Sightings

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Varied Thrushes are such beautiful birds. We seem to have had more of them overwinter on the Mendonoma Coast this year. Bill Clark recently photographed one.

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Varied Thrushes are sometimes mistaken for American Robins, as they are similar in size. Varied Thrushes eat insects when they are breeding to our north, but in the winter they switch to berries and nuts.

To hear their one-note call, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Varied_Thrush/sounds

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

 

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Ceanothus is blooming up and down the coast, so it's no surprise that beautiful, big Ceanothus Silkmoths should appear. Frances Anderson photographed one outside Action Network in Gualala.

Ceanothus Silkmoth by Frances AndersonWillie Brown also photographed one.

Ceanothus Moth by Willie BrownI've wondered if Nike got their idea for their swoosh from Ceanothus Moths!

One of the most interesting and unusual photos of these moths was taken by Jerry Rudy in Timber Cove. His photo shows a female laying her eggs on a stem.

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Thanks to Frances, Willie, and Jerry for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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It's that time of year, the time for Harbor Seal pups to be born on secluded beaches. If you ever needed a reason to keep your dog on a leash, this is it. Harbor Seal moms leave their newborns on the beach to fish for themselves. The pups do not need to be "rescued." I will be sharing some photos of newborns with you soon.

Robert Scarola caught a cute photo of several seals taking a nice snooze.

Sunday Afternoon Snooze in the Sun - Harbor Seals by Robert Scarola

Robert said they inspired him to go home and take a nap!

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

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We received some much needed rain last night and today. We received 1.75 inches of rain - hooray. Here's a photo of the early morning sky before a big thunderstorm dropped a 1/2 inch of rain on us. You can see the nearly full moon above the cloud formation.

Before the morning thunderstorm by Jeanne Jackson

And here's some lingering showers over the ocean from this afternoon.

After the storm by Jeanne Jackson

The sunset tonight could be awesome.

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Yes, we are receiving some much needed rain. When storms move through we are often left with rainbow days. Jin Sharples recently photographed a double rainbow.

Double rainbow by Jin Sharples

One of my favorite rainbow photos was taken some time ago by Peggy Berryhill. It shows the mouth of the Gualala River.

Beautiful Rainbow on Earth Day by Peggy Berryhill

Thanks to Jin and to Peggy for allowing me to share their photos with you here.