Tag Archives: Diane Hichwa

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I'll let Diane Hichwa tell the story:

"We rescued and released an injured owl. This small Northern Pygmy-Owl flew into a window.” Diane, experienced in bird rescue, went to the site where the little owl was standing, stunned. “I put the owl on a heating pad overnight for observation and could hear him clacking his beak at me – a good sign.

Northern Pygmy-Owl by Diane Hichwa

“After grabbing my finger a few times the next morning, I felt the little guy was good to go! He flew off strongly into the shrubby vegetation he calls home. He left a nice little owl pellet in the box. Pygmy-owls weigh about four ounces, and are four inches tall, but they are fierce hunters of birds!”

A happy ending! Thanks to Diane for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Diane is trained in bird rescue. Would you like to take the training? Here's the link to the Bird Rescue Center of Santa Rosa: https://www.birdrescuecenter.org/

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The Prince, Agaricus augustus, had a bloom several weeks ago here on the Coast. Diane Hichwa had one big Prince come up between two decorative owls.

Prince mushroom nestled between two ornamental Owls by Diane Hichwa

For those who know their mushroom identification, this is a delicious edible.

Today the fog has pulled way back and this afternoon is splashed with sunshine.

Thanks to Diane for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

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Lady's Tresses, Spiranthes romanzoffiana, are members of the Orchid family. They are late-blooming and grow in moist habitats. Diane Hichwa found this orchid and Craig Tooley photographed it.

Lady's Tresses, Sprianthes romanzoffiana, by Craig Tooley

It's called Lady's Tresses because the spiral is thought to remind you of a lady's braided hair. The scientific name of this orchid honors Count Romanzoff. The good count was the Russian patron of botany.

Thanks to Diane for finding this beauty and 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

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Ken Browning recently led a geology hike at Gualala Point Regional Park. He showed us a small earthquake fault at the south end of the beach.

The fault is below the fence and wind-blown trees.

 Here's a closeup of the fault.

 Close by are these wonderful moon rocks. These formations are also at Salt Point State Park. I discuss these formations at this blog post: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2013/03/02/moon-rocks-and-a-few-other-oddities-at-salt-point-park-as-photographed-by-john-sperry/ if you'd like to learn more. That is Diane Hichwa inspecting the formation.

 And I was struck by this rock's impersonation of a turtle. Hope you enjoy it.

If you'd like to learn more about this beautiful park, here's the link: http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Get_Outdoors/Parks/Gualala_Point_Regional_Park.aspx There is a wonderful campground in this park on the east side of Highway 1 with campsites right along the Gualala River.

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It's always a treat to see the Tall Ships sail by. The Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain had come to Bodega Bay recently. John Sperry photographed them at anchor.

There were tours and the chance to sail with the crew. Since their home base is in the state of Washington, we are treated to the sight of these two ships sailing by several times a year. Diane Hichwa caught the Lady Washington on April 17 sailing north.