Gary Levenson-Palmer recently photographed a beautiful sunset.
Doesn't it relax you just to see it?
We have a big holiday weekend coming up. I am told most places to stay are booked up. If you are on the coast, Craig Tooley and I will be at the Four-Eyed Frog Bookstore, http://www.foureyedfrog.com/, Saturday May 23, from 2 to 4 pm signing our book, Mendonoma Sightings Throughout The Year. Stop by and say hello!
Thanks to Gary for allowing me to share this photo with you here.
Mark Simkins and Kitty Wolfe were at The Sea Ranch when they saw this at low tide - thousand of mussels.
Other creatures to look for are Sea Urchins. Craig Tooley took this photo.
And Sea Stars, this one photographed by Noel Olson. It is an Ochre Sea Star.
Thanks to Mark, Craig, and Noel for allowing me to share their photos with you here. Tide pooling is a Coast tradition.
To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com.
This weekend brought calmer weather and abalone divers from near and far headed to the Mendonoma Coast. The swells were minimal but the visibility was not good. That didn't stop seekers of red treasure from finding their goal.
Here is a photo from a recent dive. Roger Rude and his dive buddy, Jack Likins, each got a ten+ inch abalone. Roger also speared a Lingcod.
Rick and I took a walk on the Walk-on-Beach public access trail on The Sea Ranch yesterday, Saturday. We greeted two abalone divers headed back to their truck. They were tired but happy. We saw the trail they used to get down the bluff face. It is steep, very steep. I guess abalone divers must be part mountain goat!
Here is a photo of the iridescent interior of an Abalone shell, taken by Craig Tooley
Thanks to Jack for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To learn more about abalone diving, preparing abalone, and much more, here is a link to Eric Anderson's awesome website: http://www.abaloneten.com/home
To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com
Peter Cracknell caught this Osprey resting on a branch. Ospreys have returned to the Mendonoma Coast to build or rebuild their nests, pair up and hopefully start a new family.
Ospreys build their nests on top of flat-top trees. The nests are quite substantial, as they must survive the winds that blow in from the northwest in springtime and from the southwest in stormy weather. Here is an Osprey nest photographed by Craig Tooley.
The Osprey nest that Rick and I can see through our spotting scope blew down in the December storms so the Osprey pair have been busy rebuilding it. The female is now sitting on the nest so perhaps there is an egg or two in there. I hope so!
Thanks to Peter and Craig 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.
Some of the "boys" were in an amorous mood but the lone female Gray Whale wasn't interested. To get away from the males, she did a maneuver that looks like she's standing on her head. Barry Weiss and Craig Tooley each got photos of this. The first photo is Barry's.
This isn't the right time of year for females to be impregnated. But tell that to the fellas.
Thanks to Barry and Craig 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