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Nik Epanchin photographed the growing sink hole that is north of the gazebo at the Point Arena Lighthouse. This is how it looked Dec. 16th. That white fence used to extend over land that is no longer there.

Dennis Latona recently photographed it from atop the Lighthouse.

And here is what is looked like in January of 2019, taken by Nik. Quite the difference.

It's a good reminder to stay back from the bluff edge, especially this time of year when the bluffs are saturated.

Thanks to Nik and Dennis for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Sunny and cool - with some edible mushrooms starting to appear! More on that later.

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Margaret Lindgren recently led a hike which included Salal Trail, a public access trail that begins at Gualala Point Regional Park and then onto The Sea Ranch. There is a beautiful cascade to discover.

This is a beautiful spot. Here is a photo I took several years ago, showing more of the pond.

You can find the directions to this trail on this blog post: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/01/30/how-to-find-the-salal-trail-a-hidden-gem-of-a-trail-on-the-sea-ranch/

Thanks to Margaret for allowing me to share her photo with you here. To find out more about the hiking tours she leads, here is her website: http://www.unbeatenpathtours.com/index.html

Oh my, the weather is sunny and chilly. Visitors here for the holidays are enjoying everything the Mendonoma Coast has to offer.

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Eric Kritz took this magnificent photo from the Gualala ridge recently. What fabulous colors in the sky!

And Donald Hess took this photo of the Gualala River with the Pacific Ocean in the back. Just lovely.

And, Paul Brewer struck magic, as he is wont to do, with this sunset.

Thanks to Eric, Donald and Paul for allowing me to share these beauties with you here.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

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Here's the story from Susan Stephens: "On Tuesday, Dec 3rd, I was still sleeping when I thought my subconscious told me it heard a thump against a window.  I didn’t wake up since I was in that 'twilight sleep' and forgot about that happening when I actually did wake up.  About 10 a.m. I went out the front door to go for a walk.  I saw something out of the corner of my right eye and it was this little cutie sitting there about 5 feet from the glass front door on the cement apron in front of our garage."

"I was so amazed I froze, not wanting to scare it, then squatted down and gently talked to it to see if I could get a response.  It just sat there staring back at me.  I got goose bumps looking into its big open eyes, then finally each eye blinked individually.  It didn’t appear to be injured, both wings looked in good shape and there were no feathers on the ground.  I very slowly backed up and went into the house to get my camera hoping it would still be there when I returned.  It was and that’s when I took the photos. My neighbor, Mary and I looked at where the owl was and decided it probably had flown into the reflection of the glass front door and was dazed. Then the little owl turned its head about 2/3 around and look in a different direction and suddenly flew into another outside corner area by the garage. Mary and I walked over to its new location and then it flew up and made a sharp right up and over the garage and out of our sight. It headed towards a forested area. We walked over in that direction and looked around but didn’t see it again. Happily, I guess it was okay!"

These tiny owls are forest dwellers and quite nocturnal. What this owl was doing near a meadow on The Sea Ranch is a mystery, but we are glad he/she recovered and flew back to the forest.

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

Wow, we had a pretty vigorous rainstorm come through today, and the ocean is roaring! I love (near) winter storms.

 

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Birders think this could be an irruption year for Red Crossbills, when these finches wander into areas they aren't usually seen. They follow their food source, which is seeds found in cones from pines, Douglas firs, hemlocks and spruce trees. Just look at their beaks, specially made to open cones. Nicholas Pinette recently photographed a male.

The females are yellow, and Nicholas was kind enough to send a photo of one in for comparison to the male.

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

After yesterday's rain, it's turned cold! Well, cold for the Mendonoma coast. Clouds are zipping by and the ocean swells have been big. No rain predicted for the next couple of days.