Allen Vinson got this closeup photo of a majestic Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis. Red-tails are our most common Hawk and they are here year round.
Seeing this big hawk soaring you can catch a flash of its red tail.
I love the raspy scream of a Red-tailed Hawk high above me. To hear it for yourself, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-tailed_hawk/sounds
Thanks to Allen for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
The surf has been dramatic lately. Rick and I were at Gualala Point Regional Park last Thursday and the surf was big. It is mesmerizing to watch and hear the power of the sea. Paul Brewer recently photographed a beautiful crashing wave.
You can almost hear this wave, can't you?!
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Paul's photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
Ken Fischer noticed a tiny pink mushroom with white pleated gills growing out of his wood storage. Bev Vogt identified it as a Pleated Marasmius, Murasmius plicatulus.
If Walt Disney had seen this little beauty I wonder if he would have included it in Fantasia. That movie is where I saw Fly Amanitas for the first time and they were dancing!
Putting fanciful thoughts aside, I thank Ken for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Craig Tooley was out with his camera when he spotted this beautiful Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus, just lifting off the ground. She's magnificent!
This Hawk is a year round resident here on the Mendonoma Coast. Northern Harriers use their ears as well as their sight to spot prey. They fly low over the ground looking for small mammals such as mice. They also eat frogs and small birds. To hear the call of this hawk, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier/sounds
Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his wonderful photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's photography, here's the link to his website: http://ruffimage.com/
I love it when the sunbeams pierce through the clouds, creating spotlights on the ocean. The remnants of a cold storm gave us a beautiful sunset last night.
Bettye Winters got an even better photo of a sunset several weeks ago.
It seems like no two sunsets are exactly alike. It's a wonderful thing to see the sunsets from the Mendonoma Coast. Thanks to Bettye for allowing me to share her photo with you here.