Shari Goforth found this bald eagle hunting. She saw all the gulls take flight but the brown pelicans stayed in place. It's very rare for a bald eagle to take a much bigger brown pelican, but gulls are much easier pickings.
Thanks to Shari for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
The past weekend and today, Monday, have been warm with very little wind - perfect autumn days!
Many of us love this time of year. The light is so richly golden. James Corbett caught a recent sunset with a Brown Pelican and a handful of Gulls. Life is good on the Mendonoma Coast!
Thanks to James for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
After several days of balmy weather, it cooled off today. It almost feels like rain but so far no wet stuff!
Many of us are enjoying watching the mated pair of Bald Eagles at the Gualala River. Eric Zetterholm witnessed an interesting encounter which featured the female Bald Eagle. He wrote, “I took a walk out to the Gualala Point Beach Wednesday morning and found very large numbers of different Gulls there. A few were chasing a fish head as it was pushed and pulled by the waves. I managed to grab it without getting too wet and took a few photos before I left it for the Gulls." Not a pretty sight, I know! We think it's the head of a Steelhead.
Eric continues, “When I had walked a few hundred yards up the beach, I got sight of a Bald Eagle coming at me from down the beach. She passed me very quickly and swiftly snatched up the fish head, carrying it off to the river."
"I decided to make the long hike back up the beach, up the pathway, over the hill, down the trail, and back up the river. The eagle was still enjoying the fish as I walked down river and I was able to get fairly close to her while keeping out of her view.”
Lots going on alongside the Gualala River and the Pacific Ocean!
Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photos with you here.
Sunny, breezy, cooler day today!
Rozann Grunig recently photographed the beachgoers at the mouth of the Russian River in Jenner. There was a lot of action! Well, maybe not so much from the relaxed Harbor Seals.
Rozann's photo shows many Brown Pelicans, Gulls, and some shorebirds. The juvenile Brown Pelicans are migrating north now. The young ones have brown heads and white underparts; the adults have white heads with brown underparts.
Thanks to Rozann for allowing me to share her photo with you here.
Siegfried and Gretel Matull stopped at the mouth of the Russian River in Jenner. They found the river closed but the Harbor Seals and Gulls didn't seem to mind.
The wave action was dramatic at times and Siegfried got this photo of a crashing wave.
Rick and I had driven down the coast last Thursday and saw the river was about to flood the deck of the visitors' center. On our way back home, we saw this fellow getting ready to manually open the river - a dangerous task indeed.
We had to go down to Bodega Bay on Monday and saw that the river was at least four feet lower than it was the previous Thursday. Yes, the river was once again open to the Pacific Ocean.
Thanks to Siegfried for allowing me to share his photos with you here.