Sightings

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Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner were the ones who spotted the well-camouflaged Green Heron by the Gualala River. Bob wrote, “We were skipping flat rocks across the Gualala River when a Green Heron flushed and landed on a tree that is leaning over the river. It blends in so well it was hard to see through the camera on full zoom."

As seen by Bob and Mary Sue, they can be spotted by water, often hidden behind foliage. They use the awesome beak you can see in Bob's photo to stab fish for their meals.

Fun Fact: Green Herons are one of just a few bird species that actually use tools to tempt fish to come their way. They create their own fishing lures using insects, feathers and even bread crumbs. They lay their lure on the water to entice small fish - pretty clever, don't you think?

To hear some of the calls of this small heron, here is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/sounds

Thanks to Bob for allowing me to share his photos with you here!

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Doreen Clay looked over a bluff in Gualala and found a family of River Otters entering the Pacific Ocean.

She wrote, “I was quite excited! The otters moved quickly and disappeared into the sea. We love Gualala, and its wild creatures.”

There is a family of River Otters that lives at the mouth of the Gualala River. They are fascinating to observe. The mother raises her family; the father is long gone. River Otters have been seeing playing with each other and in the waves. These otters can't abide pollution in the water, so their presence here is a testament to the health of our rivers, streams and ocean.

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

Breezy, cooler weather is the order of the day close to the ocean today.

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ah, Craig Tooley had a Beatles song in mind when he titled his photo of Brown Pelicans resting on kelp.

Young Brown Pelicans are migrating northward now. They rest on rocky islands, in rivers and apparently on a mass of kelp!

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

It is a glorious day here in the Mendonoma coast. Conditions should be perfect for watching the Perseids Meteor Shower tonight and tomorrow night.

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Carolyn Carnell shared this photo of the big island sitting off the north end of The Sea Ranch, Gualala Point Island. It was very crowded that day!

Carolyn Carnell wrote, “This photo was taken while doing a drone survey to check on the Common Murres nests on the [west] side of Gualala Point Island. To our surprises it was covered with 112 Brown Pelicans, with many also in the water along with Common Murres having a feeding frenzy.”

Also on the island were Brandt's Cormorants and Western Gulls. Let's face it, GPI is a popular place to hang out! The Brown Pelicans were most likely resting before continuing their northward migration. As I've shown you in a previous post, the juveniles are now strong enough to be passing by the Mendonoma coast.

There was a lot of bait fish in the ocean which caused multiple feeding frenzies last week, a good sign of the health of the ocean.

Here's one of my favorite photos of GPI as big waves crash into it during a high surf event, taken by Richard Kuehn.

Thanks to Carolyn and Rich for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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The Gray Whale migration has passed, but we still see the occasional Gray. On a day when many of us were seeing whale spouts, Paul Brewer photographed a Gray Whale tail.

Subadult Gray Whales have been staying off our coast, rather than migrating to the Bering Sea. It's a fairly new phenomenon and we are excited about it.

You might also see Humpback Whales, and even a Blue Whale or two this time of year.

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

It's a beautiful day here, cooler than it has been. No smoke from the inland fires, thank goodness, though we did some yesterday afternoon. The sun looked red as it set last night - an eerie sight.