Craig Tooley trained his camera on a beautiful Anna's Hummingbird recently. How beautiful is this?
Craig then headed for the beach where he found a Black Turnstone.
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
When Craig Tooley has time to roam the Mendonoma coast, great photos are sure to come in. Here is a Cooper's Hawk.
Craig noticed this White-tailed Hawk soaring through the sky.
And, finally, a magnificent 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 the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com
The smoke is much less today, thank goodness, and we expect rain next week. While the onshore breeze brought heavy smoke over the Mendonoma coast, the smoke turned the sun, and the moon, a scarlet red at times. Ron Bolander photographed this sight a few days ago. Look at the red/orange "pathway" across the Pacific Ocean.
Barry Weiss captured it too.
Craig Tooley photographed The Sea Ranch White Barn in the smoky air.
And Paul Palestrini photographed a fiery sunset.
Lastly, Ruth Alexander photographed this amazing sunrise at The Sea Ranch.
Everyone is praying for rain and the end of the terrible fires, and we are so sad for those who have lost everything. Many of us knew someone who lived in Paradise. We always hold our breath this time of year, knowing everything is so dry. With rain forecast for next week, we can let that breath out in relief.
Thanks to Ron, Barry, Craig, Paul and Ruth for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
This time of year you are more likely to see a beautiful Cooper's Hawk. Craig Tooley recently spotted a young one, a juvenile, flying over The Sea Ranch, and Craig always has his camera at the ready!
Cooper's Hawks are amazing fliers. They prey on medium-sized birds, so sometimes one will perch near a bird feeder. If that happens to you, take the bird feeder down for a day or two. The male Cooper's Hawk is smaller than the female, which can work to his disadvantage if he resembles a medium-sized bird!
Their call is a "cak-cak-cak" which you can listen to at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/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 his website: www.ruffimage.com
The weather has turned warm and calm, a good prescription for seeing butterflies. In this case, Craig Tooley photographed the king of butterflies, a Monarch.
I reported Craig's sighting to Journey North, a citizen science website where they track the migrations of various animals, including Monarchs. You can participate at this link: https://journeynorth.org/monarchs
To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com