Tag Archives: Craig Tooley

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Craig Tooley spotted these two young White-tailed Kites recently, something we don't see very often.

I love these raptors. It's fun watching them hover in the air, looking for their favorite meal of small rodents. Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to hear their chirping call: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Kite/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 his website: www.ruffimage.com

Sunny and mild today, though the Pacific Ocean is crashing, making a lot of noise!

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Red-shouldered Hawks are seen year-round here on the Mendonoma coast. They aren't a common sighting, like a Red-tailed Hawk, however. So it's always a treat to see one. Craig Tooley photographed one recently.

Craig also photographed the hawk we can usually see every day, a Red-tailed Hawk.

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

Sunny, breezy and cool here today. It looks like our portion of the coast will avoid a planned power outage on Wednesday Nov. 20. The rains can't come quick enough! Next week, according to the forecast.

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Craig wrote, “This is a Hoverfly called a Margined Calligrapher. It’s feeding on one of those non-native dandelions.”

They are quite beneficial in your garden. The larvae eat aphids and thrips, and the adults feed on a variety of flowers, pollinating them as they go.

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

Now starts the three-day holiday weekend. It looks like the weather will be stellar. Yesterday, Harbor Porpoises were seen off Fish Rocks and then off the Point Arena Harbor. Brown Pelicans are here in  abundance, always a joy to see.

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Craig Tooley spotted this Spotted Towhee feeding her hungry chick. The chick is on the right, with its beak open wide.

Here's a photo of a Spotted Towhee taken some years ago by Bill Frizzell. They are beautiful birds that love to search for seeds, berries and insects on the ground. We often see them at our place, underneath the bird feeder. The Steller's Jays often knock seed out of the feeder, thus helping out the Spotted Towhees.

To hear their various calls, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spotted_Towhee/sounds

The third call on their list, the California recording, is what I often hear.

Thanks to Craig and Bill 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

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It's fun to see spiderwebs covered in dew or wet fog. Karen Wilkinson recently photographed one.

Craig Tooley photographed one that we used in our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year.

 

And Peter Cracknell found one too.

Orb-weaver spiders spin the most intricate webs, so perhaps all three of these were created by Orb-weavers. When a spider begins to build her web, she waits for a breeze that sends her from one spot to another. As the breeze moves her, she lays down the first strand. She secures it and then carefully crosses it, laying a second strand. Learning more about the process makes me appreciate spiderwebs. I try to leave them intact and admire them for the amazing creations they are.

Thanks to Karen, Craig and Peter for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Sunny and breezy today!