Tag Archives: The Sea Ranch

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Black-necked Stilts, with their long pink legs, are an uncommon sighting here on the Mendonoma Coast. But Eric Zetterholm spotted one on a beach at The Sea Ranch, along with three Whimbrels. Eric photographed the elegant Stilt and one of the Whimbrels.

It's interesting to see how this bird flies, with its loooong legs stretched out behind its body. A very nice sighting! A close-up photo of this bird will be in Thursday's Independent Coast Observer in my Mendonoma Sightings column.

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

Sunny and breezy and warm today!

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Eric Zetterholm was at the bluffs overlooking Tidepool Beach at The Sea Ranch last Saturday when he saw perhaps the very first Harbor Seal pup appear. This little one headed for the water rather than resting on the sand.

And while in the water, the pup touches noses with his or her mother, a sweet bonding moment.

Docents are out on The Sea Ranch bluffs to make sure people are quiet and that they, and their dogs, stay away from the peaceful scene below. The beach is for the Harbor Seals now.

And a word of caution - many mothers leave their newborn pups on the beach while they go into the ocean to find food. The pups do NOT need to be rescued. If you believe a seal is in distress, call the Marine Mammal Center at 415 289-7325 [SEAL]. They will send a trained volunteer to assess the situation. Rarely does a pup need to be rescued. The mother returns to her sweet pup and all is well.

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

Fog is shrouding the immediate coast, but it is sunny a little ways away. I am looking out at a sea of white today; it's covering the Pacific Ocean. No wind today, which is nice.

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Ron Champoux photographed a beautiful rainbow over The Sea Ranch after the last storm.

There is sure to be a pot of gold on those rocks!

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

ooo, it's windy today. Real windy. It's the kind of day you don't bother worrying about your hair. A friend calls this "egg beater hair."

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John and Nicole Forte went tide pooling off Navigtor's Beach on The Sea Ranch. They spotted this small octopus, who's common name is Ruby Octopus or Pacific Red Octopus.

The Ruby Octopus is thought to be very intelligent, like most octopuses. They have distinctive personalities. Like all octopuses, they can change color and texture. What an amazing little octopus John and Nicole found.

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

We are having minus tides in the afternoon now, a perfect time to find a tide pool to explore!

Today we are having the calm after the storm. It's cool but absolutely beautiful. Tree Mercer tells me she and Scott are seeing lots of Gray Whales swimming northward today.

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Michael Reinhart checked the bluffs on The Sea Ranch and found several Pelagic Cormorants paired up and already building nests. This is very early, experts agree.

Here is a cormorant with nesting materials in its mouth.

And here is a Pelagic Cormorant in flight. Beautiful, don't you think? The white patch on this seabird's flank shows it is in breeding plumage.

Pelagic Cormorants are mostly silent but they do make some sounds, including groans, when breeding. You can listen here, a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pelagic_Cormorant/sounds

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

Today the weather story is WIND! It's sunny but the wind is howling. It's no fun to be out on the bluffs today!