Sightings

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My brother-in-law, Mel Smith, spotted this rare beauty several years ago in Anchor Bay. It was mostly hidden under a huckleberry bush, but Mel has a very good eye! It did not bloom last year but appeared again this year, much to our delight. It is in full flower today. It's about an inch high.

And here are two that are up but not yet opened, growing in sandy soil. They look like little fir cones!

I was able to show these to botanist Peter Baye several years ago. He had never seen them before. He said sightings of these plants on the Mendonoma Coast are rarer than a UFO sighting!

I took these photos.

It was super foggy this morning, but the fog pulled back giving us a mild, beautiful day.

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Amy Ruegg found a mass of golden eggs of an unusual fish at an low tide.

She wrote, “What a beautiful morning and a nice minus tide at Pebble Beach! There were lots of the usual culprits like Bat Stars, Purple Urchins, Abalone, Anemones and Chitons. This, however, was a pretty surprise. INaturalist says they are the eggs of the Plainfin midshipman, which would be exciting enough, but when googling this species, I find out they have three sexes! Female, male I and male II.”

Amy also learned this batrachoid toadfish is bioluminescent and they make a humming sound that nearby humans can hear. Amazing!

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

It's a glorious day on the Mendonoma Coast - sunny and in the low 70s with no wind!

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Ceanothus, wild lilac, has been in bloom, so it’s not a surprise to find the striking Ceanothus Silk Moth. But it was a surprise when one landed on Danielle Warner’s shirt.

She wrote, “The moth was hanging out in the driveway prior to that, I guess. It flew onto my shirt as I was trying to move it to safety. It hung out for about a minute, seemed pretty content, then I moved it into the field.” Danielle’s shirt is just about the color of Ceanothus blooms.

Here's a photo I took of blooming Ceanonthus.

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

It's a lovely day, except for some fog along portions of the coast. Sunny, breezy, and warm away from the coast. Sounds like spring!

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We've seen several leucistic - nearly or partially white - birds this spring. Gary Larson found another one at his  bird feeder in Gualala. Diane Hichwa identified it as an American Goldfinch. Even the beak of this bird appears lighter.

Here is a photo of a normal-colored Goldfinch, taken by Ron Bolander this past week.

Quite a difference between the two birds!

Thanks to Gary and Ron for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's a beautiful, breezy, sunny spring day here today. And it is supposed to be warmer tomorrow.

 

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Eric Zetterholm noticed this kumbaya moment. The Doe was grazing and a Gray Fox was watching her.

Can't we just all get along like this deer and fox? I know...wishful thinking.

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

We had surprise showers last night, just 0.05 inches here, but it put us at 63 inches season to date. Today is sunny, breezy and cool. Lots of wildflowers appearing...LOTS!