Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

•

The two Bald Eagles, presumably the two who were here last winter and spring, have returned. Mike Wilson photographed one recently by the Gualala River.

We hope this coming year that they will build a nest and start a family right here in Gualala. Bald Eagles are expanding their territory northward along the coast. In Jenner, a mated pair raised a chick last spring. A Bald Eagle has been seen to our north near Little River. It's thrilling to see them here again. Their numbers were decimated by the chemical DDT, which made the shells of their eggs so thin that they broke when the mother sat on them. With the phase out of DDT in 1972, eagles, brown pelicans, peregrine falcons and ospreys began their recovery. It took decades, but their numbers have increased. We are privileged to see all of these birds here on the Mendonoma coast.

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

Our skies are blue today as the smoke from the Butte County fires is going south of us. The first blue skies we've seen since one week ago.

•

The smoke is much less today, thank goodness, and we expect rain next week. While the onshore breeze brought heavy smoke over the Mendonoma coast, the smoke turned the sun, and the moon, a scarlet red at times. Ron Bolander photographed this sight a few days ago. Look at the red/orange "pathway" across the Pacific Ocean.

Barry Weiss captured it too.

Craig Tooley photographed The Sea Ranch White Barn in the smoky air.

And Paul Palestrini photographed a fiery sunset.

Lastly, Ruth Alexander photographed this amazing sunrise at The Sea Ranch.

Everyone is praying for rain and the end of the terrible fires, and we are so sad for those who  have lost everything. Many of us knew someone who lived in Paradise. We always hold our breath this time of year, knowing everything is so dry. With rain forecast for next week, we can let that breath out in relief.

Thanks to Ron, Barry, Craig, Paul and Ruth for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

• 5 Comments

•

Last Thursday, Jinx McCombs and Paul Nordstrand had one of the rarest sightings of all – a Fata Morgana. Jinx wrote, “As we were driving down the coast, headed toward Jenner, we saw something odd in the familiar view offshore. Beyond Bodega Head and further out, it seemed we were seeing Point Reyes as taller and clearer than we both remember ever seeing it, and it seemed to have structures above the land."

If you look at Jinx's photo above, it shows dark blocks to the right. That is open ocean with no land.

“We stopped several times to take photos, and it kept changing – at times hardly visible, at other times showing a dark shape at the right and separate shapes like cranes on the left.

We considered the idea of a ship, but it stayed in the same relative position and we realized a ship that looked like this would have to be a mile long. We concluded it was an optical phenomenon. We were amazed and awestruck.”

Fata Morganas are photographable mirages and are called superior mirages. They are named after the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fey. They are caused when rays of light are bent when they pass through different temperature layers in the air.

Thanks to Jinx for allowing me to share her unusual sighting with you here.

We still have smoke from the Butte County fires, but not as bad. Still doing a rain dance!

•

Ken Hofer photographed the moon painting a path across the ocean.

And Jon Loveless photographed this beautiful sight from his home on The Sea Ranch.

Thanks to Ken and Jon for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Our beautiful coast has been shrouded in heavy smoke from the terrible fires in Butte County. Today has been very tough, especially those with respiratory issues. Here's a photo I took yesterday late afternoon at the Point Arena Lighthouse of the smoke pouring westward.

We have hopes that an onshore breeze will appear later today. Pray for rain for all who are impacted by wildfires.

•

The weather hasn't been kind to mushrooms lately. It's been too warm and the humidity has been very low. That is drying up many of them. However Cece Case found a pristine Red-capped Butter Bolete, which she cooked up with onion and bacon. YUM!

Rick and I found two of these edible mushrooms in our forest but they were full of bugs. They don't fruit every year so it's a treat to see them. You can see a blue mark on the stem where Cece touched this mushroom. Staining blue is one of the identifiers of this mushroom.

Once again we have a sunny, low humidity day. While it is beautiful out, we need some rain.

Thanks to Cece for allowing me to share her photo with you here.