Tag Archives: Jon Shiu

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Brown Pelicans are migrating south, and they rest and fish off the Mendonoma Coast. Jon Shiu recently photographed some of the action, and he was happily surprised that he also captured the blow, the exhalation, of what we think is a Humpback Whale.

Scott and Tree Mercer of Mendonoma Whale and Seal Study have been chronicling the Humpback Whales here in September and so far in October. They have a wonderful symposium tomorrow and here are the details:

We are presenting The FOURTH ANNUAL OCEAN LIFE SYMPOSIUM on Friday, October 7 from 9AM TO 4PM. Hosted by KGUA FM 88.3. streaming on the internet and presented live on KGUA’s YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
SCHEDULE:
9AM to 10AM- Tree and Scott Mercer, Introducing the Symposium.
10AM to 11AM- Dr. Stacy Ann Robinson, Professor, Colby College in Maine.
11AM to noon- Jack Barkowski of Moss Landing Marine Laboratory.
Noon to 1PM - Laura Crane of Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, Wells, Maine.
1 PM - 2 PM - Howard Garrett of Orca Network in Washington.
2 PM - 3 PM- Dr. Lei Lani Stelle, Professor at University of Redlands, Redlands, California.
Since this symposium is live streamed, you can tune in anywhere in the world!
Thanks to Jon for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Lots of fog covering the ocean today, and the temps are nice and cool.

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Jon Shiu photographed a Chestnut-backed Chickadee singing, very possibly for a mate. Male birds also sing to establish their territories. But this is Spring so I'm going with singing for a mate.

You can here this bird's call at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website at this link: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chestnut-backed_Chickadee/sounds

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

Boy, oh, boy, is it ever windy here today. Sunny with gusts of wind!

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Jon Shiu saw this Fogbow and said it only lasted a few minutes. It's a treat to see one, as they don't happen very often.

Here's some information from EarthSky.org regarding this phenomenon:

"Fogbows are sometimes called white rainbows, or cloudbows or ghost rainbows. They’re made much as rainbows are, from the same configuration of sunlight and moisture. Rainbows happen when the air is filled with raindrops. You always see a rainbow in the direction opposite the sun. Fogbows are much the same, always opposite the sun, but fogbows are caused by the small droplets inside a fog or cloud rather than larger raindrops.

Look for fogbows in a thin fog when the sun is bright. You might see one when the sun breaks through a fog. Or watch for fogbows over the ocean.

Because the water droplets in fog are so small, fogbows have only weak colors or are colorless."

Look for a fogbow in the morning! I saw one once when Rick and I were traveling down Highway One. After Rick pulled over, I tried to take a photo but my camera wouldn't focus on it! Rick, being more experienced, took over and manually focused to get the photograph. And in a minute or two, the fogbow was a memory.

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

Rain and more rain today! I'll report on the totals tomorrow. But we are fast approaching the total of all last season, which is great news.

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Jon Shiu noticed this young Peregrine Falcon hunting to our north. The peregrine nabbed a Gull for its dinner as many people observed the action.

Here’s what National Geographic says about these birds: “These falcons are formidable hunters that prey on other birds (and bats) in mid-flight. Peregrines hunt from above and, after sighting their prey, drop into a steep, swift dive that can top 200 miles an hour.”

Rick and I, along with Mel Smith, once watched a Peregrine dive at unbelievable speed after a Common Murre at the mouth of the Gualala River.

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

Another beautiful sunny day on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast.