Tag Archives: Michele Melio

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Michele Melio was at Shell Beach, one of public access trails of The Sea Ranch. She wrote, "I saw something red, maybe a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker. No, something better, a Pileated Woodpecker, nature's chainsaw."

"The Beaver is nature's builder and engineer, but the woody woodpecker lives up to its name. They can turn a tree into sawdust and wood chips in a matter of days. I've never seen one in this area before, as they generally hide and hunt in the forest on the ridge with the bigger trees. I tried my best to get a better shot, but it kept calling "ha-ha-ha-ha-ha." Then comes a noisy pair of humans walking down the trail talking loudly. It took off cackling the entire way."

It's not always easy to get a photo of one of these prehistoric-looking birds. Here's another look at one of these beauties, this one taken by Mike Petrich.

Pileateds have a very unique call. You can listen to it at this link at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/sounds

Thanks to Michele and Mike for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

The storm late Friday brought another inch of rain, and we sailed past 25 inches season to date. It's raining Saturday afternoon and another storm is due in Sunday. Bring it, Mother Nature!

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Black Phoebes are insect eaters so this flycatcher Michele Melio photographed might be on the lookout for a passing bug.

Black Phoebes make their nests out of mud so they need to be close to a water source. Those who reside year round here have the Pacific Ocean, a handful of rivers, and many seasonal creeks for their needs. They have a whistling call that you can hear at this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Phoebe/sounds

Here is a closeup of a Black Phoebe, this one taken by Craig Tooley.

Thanks to Michele and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

It's a cool, sunny day. Fog covered the Pacific Ocean for a while and there are some clouds passing by. Dry weather is predicted through the weekend, with rain the first of the week.

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Snowy Plovers are a species of concern and deemed "near threatened," which means their numbers are decreasing and we humans are to blame...as usual. There is a section of Manchester State Beach that is off-limits to dogs because Snowy Plovers live there. Michele Melio recently photographed these birds, which were feeding on kelp flies.

Their calls are a short whistle which you can listen to at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Plover/sounds There is a video showing the Snowy Plover making its nest in the sand, then making a couple of calls. You can see why dogs aren't allowed here, and people need to be very careful. Doug Forsell told me he actually makes depressions in the sand with his boots to help out these birds. Great idea!

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

We had a pretty vigorous storms in the wee hours of Friday. .80 inches fell and the season to date total is 36.40, well in excess of the TOTAL season of last year. Today we have nothing but blue skies, temps in the mid-50s. It's startlingly beautiful!

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Beautiful Western Azaleas are blooming now, along with Pacific Rhododendrons. Michele Melio recently photographed one of the fragrant azaleas.

Thanks to Michele for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Sunny and mild today with NO WIND! Yay!