Tag Archives: Gualala

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Terry Pfardresher found something we don’t see very often in her garden in Gualala. She wrote, “Any idea who this character is? Wings are too large for a bumblebee.” It’s a Snowberry Clearwing, Hemaris diffinis, a member of the Sphinx family.

Naturalist Laura Baker identified the diurnal moth. She wrote, “When the adults emerge (eclose), they have scales on their wings, but with a few shudders, the scales fall off, leaving the wings transparent and the moth resembling a bumblebee. Caterpillars feed mainly on snowberry and honeysuckle while adults nectar on a variety of plants.”

Mother Nature is simply amazing!

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

It's cool and windy, with clouds scudding by. It actually looks like we could get some sprinkles!

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Bill Budge had his camera at the ready when one of the migrating gray whales breached. He wrote, “I got this photo of a gray whale breaching from our deck. He/she was probably just off Cooks Beach.”

We've seen the first mother/calf pairs. Yesterday, Tuesday, Shari Goforth found a pair just north of Gualala. In the first photo, the mother whale blows three times. In the second photo you can see a calf pressed up to its mom and giving a smaller, solo blow.

Thanks to Bill and Shari for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Another calm, beautiful day today.

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Lynn Bailey sent along a motion detector video from March 4 at the Villa del Mar main dumpster. This is in Gualala. It showed a mountain lion strolling through, a gray fox hurrying along, two more mountain lions, followed by a raccoon. The raccoon headed straight for the dumpster.

Here's a photo of a healthy-looking Mountain Lion taken by Susan Sandoval for you to see.

Here is the lone Mountain Lion:

Next is the Gray Fox:

Then two Mountain Lions:

And lastly the Raccoon:

That's a busy place! Thanks to Lynn for allowing me to share his videos with you here. the photo of the Mountain Lion was taken in a previous year by Susan Sandoval. The Sandovals and Lynn Bailey live fairly close to one another!

It's a spectacular day here today. Sunny and warm. Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those who celebrate them!

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Last week Paul Brewer saw this Osprey with a cabezon in its talons. It's always thrilling when the Ospreys return.

The nest Rick and I have watched through our spotting scope for more than 20 years is once again occupied. This Osprey is flying north so maybe it is one of the mated pair we are fortunate to see - Paul lives in Gualala and our place is north a few miles, in Anchor Bay.

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with  you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is the link: https://paulbrewer.smugmug.com/

It's a beautiful sunny day here, with some breezes. High in the low 70's. There is a fog bank over the ocean, so some areas could be in fog...like Point Arena, perhaps.

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We are having an irruption of CA Tortoise Shell Butterflies. They do have similar colors of Monarchs, but they are much smaller. Shari Goforth got this photo of one of the dozens in my courtyard yesterday.

They were being seen in vast numbers yesterday, Saturday, down in Bodega Bay and in Jenner. Cynthia Schreiner wrote to me last night: "Many people in Bodega Bay saw thousands of butterflies  today, colored/looked like Monarchs, flying south? For an hour maybe two they were everywhere,  not milling around  but quite intent on going south.  So cool, they just didn't alight to get a Pic."

Mating for these butterflies, Nymphalis californica, takes place from March to May, when they emerge from their winter hibernation once the weather warms up.

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

And warm up it has! Another toasty day with no wind here on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast.