Tag Archives: Karen Wilkinson

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Sometimes you can hardly believe your eyes. Greg Talamini photographed this beautiful sight from his home in Gualala!

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

Bonus sighting: Lots of Humpback Whales have been seen swimming north.

Additional bonus sightings can be had at the Gualala Arts Center. Today was opening day for Meadow as Muse, curated by Karen Wilkinson. It's fantastic! Here's a link to learn more about it: https://gualalaarts.org/2026/05/meadow-as-muse/

Absolutely stunning day here today, with a nice breeze.

 

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Here is a Calypso Orchid which was photographed by Eddie Reiter. These flowers are so tiny, it's amazing we see them. But the splash of pink/purple amongst the greens and browns may very well catch your eye.

Chris Pechal found a rare white Calypso Orchid, which is a treat to see.

Karen Wilkinson found one of her favorite wildflowers, a Checker Lily.

Many more wildflowers are blooming now as we are having an early bloom.

Thanks to Eddie, Chis and Karen for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's sunny and warm here today, with no wind. There is a chance of rain in a few days. I hope so!

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Nancy Feehan found a very early Calypso orchid near Timber Cove.

 

And Karen Wilkinson found Shooting stars at Salt Point State Park.

Mirka Knaster found the first Douglas iris in bloom.

I love seeing the wildflowers arrive. It's like greeting old friends. Thanks to Nancy, Karen and Mirka for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's been very cold - 35 degrees this morning - and rainy, though we did have a dry spell during much of the day. It's raining again now. Tomorrow, Friday, is predicted to be dry as is early Saturday. Then more rain comes in! 36.02 inches so far season to date.

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A Coast Gartersnake with blue eyes? That’s what Karen Wilkinson recently saw. She wrote, “I was able to snap a quick photo of this snake whose eyes looked a little strange.” Karen found this information on the web. "Garter snakes with blue-ish eyes are undergoing the shedding process, where the old skin, including the one covering their eyes, is being shed. This process causes the eye to appear cloudy blue due to fluid buildup between the old and new skin layers. The blue-ish eyes are a normal part of this process and indicate the snake is about to shed its skin.”

I sent Karen’s photo to herpetologist Gary Nafis and he concurred. He wrote, “The picture is a good illustration of why snake keepers call a snake that's going to shed ‘in blue.’ They get a bit cranky then because they can't see well.”

Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photo with you here! And you can learn so much from Gary's website: https://californiaherps.com/

It was drippy foggy this morning, but it pulled back over the Pacific Ocean this afternoon. Temps are very mild, around 60 degrees. No wind!

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Karen Wilkinson had a rare sighting. Experts confirmed she had photographed a Sage Thrasher, a rare bird sighting here. She wrote, “It was a delightful but windy morning on the bluff and this sighting had me puzzling over an ID.  As I watched it for a while, its posture, behavior, and field marks sort of reminded me of three different birds (hermit thrush, mockingbird, rock wren), but none were right in the moment. I was stumped. After coming home and reviewing photos I'm fairly confident that I was looking at a Sage Thrasher - but I would really appreciate confirmation on this one, since I've certainly never seen one here on the coast.”

I sent Karen’s photos to Peter Pyle and Robert Keiffer who agreed with Karen’s ID. Robert wrote, “Yes, Sage Thrasher!  One of my nemesis species for Mendocino County, so the records are few and far-between for the county.  You cannot see the white wingbars, but the profile, mandible shape, light yellow eye, white tail tips evident, streaked breast, grayish-brown overall are all fitting characteristics. Do you enter your records on eBird?  You definitely should for this observation. Great find!” Karen’s sighting was in Sonoma County, where Diane Hichwa tells me there have been very few recorded sightings over the years. And Karen did post her sighting.

To hear the complex song of a male Sage Thrasher, here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sage_Thrasher/sounds

I read on their website that one male was recorded singing for 22 minutes straight!

Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

Fog over the ocean kept the immediate coast cool, but it heated up just a little ways away. Low 80's at Rick's and my place in Anchor Bay today!