Sightings

•

Summer is when the Leopard Lilies bloom. Chris Pechal found this beauty recently.

Lilium pardalinum is their Scientific name and they are endemic to California. A legend warns that if you sniff these wildflowers, you will get freckles!

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

Fog over the ocean has kept the immediate coast very pleasant today and there is very little wind. As many other places are sweltering in high heat, I am always grateful for the summer fog that keeps the Mendonoma Coast cool.

•

Rozanne Rapozo caught this Spotted Towhee as it hopped up. Rozanne and three other coast photographers were over at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay last Saturday. This is one of the photos Rozanne got that day.

Another photo is of the Violet-green Swallow nesting box under the eves of our roof, facing west. The parents have been busy feeding their chicks. When one of the parents leave, he/she might be carrying a fecal sac out of the nest. That is what Rozanne photographed here.

Having birds choose to nest on your property seems like a gift...and that gift brings joy for many days.

Thanks to Rozanne for allowing me to share her photos with you here. Bonus Fun Fact: Rozanne makes the best cheesecake in the world!

It's a lovely day here. No fog to speak of this morning and it's totally gone this afternoon. This might be the perfect weekend to be on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast!

•

First, here's a look at one of my favorite birds, photographed by Ron Bolander earlier this year.

I had had two clutches of these small birds this year, and the second clutch fledged about two weeks ago. What I didn't know is the entire family comes back to the birdhouse and rests in there overnight, leaving just after dawn. Since the birdhouse is just outside our bedroom window, the sounds of their chirping wake me up. And then I get to see this magic happen! You'll want to count how many pop out.

IMG_0683

If you'd like to listen to these cute and vocal birds, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pygmy_Nuthatch/sounds

I just learned this from that site: "They survive cold nights by sheltering themselves in tree cavities, huddling together, and letting their body temperature drop into hypothermia. They and the unrelated Vaux's Swift are the only bird species in North America that combine those three energy-saving mechanisms." Wow! Tree cavities or a nesting box outside the window.

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

Foggy on the immediate coast, but warm a little ways inland. It's in the low 70's here in Anchor Bay today. Thank you, fog, for keeping us cool.

•

I love seeing and hearing CA Quail. They have their chicks with them now, and they can be seen hurrying along under bushes and grasses. Ruth Downes recently photographed this male CA Quail amidst some of his offspring. He sure is a handsome fellow!

Ruth also Yellow-cheeked Chipmunks feeding right along with a CA Quail couple.

It must be summer on the Mendonoma Coast!

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

It's toasty warm when you get a little ways from the Pacific Ocean.

• 2 Comments

•

Roxanne Holmes spotted this handsome Dungeness Crab on a beach at low tide at The Sea Ranch.

I wonder if this crab was smiling at Roxanne!

Thanks to Roxanne for a fun photo and for allowing me to share it with you here.

It's sunny and breezy on the Coast this afternoon!