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Catherine Miller saw this beautiful sight from her home on the ridge south of Point Arena.

So beautiful! Thanks to Catherine for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

We are being inundated with rain today. It's pouring! It looks like the eye of the storm is coming right over us here on the Mendonoma coast. Since this morning around 7:30 we have received 3.58 inches and it's still raining hard as I write this at 4:25 pm. And we received 2.42 last night. I am nearing 45 inches season to date. 50 inches is a nice rain year.

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Nancy Feehan found a very early Calypso orchid near Timber Cove.

 

And Karen Wilkinson found Shooting stars at Salt Point State Park.

Mirka Knaster found the first Douglas iris in bloom.

I love seeing the wildflowers arrive. It's like greeting old friends. Thanks to Nancy, Karen and Mirka for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's been very cold - 35 degrees this morning - and rainy, though we did have a dry spell during much of the day. It's raining again now. Tomorrow, Friday, is predicted to be dry as is early Saturday. Then more rain comes in! 36.02 inches so far season to date.

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A friend of Ron Bolander told  him about this thrasher at his property on the ridge behind Anchor Bay. These relatives of mockingbirds are not usually seen close to the coast - they are birds of chaparral. But the friend told Ron this bird had been here for months.

Ron played me a recording of this bird's song and it is quite unique. You can hear it at this link at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Thrasher/sounds  Like mockingbirds, thrashers also mimic other bird calls.

I'll be looking and listening for this bird...once the storms are behind us.

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

It's a-storming today! And it's cold enough for hail. I just took a photo of a lurking storm cloud offshore - yikes!

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Lisa wrote up her experience beautifully.

“On a bucolic walk along the Sea Ranch bluffs, suffused with the mid-winter bliss that comes from unexpectedly warm, sunny weather, I strode south along the bluffs, taking in the smells, sounds, and feel of the sun on my skin. A random glance left stopped me in my tracks as my eyes fell directly on a bobcat curled in the grass, also basking in the warmth, eyes at half-mast in pleasure…and probably monitoring my presence for potential threat. I stood for a minute and spoke to it in a low voice, hoping the vibration of my presence and my appreciation for sharing the day and the moment with it would convey. It never moved a hair, though we were only, at most, 20 feet apart; just gazed back at me through narrowed eyes in that distinctly feline manner that always leaves one wondering what exactly they're thinking…

“I'm always gratified by these close encounters with our wild fauna brethren. They reinforce my belief that sympathetic vibrational magnetism is at work in the world, drawing to us those who are attuned to the same energy and outlook we are. We're connected in invisible ways, in ‘mysterious’ ways that don't need to be figured out…simply acknowledged and accepted, gratefully.”

I know what Lisa means about being connected. I had an encounter with a deer in a meadow that was magical. I’ll never forget it.

Magical encounters and more, specialties of the beautiful Mendonoma Coast.  Thanks to Lisa for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

It's a total washout today, Sunday! Since this morning, nearly THREE inches of the wet stuff.

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Three mountain lions, I'm thinking a mother with her two grown offspring, were videoed by motion detection cameras last week, right in Gualala. One sighting was on the east side of Highway One and the other was on the west side. Michael Coustier wrote, “Thought you might get a kick out of seeing the kitties that were outside our house earlier this week.”

This is the time of year for the two younger cougars to leave their mother, and establish their own territory. We’ve been seeing that happening in the Bay Area recently.

I was impressed with the quality of the video Michael sent in. He sent me a link that told me it was a Tapo 2K Outdoor Pan/Tilt Wireless Floodlight Security Camera - Battery Power with Solar, 360º AI Motion Tracking. Here is the link to Michael's video:

The cougars sure seem comfortable in this area! And they would have crossed Highway One to reach the west side after this visit.

Thanks to Michael for allowing me to share his video and screen shot with you here.

It's been sunny today with a cool breeze - rain predicted starting tomorrow, Saturday, night. Happy Valentine's Day!