Tag Archives: Jon Shiu

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I had never seen this before. Brown Pelicans rest and take shelter on offshore rocks. Jon Shiu noticed hundreds, perhaps a thousand or more, in the water, together in quite a few large groups, very close to the Mendocino Headlands.

I sent Jon's photos to several ornithologists and they had never seen this either. I hope to learn more in the days ahead. It must have been a safe haven for them!

Thanks to Jon for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

Sunny and warm (70+ degrees!) today, a beautiful day on the Mendonoma Coast!

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Bald Eagles continue to expand northward as their numbers increase. Jon Shiu photographed this Bald Eagle flying over the Navarro River.

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

"For such a powerful bird, the Bald Eagle emits surprisingly weak-sounding calls—usually a series of high-pitched whistling or piping notes. The female may repeat a single, soft, high-pitched note that has been called “unlike any other calls in nature”; apparently this signals her readiness for copulation." You can listen for yourself at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/sounds

Thanks to Jon for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

We are having cool and dry weather. No rain predicted for at least a week or more. There are overhead clouds late this afternoon, which are making for a dreamy-looking sunset!

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Acorn woodpeckers have been busy gathering up their namesake nuts and storing them in granary trees. Jon Shiu wrote, “I observed a couple acorn woodpeckers in Little River."

[At first] I have not seen them with any acorns. But I looked a little closer and could see the acorns.” Jon photographed a granary tree, a dead upright tree where they drilled holes to store their acorns.

These woodpeckers drill thousands of holes in dead trees, utility poles, and other wood, filling them with harvested acorns. The whole group constantly monitors and moves drying acorns to smaller holes to keep them secure from theft by other animals.

When my research mentioned “other wood,” I had no idea these birds would use an empty birdhouse for storage in Gualala. Mark Escajeda wrote, “We enjoy our delightfully noisome year-round neighbors, a community of acorn woodpeckers. They fly around and chat among themselves as if they own the place, which we guess in many ways they do. This year they've taken advantage of the idled birdhouses we have on our side of the fence. We'll clean the houses in late winter for springtime nesting by violet-green swallows and western bluebirds, but in the meantime, we're happy to help.”

Watching Nature is fascinating! Thanks to Jon and Mark for allowing me to share their photos with  you here.

We received 1.14 inches from the first storm, 25.27 season to date. Next storm is about to hit!

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Brown pelicans are so much fun to watch. They ride the wind currents over the bluffs and rocky islands in the ocean. Steve Woolson recently photographed these pelicans headed south.

Jon Shiu photographed many brown pelicans resting on the bluffs and rocks at the Mendocino Headlands.

Through my spotting scope, I can see a hundred of more brown pelicans resting overnight on Fish Rocks off Anchor Bay. And the Gualala River, with its big sandbar, plays host to hundreds every day recently.

They will soon head south to their breeding grounds and I will miss them until they return in the spring.

Thanks to Steve and Jon for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Yesterday we had a storm rumbled through. 1.18 inches at Rick's and my place. 3.41 inches season to date. Today it is cool - mid 50's - with some showers. The sunset could be amazing!

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Jon Shiu got a touching photo of two Great Blue Herons with their necks entwined. He wrote, “Must be nesting time for Great Blue Herons? Seen March 4, 2025 near Mendocino.”

Great Blue Herons nest in colonies with the nests high up in trees. There has been an active colony along Big River near Mendocino.

I read that Great Blue Herons attract mates by twining their necks, clattering their bills, and raising their nuptial plumes. Then I needed to look up nuptial plumes. They are long, decorative feathers that grow during breeding season, which they use to display and attract mates during courtship.

Thanks to Jon for allowing me to share his photo with you here!

It's storming here today - lots of wind and rain. As of this morning, Sunday, our rain total shows 57.32 inches season to date. There is more than one inch in our gauge from today's storm, and it's still pouring. Will we hit 60 inches??? 50 inches is a normal, wet winter for us, so this is another very good rain year.