Sightings

•

Sara Bogard had caught a glimpse of what she thought was a small owl. Then she saw it some days later - a cute Burrowing Owl.

Sara's photo doesn't show this owl's long legs. They live in burrows that they create or utilize burrows of other creatures. They hunt rodents and insects in grasslands. Their habitat is shrinking due to we humans, so it's heartening to see one on the coast. And, yes, Burrowing Owls have bright yellow eyes!

Their call is a two-note "who, whooo" and you can hear it at this link at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Burrowing_Owl/sounds

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

A cloudy, windless, mild day today. Tomorrow is suppose to be sunny and then the storm door opens once again.

•

Every winter Rick and I look for the first tiny Slink Pod flowers. They come up in coastal forests. They were late this year, but they are up. Craig Tooley wove together three photos of one just about to bloom, a close-up of the exquisite bloom, and the continuing bloom.

 

Slink Pods have multiple blooms, but each one doesn't last very long. The flower quickly forms a pod, which falls onto the ground, hence its common name Slink Pod. They are also called Fetid Adder's Tongue because they supposedly don't smell good, but I've never noticed a bad odor coming from them. I want a new common name for these beautiful flowers!

Later in the spring, the long, mottled leaves will be quite noticeable. If you note their spots, then you can look for the flowers in the winter months. Here's what the leaves look like, photographed by Craig in a previous year.

Scoliopus bigelovii is a member of the Lily family. They are a joy to find.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

The rain has moved on, and we are blessed with a sunny, breezy, clear day today with temperatures in the high 60s! Our daffodils are beginning to bloom, as is their wont here on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast.

•

Last month Michael Reinhart noticed conditions were setting up nicely for a possible green flash at sunset. Here is the sun setting.

No clouds on the horizon can indicate the possibility of a green flash. Mike was ready with his camera. As the sun was disappearing, the beginning of a green flash appeared.

Sure enough, a green flash!

And here the green intensifies before it is over...in a flash.

Green flashes are photographable optical illusions. Light from the sunset is refracted, giving us this phenomenon. They are said to be good luck. Last night there was one of the most beautiful green flashes I have ever seen. There were clouds framing it, but the horizon was obviously clear.

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

We had a little rainstorm move through late this morning, but sunshine has returned this afternoon. We've had a lot of the wet stuff, so we can enjoy the dry weather forecast for the rest of the week, including the weekend.

•

Can you imagine experiencing this? Peter Forte was kayaking down the Gualala River when he slid past an adult Bald Eagle feasting on a bird.

Video of a Bald Eagle on a snag in the Gualala River by Peter Forte

Harm Wilkinson saw perhaps the same Bald Eagle at the Gualala River.

Thanks to Nicole Forte who told me about her son's video and sent it to me. Thanks to Peter for allowing me to share his video, and thanks to Harm for allowing me to share his photo.

Cloudy, with a few showers this morning. Another storm coming in early tomorrow!

•

Mike Nelson is a talented drone pilot. He photographed the raging, muddy Gualala River after the recent big storm.

The Gualala River after the river of rain, medium version by Mike Nelson

Here is a link to Friends of Gualala River, where a longer version is shared. Mike photographed some of the beautiful waves off of the river. I think you will really enjoy watching it.

http://gualalariver.org/video/jan-27-2021-river-mouth-open-after-heavy-rain-aerial-video/

Here is a photo of the flooded Gualala River that I took two years ago to give you an idea what the river can look like after a great deal of rain. I photographed the river from Gualala Point Regional Park on a very stormy day.

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his video with you here, and for allowing FoGR to share his longer version. Mike is the owner of MD Electric and Solar here in Gualala, https://www.mdelectricsolar.com/

We are waiting for the next couple of storms. One is to arrive tonight, and another one tomorrow, Sunday, and into Monday.