Sightings

•

Allen Vinson was photographing some of the sights at The Sea Ranch recently. He saw a beautiful wave with rooster tails - the top water being blown off.

The sun was just coming up behind the trees, creating beautiful sunbeams.

And Allen found one of the Mendonoma coast's many waterfall.

Thanks to Allen for allowing me to share his photos with you  here. If you'd like to see more of Allen's nature photography, here is a link: http://allenvinson.smugmug.com/

Waterfalls should be full for this weekend after today's rain. We received a solid inch of the wet stuff.

•

Grace O'Malley found this downed wood, which had been turned into a work of art by wood borers, or perhaps wood worms.

Wood borers, worms, beetles, termites, even fungi have a role in decomposing dead wood in the forest. This particular tree really has a tremendous amount of carvings.

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

Yesterday, at 1 pm, the first mother/calf Gray Whale pair was seen by whale watchers Scott and Tree Mercer at the Point Arena Lighthouse Peninsula! Many more to come in the days and weeks to come.

•

Christopher Arnold wrote, "I've been exploring the area for decades and can never remember anything like this. The three beauties were perched on a log over the rushing Pomo Creek in The Sea Ranch."

"I hope one of your wildlife experts can identify them. They can't possibly be what they seem."

Last December Craig Tooley found a fairy next to a tiny mushroom. It seems there ARE fairies in the forest!

Thanks to Chris and Craig for these fun sightings.

We're back into more rain but you won't hear me complain. After the drought, I celebrate this nice, wet winter/early spring.

•

Scott Mercer wrote this morning:
"I got word this afternoon from Howard Garrett up in Friday Harbor that L Pod showed up in Monterey Bay, was confirmed by premier orca expert Nancy Black who said that they turned around and are headed north. It’s calculated that they could be off here late Monday afternoon. L Pod is part of the badly depleted Southern Residents, so this is not your ordinary orca sighting.
I notified projects at IC Santa Barbara and Bodega so they’ll be aware. If you will put the word out to your Sightings list, that will be very helpful.
Thanks,
Scott"

Good luck! Let me know if you see them and please try to get photos, especially of their tall dorsal fins.

This photo was taken by John Batchelder a few years ago. Thanks to John for allowing me to share it with you here.

•

Drew Fagan recently photographed this cloud that looks like a seahorse. Or the Loch Ness monster. Or a dragon. You choose!

Richard Hansen once photographed a shark cloud.

I once photographed a rocket cloud. Fun stuff!

We are having an absolutely beautiful day on the coast today. No wind, warm temps, chamber of commerce type weather. But rain returns next week.

Thanks to Drew and Richard for allowing me to share their fun photos with you here.