Sightings

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A beautiful hummingbird was seen on October 2 and 3 at The Sea Ranch. John Batchelder’s daughter, Marianne, was the first to see it and identify it.

BBIH @TSR 100220

Diane Hichwa wrote, “There is a rare bird staying for a few days at Sea Ranch - a Broad-billed Hummingbird. It has been seen on two other occasions in Sonoma County.  It SHOULD be in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico, but not here. But it is.”

Several other photographers got wonderful photos of the colorful hummer, including Craig Tooley.  Craig wrote, “It is spectacular. Also, it makes a very different sound than our local Hummers.” Here is a link to hear their calls, which are quite different! https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-billed_Hummingbird/sounds

Karen Wilkinson also photographed the beautiful hummingbird.

Why this little bird was so far from its normal territory is a puzzle, but we know how to appreciate beauty when we see it. Welcome to the Mendonoma Coast, little hummer!

Thanks to John, Craig and Karen for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

We are having a oh-so-lovely autumn day today. Perhaps a little rain tomorrow, please rain gods and goddesses!

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Sara Bogard photographed a very contented-looking juvenile Harbor Seal with his/her mother looking on.

Life is good when you can relax on a rocky shelf in the ocean with your mother keeping you safe!

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

We are  having a lovely autumn day, with fog on the immediate coast but sunshine just a little bit away. We are hoping for some rain over the weekend - that would be a wonderful gift.

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Judy Pfeifer has been seeing whales, including one made of foliage and wearing a large white mask. She wrote, “A Whale practicing social distancing and masking up against the Covid 19 virus was spotted hanging out in the garden of Shannon Wilson in Gualala.”

Mark Crawford photographed a statue wearing a mask at Stewarts Point on a terribly smoky day recently. I asked Arch Richardson if the statue was Bigfoot. He wrote, “Yep, that's Stewarts Point version of Bigfoot.  He looks pretty good with the mask and the flag.”

So, even foliage whales and Bigfoot are wearing a mask these days! Thanks to Judy and Mark for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Fortunately the smoke is gone and we are having a beautiful autumn day today. Whale watcher, Scott Mercer, saw four Fin Whales today, an awesome sighting!

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Young Bucks can be seen practicing jousting. Michael Reinhart photographed such an occasion.

Pretty soon this fighting will be for real as the mating season of the Black-tailed Deer will soon be upon us.

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

Fog in Point Arena, sunny in Gualala, hot when you get a little away from the immediate coast. No smoke - hooray! Something for everybody today.

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Last Friday, hundreds of Brown Pelicans were seen at the Gualala River estuary. Paul Brewer was there with his camera to photograph them.

Some were bathing, others were resting. Paul photographed some in flight.

The pelicans with brown heads and white tummies are the juveniles. The white-headed pelicans with dark tummies are the adults.

Brown Pelicans are so elegant in flight, but when they come in for a water landing, the results can be comical. The Gualala River estuary is a fun place to watch the show!

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

Sunny and warm here today!