Tag Archives: John Batchelder

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John Batchelder noticed the tall dorsal fin indicative of an Orca, aka Killer Whale. Then he saw a second one. California Sea Lions had been seen rafting in the same area two days earlier.

 Orcas aren't Whales - they are actually Dolphins, albeit BIG ones!

Below you will see the Sea Lions John photographed two days before the Orcas showed up.

Orcas hunt Sea Lions, among other large creatures of the sea. Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

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John Batchelder photographed this Red-shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, perched on a roof on The Sea Ranch.

You can find this Hawk in California and in the East. They eat small mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and crayfish. I bet this Hawk is keeping an eagle eye out (or a hawk eye out) for a nice fat rodent.

Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see a photo of a seemingly headless Red-shouldered Hawk, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/11/10/craig-tooley-says-to-look-out-for-a-headless-hawk-in-the-forest-yes-hes-joking/

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There have been sightings of a Gray Whale or two off the Mendonoma Coast. This whale was photographed by John Batchelder. It was seen off of The Sea Ranch.

Another Gray Whale was spotted by Ken Bailey off of Point Arena. Ken was out in his boat when he saw the whale. But Ken saw something else that really surprised him - a Mola mola. They like warm water so this might be a sign the Tuna are or will soon be running. No photo of the very strange-looking Sunfish. Ken said it was so big a Gull was sitting on it! Amazing.
Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photo with you here. 

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June is when the first Black Oystercatcher chicks are born. Haematopus bachmani is their Latin name and they are found on the Pacific Coast, from Baja to Alaska. They are a noisy bird - a Sightings contributor deemed them "chattery." They nest on rocky perches and you will see their chicks look like little rocks, giving them a measure of camouflage.

This first photo was taken by Coastal photographer, Craig Tooley. There are three chicks in the photo.

 And the photo below was taken by John Batchelder. I see only two chicks in John's photo.

To hear their call, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_oystercatcher/sounds

Thanks to John and Craig for allowing me to share their photos here. To see more of Craig Tooley's wildlife photographs, here's the link to his website: http://ruffimage.com/

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You have to look closely at Adrian's photo. The Gray Whale's back looks like a small rock out in the Pacific Ocean.

As you can see from Adrian's photograph, the grasses are lush now, with plenty of feed for our wildlife.

And here's a closer look at two Gray Whales seen off of The Sea Ranch several weeks ago and photographed by John Batchelder.

Thanks to Adrian and John for allowing me to share their photos with you here.