Michael Coustier recently photographed this young Bald Eagle. Birder Diane Hichwa took a look at Michael's photo, saying it looks good for a two and a half year old.
We so fortunate to have Bald Eagles back here on the Mendonoma Coast. They are a joy to observe.
Thanks to Michael for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Get just a bit away from the immediate coast and it's darn right toasty today!
Chas Higgins found a hummingbird that rarely is seen here. Could it have veered from its migratory path? He wrote, “I caught this hummingbird making a quick visit to my garden on the meadow at the north end of Sea Ranch"
"It wasn’t until this morning when I uploaded it to my laptop that I realized it wasn’t one of the Anna’s that usually visit us. I sent it to Diane who shared it with Tim Bray and they agree that it’s a Black-chinned hummingbird, not often seen on our coast. I hope the paper can reproduce the purple in the gorget that marks it as a Black-chinned.”
I meant to share this earlier but better late...well, you know!
Thanks to Chas for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Sunny and windy and cool here on the coast today!
Several weeks ago Diane Hichwa saw this beautiful sight from her The Sea Ranch home.
Quite an amazing sunset!
Thanks to Diane for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
Rain report: Yesterday's storm was a deluge. It didn't relent for many hours. At Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay we received a total of 7.32 inches from the storm that began on Monday evening and rained continuously through Tuesday. That's a truckload of rain! Season to date is 45.33 inches. We now have warm, dry weather predicted through the rest of this week.
***Bonus sighting: this afternoon, Wednesday, I saw an Osprey on the nest we've watched for over twenty years. The male returns first and I saw him poking at the remnants of the nest. It's very exciting to see this Osprey return today!
Karen Wilkinson had a rare sighting. Experts confirmed she had photographed a Sage Thrasher, a rare bird sighting here. She wrote, “It was a delightful but windy morning on the bluff and this sighting had me puzzling over an ID. As I watched it for a while, its posture, behavior, and field marks sort of reminded me of three different birds (hermit thrush, mockingbird, rock wren), but none were right in the moment. I was stumped. After coming home and reviewing photos I'm fairly confident that I was looking at a Sage Thrasher - but I would really appreciate confirmation on this one, since I've certainly never seen one here on the coast.”
I sent Karen’s photos to Peter Pyle and Robert Keiffer who agreed with Karen’s ID. Robert wrote, “Yes, Sage Thrasher! One of my nemesis species for Mendocino County, so the records are few and far-between for the county. You cannot see the white wingbars, but the profile, mandible shape, light yellow eye, white tail tips evident, streaked breast, grayish-brown overall are all fitting characteristics. Do you enter your records on eBird? You definitely should for this observation. Great find!” Karen’s sighting was in Sonoma County, where Diane Hichwa tells me there have been very few recorded sightings over the years. And Karen did post her sighting.
To hear the complex song of a male Sage Thrasher, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sage_Thrasher/sounds
I read on their website that one male was recorded singing for 22 minutes straight!
Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photos with you here.
Fog over the ocean kept the immediate coast cool, but it heated up just a little ways away. Low 80's at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay today!
I love owls! Esther Shain found this Barn Owl roosting in the daylight hours.
When I asked Diane Hichwa what this nocturnal owl was doing during the middle of the day, she said, "Well, they have to be somewhere!" Yes, I guess they do...
Thanks to Esther for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
There was some fog this morning, which came up from the south, but it's sunny this afternoon. Temps are on the cool side, just the way we like them! 69 degrees this afternoon.