Tag Archives: Irish Beach

Tom Reindenbach found this mother Gray Fox and one kit in his garden in Irish Beach.

Here is a short video of the two. The little kit just wants to play!

Gray Fox with her kit in Irish Beach by Tom Reindendach

I think Gray Fox kits are among the cutest critters here on the Mendonoma Coast! Thanks to Tom for allowing me to share his photo and video with you here, and thanks to Carol Hofer for sending them along.

oh my goodness, someone left the heat on today. It peaked at 95 degrees. 95??? That's way too hot. Tomorrow is supposed to be quite a bit cooler. I sure hope so!

Cindy Morey found a unique nest of a Canada Goose. She wrote, “Last year at the pond in Irish Beach we had six baby goslings. Looks like Mother Goose is back again. Here she is sitting on her nest on a little ornamental house. Barely big enough for her. A Red-winged Blackbird is on the lookout for danger.”

That's a very special place for this mother goose to have her nest.

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

A small storm rolled in late last night and extended its stay through much of today, Monday. 0.35 inches in my gauge - a nice watering for all the plants.

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Paul Kozal loves photographing the night sky. Each photo is just spectacular. Here's one Paul took of the Milky Way from Cooks Beach, which is at the north end of Gualala. He got a streak of a meteor in this photo too.

Shouqin Huo wrote me last Friday,  "I caught something strange on the camera in Irish Beach last night, Thursday. It might be a meteor burning up. Whatever it was, it was close. You can hear two sonic booms in the video."

If so, it would be a meteorite. What do you think? If you can't open the short video, I believe I can email it to you. It's only four seconds long.

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his beautiful photo with you here. To see much more of Paul's art, here is his website: https://www.paulkozal.com/

And thanks to Shouqin for sharing his video!

This sighting is from over a month ago, when the King Tides were taking place. Cindy Morey had a wonderful find during the extra low tides. She wrote, “This Sea Star with 22 arms was alive and in a tide pool way out in the rocks during low tide on Irish Beach. It was really something to see. I've only seen one other one near the same place many years ago.” What Cindy photographed was a beautiful Sunflower Sea Star, Pycnopodia helianthoides.

About ten years ago, a disease called the Sea Star wasting disease severely impacted many Stars, but it seems to have hit the Sunflower Stars the hardest. It’s estimated 90 percent of the big Stars died. I have not had a sighting of one since the outbreak so Cindy’s photo was so very welcome. I shared Cindy’s photo with folks at NOAA and they were excited too. Sunflower Stars prey on Purple Urchins which proliferated in the Stars absence, so with the Stars hoped for recovery, balance may be restored in the ocean.

Thanks to Cindy for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Cindy is an artist with the Coast Highway Artists Collective. You can take a look at this link: https://coast-highway-artists.com/

Rain has returned to the Mendonoma Coast. Hooray!

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Shouqin Huo was welcomed to the coast by visits from a Bobcat. Shouqin wrote, “We recently became part-time residents of Irish Beach. During our last stay, we noticed almost daily a Bobcat hunting for gophers in the grass area between our neighbors’ houses. I would like to share a couple of photos.”

I was amazed at the Bobcat’s beautiful eyes, a light green or hazel. I learned Bobcat kits under four weeks old have bright blue eyes, which then change to green or hazel.

Thanks to Shouqin for allowing me to share these photos with you here.

Rain yesterday (0.15 inches), brilliant sunshine today, Sunday. Lots of folks at Art in the Redwoods at the Gualala Arts Center today. If you didn't make it this weekend, stop by to see the fabulous art displayed throughout the Arts Center. And check out the Best Mendonoma Sightings winner, a beautiful photo of a Great Egret by Paul Brewer!