Sightings

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This unusual cloud formation was seen in the late morning on Feb. 1st over Gualala and The Sea Ranch. It had been cold that day. Perhaps that’s why a rare phenomenon appeared in the sky. It was seen and photographed by quite a few coast residents. Janet Pierucci was the first to send in photos of a Fallstreak Hole. She wrote, “My husband, James Adrian Adams, and I both took pictures of the Fallstreak Hole which appeared around noon. So exciting to see.”

John Mills photographed the unusual cloud too.

Diane Hichwa also photographed it. She wrote, “I was driving on Highway 1, looked up and went. ‘WOW, how odd??? I watched it for a half mile and decided I should pull over and get a photo. It persisted for quite a while.”

Janet kindly sent a link regarding this cloud formation, which is also called a cavum, hole punch cloud, punch hold cloud, skypunch and more. It’s a large gap, usually circular or elliptical, that can appear in cirrocumulus or altocumulus clouds. A Fallstreak Hole is formed when the water temperature in the clouds is below freezing, but the water has not yet frozen. It’s amazing to learn about this cloud.

Thanks to Jane, James, John and Diane for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Our unseasonable warm weather came to a screeching halt today, as a cold fog greeted us at daybreak.

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Fogbows are also called white rainbows. They don't appear very often so we cherish them when we are fortunate enough to see one. Mark Hancock wrote, “My dog, Tasi, and I were doing our closing stroll at the Lighthouse and we were treated to an amazing Fogbow to the east. Our Lighthouse Guide, Mike Chandler, had photographed one in the morning from the Tower balcony using his 360-degree camera, and it looked like a halo above the Fog Signal Building. The one I saw [in the afternoon] was a perfect arc above the perimeter fence, and I was able to take a photo with it embracing the Tower as well. What a great way to close our January 2020!”

Here is the link to see the 360 degree video taken by Mike:

Thanks to Mark and Mike for allowing me to share their photos and video here with you. To see more of Mike's photography and video services, here is the link to his website: https://www.thirdeyeviz.com/
Absolutely stellar day on the coast today,  mid 70's and little wind. Where is our rain?

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A rare bird was seen the week after the Christmas Bird Count in January. Diane Hichwa wrote, “Last Wednesday Bill and Paget Lenarz, who had come up to help with the Bird Count, were still watching for birds. They noticed at Pebble Beach a very light gull on the sand below. Not wanting to disturb it, they stayed on the bluff trail. They called me, and I phoned Craig Tooley to get photos. This was just what was needed to document the bird!”

Diane sent Craig’s photos to Dan Nelson, a Sonoma County expert on gulls, and he confirmed the sighting. He wrote, “A classic first winter Glaucous Gull. Nice!!” The Audubon Guide describes this gull as “a big, pale, ghostly gull of the far north.”

It's easy to take gulls for granted, but they can travel great distances, and have a story to tell. Glaucous Gulls are the second-largest gulls in the world! You can hear their calls at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Glaucous_Gull/sounds

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: www.ruffimage.com

The wind arrived during the night. Today the ocean is whipped up into a froth and it's sunny, but chilly.

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Doug Forsell noticed a huge change at Brush Creek, at Manchester State Park on Jan. 31. Doug wrote, “Brush Creek has moved north past the beach entrance at Kinney Road, washing away 20 to 30 feet of sand that was there three weeks ago. Tell people not to run down the entrance or let their children do so.” Here's what Brush Creek looks like now. Note the horizontal snag sticking out of the bluff face.

Here's what it looked like at the beginning of January. You can see the horizontal snag. That is a tremendous amount of sand that is now gone.

Brush Creek is found at Manchester State Beach, the Kinney Road entrance. You can learn much more about this fabulous beach at this link: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=437

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

We are having unbelievable weather for the middle of winter - very little breeze, warm temps. Daffodils are beginning to bloom, as they are wont to do when we have a stretch of warm weather. We do hope the rains will return but there is no rain in the forecast until late next week. Come to the coast!