Sightings

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We share the coast with Common Ravens. Many love them, and some do not. Allen Vinson recently photographed one. Look at that big beak.

They are extremely intelligent. They have many different calls and can even mimic humans. In fact, one raised in captivity was taught to say "nevermore."  Allen photographed this raven calling. If we only had sound with this photo!

To hear a few of the 33 different vocalizations Common Ravens make, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Raven/sounds

Ravens eat practically anything, including carrion. Please don't feed them; they don't need our help to thrive.

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

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A beautiful addition to the Mendocino coast is brought to us by the Mendocino Land Trust. It's called Pelican Bluffs Preserve and Coastal Trail, and is found south of Point Arena. Allen Vinson recently walked the 2+ miles of trails and took these photos.

You can learn more about this new open space at this link: https://www.mendocinolandtrust.org/trails/southern-coastal-trails/pelican-bluffs-trail/

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

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Alan Reinke noticed this amazing sight, a halo around the sun.

Alan photographed a Sun Dog, also called a mock sun. They are caused by the refraction of sunlight by ice crystals in the air. Sun dogs are most likely to be seen when the sun is near the horizon, as it is in Alan’s photo.

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

We are at the tail end of a wild storm. We received 2.5 inches of much-needed rain. The remarkable thing is how cold the coast is.

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Allen Vinson spotted this small green treefrog recently. The "eyeliner," the black line than runs on either side of his face are unique to Sierran Treefrogs. They are also called Chorus Frogs, as they have a loud call.

This is mating season. The male has a vocal sac that expands when he calls. Peter Baye captured this amazing sight.

Surely this treefrog will attract a mate!

Thanks to Allen and Peter for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It is very cold here on the Mendonoma coast today. It was 34 degrees this morning. We are having showers, rainbows, hail...what could be next? Frogs!

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Bob Rutemoeller spotted this rare trillium, Trillium albidum, or Sweet Trillium.

The flowers are fragrant, I am told. The flower of any trillium should never be picked. So if you find one or more, just enjoy them where they are. Western Trilliums, the more common trillium, are blooming now in shady forests. The Sweet Trillium prefers more sun. Here's a photo of a Western Trillium for comparison, photo taken by Renee Jardine.

Thanks to Bob and Renee for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

A big storm is forecast to drop a lot of rain on the Mendonoma coast. It is already raining this afternoon. Waterfalls will be coming back to life with this much-needed rain. Thank you, Mother Nature!