Ron Bolander noticed this Northern Harrier, stretching out its leg.
And here the hawk might be listening for tasty rodent.
This hawk's call sounds like "kek." You can listen here at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier/sounds
Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Windy today after a brief rainstorm.
We have stormy weather today, so I thought I would share Janet Pierucci's recent storm cloud photo with you today.
Janet asked what I could see in the clouds. I see a giant rabbit - what do you see?
Thanks to Janet for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
It's raining cats and dogs here this afternoon!
Sara Bogard had caught a glimpse of what she thought was a small owl. Then she saw it some days later - a cute Burrowing Owl.
Sara's photo doesn't show this owl's long legs. They live in burrows that they create or utilize burrows of other creatures. They hunt rodents and insects in grasslands. Their habitat is shrinking due to we humans, so it's heartening to see one on the coast. And, yes, Burrowing Owls have bright yellow eyes!
Their call is a two-note "who, whooo" and you can hear it at this link at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Burrowing_Owl/sounds
Thanks to Sara for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
A cloudy, windless, mild day today. Tomorrow is suppose to be sunny and then the storm door opens once again.
Every winter Rick and I look for the first tiny Slink Pod flowers. They come up in coastal forests. They were late this year, but they are up. Craig Tooley wove together three photos of one just about to bloom, a close-up of the exquisite bloom, and the continuing bloom.
Slink Pods have multiple blooms, but each one doesn't last very long. The flower quickly forms a pod, which falls onto the ground, hence its common name Slink Pod. They are also called Fetid Adder's Tongue because they supposedly don't smell good, but I've never noticed a bad odor coming from them. I want a new common name for these beautiful flowers!
Later in the spring, the long, mottled leaves will be quite noticeable. If you note their spots, then you can look for the flowers in the winter months. Here's what the leaves look like, photographed by Craig in a previous year.
Scoliopus bigelovii is a member of the Lily family. They are a joy to find.
Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com
The rain has moved on, and we are blessed with a sunny, breezy, clear day today with temperatures in the high 60s! Our daffodils are beginning to bloom, as is their wont here on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast.
Last month Michael Reinhart noticed conditions were setting up nicely for a possible green flash at sunset. Here is the sun setting.
No clouds on the horizon can indicate the possibility of a green flash. Mike was ready with his camera. As the sun was disappearing, the beginning of a green flash appeared.
Sure enough, a green flash!
And here the green intensifies before it is over...in a flash.
Green flashes are photographable optical illusions. Light from the sunset is refracted, giving us this phenomenon. They are said to be good luck. Last night there was one of the most beautiful green flashes I have ever seen. There were clouds framing it, but the horizon was obviously clear.
Thanks to Michael for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
We had a little rainstorm move through late this morning, but sunshine has returned this afternoon. We've had a lot of the wet stuff, so we can enjoy the dry weather forecast for the rest of the week, including the weekend.