Eric Zetterholm photographed this Barn Owl recently, spotted on The Sea Ranch perched on a fence post.
Here is a close-up of two Barn Owls, taken by Jim Garlock.
Barn Owls are nocturnal - predators of the night. When they fly overhead, they look ghostly white. They don't "hoot" like some owls; their calls are a raspy scream. You can listen to it here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Owl/sounds
Thanks to Eric and Jim for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
Harm Wilkinson was sure surprised to see this Acorn Woodpecker imitating a hummingbird at his sugar-water feeder.
Harm said the woodpecker drained the hummingbird feeder.
Here's a close-up of a male Acorn Woodpecker on the left (notice the red on his head goes all the way to the white on his face) and a female (she has black between the white on her face and the red on top of her head) at a seed feeder. This photo was taken by Jim Garlock.
Thanks to Harm and Jim for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
It's always a treat to see a Red-shouldered Hawk. Mark Simkins recently photographed a young one near Manchester sitting on a fence post.
And Robert Scarola spotted a juvenile in the Sea Ranch area. These hawks are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast.
Robert also photographed this forest hawk on a rainy day and the bird doesn't look pleased!
These hawks have a distinctive call. You can hear it at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/sounds
Here is what an adult looks like, photo taken by Jim Garlock. No more brown head!
Thanks to Mark, Robert, and Jim for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
One of my favorite birds is the clown-faced Acorn Woodpecker. They often appear at our birdfeeder. Clay Yale and Siegfried Matull recently photographed two Acorn Woodpeckers. Both photos show a female. First here is Siegfried's photo.
And next is Clay's photo.
To show you the difference between a male and female Acorn Woodpecker, here is a photo taken by Jim Garlock. The female is on the right and the male is on the left. Note that the red on top of the male's head is bigger and there is no black between his white and red feathers on his face.
The sound of Acorns is quite distinctive. Some describe it as "waka waka." To hear for yourself, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/acorn_woodpecker/sounds
Thanks to Siegfried, Clay and Jim for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
What a season we are having this year with wild mushrooms. Hedgehog mushrooms, one of my favorites, are up in abundance, as are Winter Chanterelles and Black Trumpets. One of the most distinctive mushrooms is the Fly Amanita. Jim Garlock recently photographed one.
Rick and I went on a mushroom hunt last week, looking for edibles, of course. We found a treasure trove of Matsutakes! Also found was a Shaggy Man, Candy Caps, Black Trumpets and Hedgehogs.
Finding edible mushrooms in the forest is like finding treasure - a gift from Mother Nature.
Thanks to Jim for allowing me to share his photo with you here.