Jon Shiu saw a Black Bear taking a branch loaded with huckleberries and running the branch through his mouth. That's an efficient way to eat these ripe wild blueberries.
The bear looks pretty happy in that big huckleberry patch! Jon got another photo of the big bear which is in this week's Independent Coast Observer. You will be able to see this other photo on the ICO's website at www.mendonoma.com.
Thanks to Jon for allowing me to share this great photo with you here.
Craig Tooley has been at Bower Park, on the Gualala Ridge, photographing Dragonflies. He captured this female Western Pondhawk laying her eggs.
An action shot that not many photographers would be able to capture. Thank you, Craig, for allowing me to share it here.
Here's a photo that was published in yesterday's Press Democrat with an article I wrote. It's a Flame Skimmer. These beauties are easier to spot than some of the other species of dragonflies.
If you'd like to read my article, here is the link to the PD's website: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/7372464-181/sonoma-countys-amazing-dragonflies?artslide=0
To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com
We had clouds from a tropical disturbance, and we had smoky skies from fires from elsewhere, and we had high temperatures from the heat wave that occurred over the holiday weekend. Anne Mary Schaefer made lemonade when she photographed a beautiful, albeit a little eerie, sunset on September 2nd.
It's not often we see a magenta-colored sun! But it does make for some dramatic photos. Look how the light reflects in the Pacific Ocean - beautiful!
The smoke is gone, the heat wave is over, and it feels more like it should for this time of year. We all look forward to autumn, a wonderful time to be on the Mendonoma coast.
Thanks to Anne Mary for allowing me to share her photos with you here. Here is Anne Mary's website: http://www.pawpawrazzipetphotography.com/
Jon Loveless saw some, and Paul Brewer too. Young Gray Whales, juvenile whales who did not migrate up to their feeding grounds in the Arctic, have been seen most days off the Mendonoma coast. Paul Brewer got a few photos of one of these whales.
Whale expert, Scott Mercer, is excited about this development. He says, “These sightings clearly demonstrate how rich our local coast is.”
Our heat wave is over and the smoky skies have cleared, thank goodness.
Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
Craig Tooley was out photographing dragonflies when he came across a tiny toad, only the size of a quarter. It's a Western Toad.
Peggy Berryhill was alongside the Gualala River one summer day when she spotted hundreds of juvenile Western Toads. You can see how tiny they were by the one in her hand.
The second photo shows four tiny toads, looking like pebbles in the river. I show this photo to children as one of many reasons why people should never drive in a river or along its banks. You'd never spot these little guys.
Thanks to Craig and Peggy for allowing me to share their photos with you here.