Tag Archives: Craig Tooley

•

Red-shouldered Hawks are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast, and it's always a treat to see and hear one. Craig Tooley recently photographed one of these beautiful hawks at the moment it took flight near the Gualala River.

Heidi Horvitz photographed a Red-shouldered Hawk that makes its home in the Timber Cove area. She said this hawk is very vocal!

To hear the calls of a Red-shouldered Hawk, here is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/sounds

Thanks to Craig and Heidi for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

We received 1.2 inches of rain overnight Friday, a nice soaking. Today, Sunday, is sunny and breezy, a beautiful day. More rain coming in tomorrow. Wildflower alert: The first Calypso Orchids are up!

•

Here's the Mendonoma Coast's largest woodpecker, a Pileated Woodpecker. Craig Tooley photographed a male looking for bugs on a tree.

Here is a short video showing how the woodpecker uses his very strong beak to hammer away at a snag, looking for his favorite meal, carpenter ants.

The call of these woodpeckers is quite distinctive and you can listen to it here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/sounds

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo and video with you here. To see much  more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

An overnight storm brought nearly an inch of rain, and it's showery this afternoon. It's suppose to clear up for a few days, with another storm coming in late Thursday. Keep the rain coming, Mother Nature!

•

Every winter Rick and I look for the first tiny Slink Pod flowers. They come up in coastal forests. They were late this year, but they are up. Craig Tooley wove together three photos of one just about to bloom, a close-up of the exquisite bloom, and the continuing bloom.

 

Slink Pods have multiple blooms, but each one doesn't last very long. The flower quickly forms a pod, which falls onto the ground, hence its common name Slink Pod. They are also called Fetid Adder's Tongue because they supposedly don't smell good, but I've never noticed a bad odor coming from them. I want a new common name for these beautiful flowers!

Later in the spring, the long, mottled leaves will be quite noticeable. If you note their spots, then you can look for the flowers in the winter months. Here's what the leaves look like, photographed by Craig in a previous year.

Scoliopus bigelovii is a member of the Lily family. They are a joy to find.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

The rain has moved on, and we are blessed with a sunny, breezy, clear day today with temperatures in the high 60s! Our daffodils are beginning to bloom, as is their wont here on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast.

•

It's amazing how a sunset evolves, changing color and shape. I never get tired of watching them. Craig Tooley photographed last Thursday's sunset at The Sea Ranch.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And Janet Kukulinsky photographed the same sunset, a little earlier in the process.

Thanks to Craig and Janet for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

We have rain coming in for tomorrow, but we just had a shower today, Tuesday. Rain is always welcome here! Boletus edulis are popping now, and Oyster mushrooms too. Mushroom foragers have happy grins on their faces.

•

Craig Tooley recently trained his camera on a beautiful bird, which is called a Western Meadowlark.

They can be found in grasslands and meadows, pastures also. They are members of the Blackbird family and they are insect eaters. In other words, you won't find this robin-sized bird at a seed feeder. They have a flute-like call, which you can hear at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Meadowlark/sounds

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: http://www.ruffimage.com

We had a nice wet storm overnight, Friday night. There was 1.60 inches in our rain gauge. And mushrooms will be in our immediate future. More rain tonight!