanks to Teresa for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
We are between storms today. Clouds are pouring in as I write this. After tonight's storm, we are heading for what looks like a dry spell.
We had a vigorous storm overnight. Our rain gauge showed 1.39 inches. Allen Vinson went to Stengel Beach at The Sea Ranch today to see if the waterfall was going. It was!
This means our seasonal creeks have come to life after the dry months of summer and fall. There are many waterfalls to discover now, a fun adventure.
Thanks to Allen for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
The sun has appeared this afternoon, but it's chilly out and showers are still possible. It's a fun time to be on the Mendonoma Coast.
It was a high tide and high swell event, so the breach wasn't dramatic. I, and others, watched as it slowly opened to the Pacific Ocean for the first time in months, as the big sandbar had kept the river closed. It opened at the extreme far north end. Teresa Denniston photographed the river the next morning.
Here's what you shouldn't do when the river is breaching the sandbar.
Those people were very fortunate that the sandbar they were sitting on didn't give way. The best place to watch the river open is from the Gualala Bluff Trail.
As I watched on Sunday, bull kelp that had been swept into the closed river by the high tides, was swept out to sea. Steelhead and hopefully Coho Salmon were also swept out to sea to begin the next stage of their lives. Other fish will be entering the river to spawn. There are lots of comings and goings on the Gualala River!
The river did close again two days later, but with all the storms stacked up over the next week, the river will once again open. We are fortunate that it is so easy to observe the fascinating Gualala River.
Thanks to Teresa for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Clouds are piling in after a sunny morning. Rain is in today's forecast, with a bigger storm due Sunday. Batten down the hatches!