On Friday a Sandhill Crane was seen by Mel Smith just off Highway One by the Garcia River flats. Last year about this time two Sandhill Cranes danced in the air in front of my Anchor Bay home. I don't think people would have believed me, as I'm not the most experienced birder, except I got several pictures. Sandhill Cranes are rare visitors to the coast.
I felt very fortunate to see and hear them - a wonderful gift from Mother Nature!
We share the Mendonoma Coast with the beautiful Gray Fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus. They are often photographed hunting in the open meadows of The Sea Ranch. And that is where Hal Fogel photographed this Gray Fox. Thanks to Hal for kindly allowing me to share his photos with you.
Fun fact: Gray Foxes are monogamous. Their kits are some of the cutest critters you could hope to see. Here's a link to see Craig Tooley's photo of two Fox kits. http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/08/31/two-photos-of-gray-fox-kits-by-coastal-photographer-craig-tooley/
Sunday's sunset, Oct. 23rd, was so beautiful that nearly everyone on the coast has been talking about it. Gary Klein took these pictures from Irish Beach and has kindly allowed me to share them here.
You can see another photo of that sunset, which was taken by Ron LeValley a little further north, by clicking on this link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/10/24/a-spectacular-sunset-photo-by-coastal-photographer-ron-levalley/
I was sitting on our deck reading when a fairly large bug flew into the side of my face. It flew down to the brick deck and rested in the mortar between two bricks. Rick and I had never seen anything like it before. The antennae are longer than the bug's body.
I sent my photo to bug expert Will Ericson. He wrote back, "Oh, that's cool. I haven't seen these in Mendocino before, always a pleasant surprise. This is a Monochamus sp. in the family Cerambycidae." Will told me they are wood-boring beetles and act as essential decomposers of dead trees. They are also known as Sawyer Beetles.
Coccora mushrooms, Amanita calyptroderma, are just poking up through the forest duff on our Anchor Bay property. They appear in the same place, year after year. A mushroom expert friend, Bev Vogt, identified them for Rick and me some years ago. She declared this part of our property, "Coccora heaven!"
In the days to come, the white you see below will adorn a golden-colored cap. These are edible, indeed considered choice by some. But with the creamy white top removed they can be confused with the Death Cap, Amanita phalloides. As the name implies, it is deadly poisonous.
I wouldn't eat a Coccora unless I had picked it myself. They are quite beautiful to look at. I will post a photograph here when they are in "full flower."
