Sightings

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Peter Baye wrote, "“I have had in-channel flowing river sightings of Foothill Yellow-legged Frog egg masses, over 20 egg masses in one reach only a couple hundred feet long, and hatched larvae. The black tadpoles are as numerous as toads!"

"And Steelhead fry that definitely came from recent redds [nests.] Fly fisherman Charlie Ivor noted that the Steelhead are making their nests later than normal, adapting to the wintery spring flows.”

The Gualala River, designated a "scenic and wild river" by the State of California, is a wonder. The river has many challenges and many of us are involved in protecting it. You can learn more at Friends of Gualala River's website: http://gualalariver.org/

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

Oh my, it's spectacular on the coast today. The wind died down and the temps are up. Low tide in the mornings have brought in sightings of beautiful Sea Stars, giving me more photos to share with you in the days to come.

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A different kind of sighting for you today. I want to tell you about the Ernest Bloch Bell Ringers. We are a group of twelve ringers, and a conductor - me! We invite other musicians to join us - singers such as Sita Milchev and Remi Alexander, and players of various instruments such as hammered dulcimer played by Dan Laux, shakuhachi, Japanese flute, played by Karl Young, clarinet played by Eric Kritz, and recorders played by Cyndy Solomon and Mary Visher. There's something for everyone at our concert and it's this Sunday, June 9th at Gualala Arts, 4 pm. I'm on the left in the blue blouse.

 

Our concert is a benefit for Coastal Senior's Meals on Wheels, a most righteous that does tremendous good in our community. To learn more about our concert, here is the link to Gualala Arts: http://gualalaarts.org/2019/06/the-ernest-bloch-bell-ringers-and-friends-in-concert/

If you are here on the Mendonoma coast, I hope you will plan to come and see us perform. And I'd love to meet you, so come up afterwards!

To learn more about what Coastal Seniors does for our community, here is their link: https://www.coastalseniors.org/

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Sierran Treefrogs have suction-like pads on their fingers and toes that allow them to easily climb anything they want to. Kitty Wolfe recently found one hanging on what looks like a ceramic flower pot.

These treefrogs are usually green, but they can change color to brown, and then back to green. This one is in the process of changing color but I don't know which one. They are fascinating tiny frogs.

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

After a two-day heatwave (okay, it didn't get that hot!), we are having a sunny, breezy, cool day. Lots of white caps on the Pacific Ocean tells us that upwelling is occurring in the ocean. Upwelling is when the surface waters of the ocean are pushed towards shore by a northwest wind. Colder, nutrient rich waters then rise to the surface, igniting the entire food chain.

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These juvenile Brown Pelicans have a brown head and a white tummy. They were hatched to our south and are now migrating northward. Gail Jackson photographed the sight at Gualala Point Regional Park. Here is a group right alongside the Gualala River.

Western Gulls don't mind hanging out with the bigger birds.

And here Gail photographed a juvenile in flight, always a happy sighting.

Brown Pelicans have slow wingbeats, so they can be easier to photograph.

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

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This year there are two nests in southern Mendocino county that I know of. Each has three white puffballs, chicks, in the nests. Michael Beattie watches one of the nests with his long lens. Here the mother has fed her chicks and is flying away to hunt for her family.

It will be fun to watch the chicks mature. That opening in the rocks looks to be a safe place for the Peregrines.

Fun Fact: A Peregrine can reach speeds of up to 200 mph when diving down on its prey, which are medium-sized birds. To hear the "kak, kak, kak" call of a Peregrine, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/sounds

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

The heavy, wet fog of this morning has lifted, bringing us sunshine this afternoon.