Tag Archives: Craig Tooley

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Calypso Orchids, Calypso bulbosa, are blooming in undisturbed forests now. Craig Tooley recently photographed one.

Don't be fooled by Craig's extreme close-up - these native wildflowers are very tiny, only about three inches high. Notice the leaf on the left of the flower. It is easier to spot as it lays nearly flat on the forest floor. These wildflowers need a fungus in the soil to thrive so they can not be transplanted. They are also called Fairy Slippers or Venus's Slippers.

This morning Rick and I walked our neighbor's property where a handful grow. Yes, Lonnie and Bob, they are blooming now!

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

Absolutely lovely day with blue skies and a gentle breeze. Gray Whale spouts can be seen over the serene Pacific Ocean. Things are to change tomorrow with the promise of rain.

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Always lovely to see, Western Trilliums are in bloom on the Mendonoma Coast now. Tricia Schuster photographed one of the first ones to bloom.

Promise me you won't pick them! If picked, the leaf-like bracts won't be there to produce food for next year. Picking trilliums can kill them, or at the very least, set them back for years. So not worth it, right?

Western Trillium blossoms change color as they age. Here's a photo Craig Tooley took some years ago showing the fresh white trillium and an older trillium, perhaps 5 to 7 days older, with a pink blossom.

Thanks to Tricia and Craig 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: www.ruffimage.com

Another sunny, warm, dry - as in no rain for weeks - day. New flash! The first of the northbound Gray Whales have been seen of our coast. These are the newly pregnant females headed to their feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

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A rare bird was seen the week after the Christmas Bird Count in January. Diane Hichwa wrote, “Last Wednesday Bill and Paget Lenarz, who had come up to help with the Bird Count, were still watching for birds. They noticed at Pebble Beach a very light gull on the sand below. Not wanting to disturb it, they stayed on the bluff trail. They called me, and I phoned Craig Tooley to get photos. This was just what was needed to document the bird!”

Diane sent Craig’s photos to Dan Nelson, a Sonoma County expert on gulls, and he confirmed the sighting. He wrote, “A classic first winter Glaucous Gull. Nice!!” The Audubon Guide describes this gull as “a big, pale, ghostly gull of the far north.”

It's easy to take gulls for granted, but they can travel great distances, and have a story to tell. Glaucous Gulls are the second-largest gulls in the world! You can hear their calls at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Glaucous_Gull/sounds

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: www.ruffimage.com

The wind arrived during the night. Today the ocean is whipped up into a froth and it's sunny, but chilly.

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The Christmas Bird Count takes place in January here on the Mendonoma coast. During the event, a Red-tailed Hawk nest was seen at The Sea Ranch. The call went out to wildlife photographer Craig Tooley to come and photograph it. Craig got one of the Red-tails perched on the side of the nest as the other flew away. The hawks were working on reinforcing the nest. They use the same nests for some years.

Eric Zetterholm recently photographed a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, the larger female and the smaller male, near the Gualala River.

We don't know if the nest Craig photographed is their nest.

John Wall also photographed a Red-tailed Hawk, perched on a Sea Ranch road sign. John said there was a new traffic cop in town!

Thanks to Craig, Eric and John for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's wildlife photograph, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

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Several people have reported seeing these beautiful little warblers. Craig Tooley found a Townsend's Warbler recently.

Bob Rutemoeller got a couple of photos of Townsend's Warblers at the Gualala Bluff Trail.

These small warblers breed to our north, but we get to see them this time of year as they overwinter on the coast. They forage for insects, usually high in tree tops. They have a distinctive, high-pitched call, which you can listen to at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Townsends_Warbler/sounds

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

The King Tides are happening now through Sunday, larger than normal high tides. That means minus tides to balance out the equation. Minus tides give you a window into tide pools usually covered in water.

Sunny, cool weather with rain coming in tonight. I love winter!