Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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Mary Sue Ittner was surprised to find this big Coast Gartersnake nestled into one of her flower pots. Here's her story:

Mary Sue wrote, “I saw a snake crawling up the side of one of my Haemanthus albiflos pots. By the time I got my camera out it had tucked itself in the leaves with just its head sticking out, and then not even that. You wouldn’t know it was even there unless you looked very carefully between the leaves. Later it came out so I could see how long it was. In spite of that it found a way to fit in the pot. I managed to capture one of the times it flicked its tongue.”

Mary Sue estimated the snake was about three feet long.

Among other things, Gartersnakes will eat mice, slugs and snails. Gardeners love to have one in their garden.

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

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Maria Bardini-Perkins has a visitor to her property - a Gray Fox. He/she obviously feels very comfortable and safe there. Look at this relaxed Gray Fox!

Allen Vinson also photographed a Gray Fox in the sun, this one is yawning.

We haven't had much sun recently, at least close to the Pacific Ocean. It's been quite foggy. The month of August, at least the past ten days, has lived up to its nickname of "Fogaust." You don't have to travel far, though, to reach sun. Go a mile or two east and you are out of the fog.

Thanks to Maria and Allen for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see more of Allen's nature photography, here is the link: http://allenvinson.smugmug.com/

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Marilee Wintz titled this photo "I walked in silence with an early bird."

Marilee took this beautiful photo on Walk On Beach, one of the public access points on The Sea Ranch.

Thanks to Marilee for allowing me to share her photo with you here. To see more of Marilee's nature photography, here is her website: https://beautyinspiresus.com/

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Mostly we see male California Sea Lions off the Mendonoma coast. Jennifer Terry recently photographed one appearing to be looking out to sea.

There is a colony of male CA Sea Lions on Fish Rocks just off of Anchor Bay. In the spring, most of them leave to mate with females to our south, returning to their rocky home when mating is over. They are able to "walk" with their flippers. Sea Lions are very intelligent, and they seem to have a lot to say, as they bark seemingly all day and night!

You can learn more about CA Sea Lions on the Marine Mammal Center's website at this link: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/pinnipeds/california-sea-lion/

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

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When you install a motion detector camera, you open a new window to the world of nature. In Pat Sorensen’s case, he has three outdoor cameras at his place on the Gualala Ridge. He has many nocturnal sightings, including Gray Foxes who sometimes drink out of his birdbath. On July 7, and again on July 17, his cameras picked up the sighting of a huge Black Bear. The photos are a little blurry, but you can see it's a big bear!

Pat said, “The bear did no damage and left no ‘calling cards.’ He walked by the shed and headed east into the brush.” The territory of a female Black Bear is typically 2.5 to 10 square miles. A male Black Bear’s range is between 10 and 59 square miles.

It’s not surprising to have a Black Bear sighting, especially with huckleberries ripening up. Pat noticed American Robins, in particular, were in berry-laden bushes, and Deer are eating the berries too.

Thanks to Pat for allowing me to share his photos with you here!