Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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Bill Clark recently photographed this Pygmy Nuthatch.

 

These birds travel in flocks and you can hear them coming with their piping calls. They come to our birdbath in the heat of the day. You can listen to their call here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pygmy_Nuthatch/sounds

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website describes their calls like a rubber ducky being squeezed repeatedly. Funny!

Here's a photo taken by Ron LeValley showing how these birds travel down a tree head-first, searching for insects and seeds.

I love these tiny, energetic birds, and often see them in the fall when we have our warmer weather. And I hear them in the trees too, many times accompanied by Chickadees.

Thanks to Bill and Ron for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Ron's nature photography, here is his website: http://levalleyphoto.com/home/

The fog returned this morning, so our latest heat wave is over! We love our natural air conditioning, the fog.

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Rick and I have an abelia bush with lovely small flowers. Butterflies and Bees absolutely love it. I recently photographed one of the many Painted Lady Butterflies feeding on it.

Beautiful warm weather on the coast today. Perfect for butterflies!

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Grace O'Malley captured this charming sight, an Allen's Hummingbird with yellow pollen on her beak.

Grace O’Malley wrote, “I learned something fun in the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior – ‘Each flower species deposits pollen in a specific place on a Hummingbird’s head to increase the chance that birds visiting the same species of flower will cross-pollinate the flowers.’ In the case of this little hummer, our Mexican Sage deposited yellow pollen on the top of her bill.”

Here are two more photos Grace took of this feisty hummingbird who migrates through the Mendonoma coast in the spring and again in the autumn.

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

We are having a warm, clear day here on the coast. Perfect for whatever nature experiences call to you!

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I shared with you last week a photo Jon Shiu took of a Black Bear eating huckleberries in Elk. Here is the other photo Jon took.

Gosh, that is a big bear! And this bear sure loves huckleberries. Jon watched as he/she took a branch laden with berries, and ran the branch through his/her mouth That's efficient picking! Here is the link to the prior post in case you missed it: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2017/09/10/a-black-bear-was-seen-eating-huckleberries-in-elk/

Thanks to Jon for allowing me to share his photo with you here. And here's to learning to live with the wildlife that was here before us.

Spectacular day on the Mendonoma coast today!

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This is the time of year we have daily sightings of Monarch Butterflies. These are the members of the Methuselah generation, the longer-lived butterflies that will migrate south. They are feeding and gathering strength for their migration. I saw this one feeding on my abelia bush and then resting on a nearby leaf.

Catherine Miller photographed this Monarch feeding on her lantana.

Today is the autumnal equinox. What better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons with photos of Monarch Butterflies.

Thanks to Catherine for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Happy autumn, everyone!