Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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My neighbors, the Guinn Family, have three beautiful Sugarsticks, Allotropa virgata, blooming now. These wildflowers are also called Candysticks.

Sugarsticks obtain their nutrients through a symbiotic relationship with a fungus, primarily the Matsutake mushroom. Matsutakes are known to appear in the area of this Sugarstick. 

It's the gift that keeps on giving - a unique and stunning wildflower in the spring and very early summer, and delicious edible mushrooms in the late fall and early winter!

 

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A Gray Fox mother decided one of the active barns at the B Bryan Preserve in Point Arena was an ideal spot for her new family. Judy Mello wrote, “We have a ‘herd’ of Fox kits. Mom decided that a safe place to den was in our Sable Antelope barn. I think there are five kits that I hope will make this their forever home to eat the Gophers!” When I questioned Judy about the Sable Antelope being in the barn at the same time with the Gray Fox family, she wrote, “Yep!  They share the barn and each pretty much ignores each other.” That’s truly amazing. Cassidy Spooner, one of the animal care specialists at the Preserve, got a very cute photo of one of the kits.

Judy took several photos and shared them with me.

Pretty darn cute, don't you think?!

Thanks to Cassidy and Judy for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To learn more about the fabulous B Bryan Preserve in Point Arena, here is their website: https://www.bbryanpreserve.com/

It's sunny and mild with strong winds! Don't bother styling your hair if you are on the coast today.

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Karen Wilkinson had a rare sighting. Experts confirmed she had photographed a Sage Thrasher, a rare bird sighting here. She wrote, “It was a delightful but windy morning on the bluff and this sighting had me puzzling over an ID.  As I watched it for a while, its posture, behavior, and field marks sort of reminded me of three different birds (hermit thrush, mockingbird, rock wren), but none were right in the moment. I was stumped. After coming home and reviewing photos I'm fairly confident that I was looking at a Sage Thrasher - but I would really appreciate confirmation on this one, since I've certainly never seen one here on the coast.”

I sent Karen’s photos to Peter Pyle and Robert Keiffer who agreed with Karen’s ID. Robert wrote, “Yes, Sage Thrasher!  One of my nemesis species for Mendocino County, so the records are few and far-between for the county.  You cannot see the white wingbars, but the profile, mandible shape, light yellow eye, white tail tips evident, streaked breast, grayish-brown overall are all fitting characteristics. Do you enter your records on eBird?  You definitely should for this observation. Great find!” Karen’s sighting was in Sonoma County, where Diane Hichwa tells me there have been very few recorded sightings over the years. And Karen did post her sighting.

To hear the complex song of a male Sage Thrasher, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sage_Thrasher/sounds

I read on their website that one male was recorded singing for 22 minutes straight!

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

Fog over the ocean kept the immediate coast cool, but it heated up just a little ways away. Low 80's at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay today!

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California Milkwort, Polygala californica, is a perennial herb. Perry Hoffman photographed a nice group with fog droplets on them.

California Milkwort attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies and supports various wildlife. Historically, it has been used in traditional medicine for its potential anti-inflammatory properties.

I have a nice group of them blooming on Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay now.

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

It's another sunny day, though fog was in at Point Arena early this morning. This afternoon the wind has picked up.

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Perhaps this Osprey just wanted to get a drink of water. Perry Hoffman was there to get this great photo.

Thanks to Perry for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Perry's photography and art, here is his website: https://magentaraven.com/

The fog has retreated and the winds have picked up. It's a breezy warm day on the Mendonoma Coast today!