Tag Archives: The Sea Ranch

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Three weeks ago Jeannie Claypoole was observing Tidepool Rookery on The Sea Ranch. She saw a Harbor Seal that seemed very antsy. Sure enough, she was about to give birth. Below you will see the baby just appearing, looking like a round ball.
I find this photo quite wonderful as it shows another Harbor Seal taking interest in the birth. The Gull is waiting to perform its job - it will consume the afterbirth.

 And below the pup is out and the mother is taking her first look at her young one.

 There is a final photo in this series and it's posted on the Independent Coast Observer's web site under On-Line Features, Sightings photos. It shows the pup and mother  bonding - a very sweet sight.
Here's the link to the ICO: www.mendonoma.com

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

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I know you've been enjoying Ron LeValley's photos of the newborn fawn sleeping on his front doormat. A friend reminded me of a similar situation from a few years ago. A Doe left her newborn on the side of a street on The Sea Ranch! The little one was fast asleep. You will see that security put up two cones to help keep the fawn safe. David McFarland sent in this sweet photo and I thank him for sharing it with us.

We've also had several white fawns born on the Coast but none so far this year. I'll be posting photos soon.

There is always something beautiful to see on the Mendonoma Coast!

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This is the first photo of an American Badger sent in to Mendonoma Sightings in the six plus years I've been doing the column, so you can see how rare it is to see an American Badger. This juvenile Badger had apparently fallen down a cliff and was unable to climb back up. Craig Tooley and Rita Peck, trained in wildlife rescue, were called after members of our ambulance service had seen it alongside Highway One in Sonoma County.

Craig said the little fellow - or gal, we don't know for sure - was VERY feisty. An man employed by the Park Service happened by and helped Craig and Rita get the Badger in a box. They climbed the steep cliff and let the Badger go in the grassy meadow - a successful wildlife rescue!

Below is a photo of a Badger mound that was seen on The Sea Ranch in 2007 and photographed by Dibby Tyler. The Badger was never seen.

To see more of Craig Tooley's wildlife photos, here's the link to his website: http://ruffimage.com/

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The expression on the faces of Harbor Seals is so endearing it is easy to fall in love with them. Siegfried and Gretel Matull have been studying and photographing Harbor Seals at The Sea Ranch for some years now. Recently Siegfried photographed two very relaxed seals. It seems all was peaceful in the rookery.

 And then the Matulls got very lucky. A Harbor Seal gave birth right on the beach and Siegfried got the shot!

And here is the pup with its mom. Siegfried says Harbor Seal mothers are wonderful in taking care of their newborn pups. You can see they have a close, loving bond.

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

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I'm very pleased to have Siegfried Matull doing a guest blog today. He and his wife Gretel live on The Sea Ranch and delight in seeing and photographing nature.

"For many years my wife Gretel and I have been admiring and photographing Gray Foxes, which now show up year-round on our property. Our biggest surprise occurred when, for the first time, we saw a Gray Fox climb up into a tree.

"Gray Foxes are the only members of the fox species that can climb up, down and through trees. They have relatively short legs but they are very powerful. One time we watched a Gray Fox in a tree, slowly descending BACKWARDS down to the ground. We have watched several times how Cats also climb backwards down from trees in the same way the Gray Fox performed.

"On another occasion we were also tremendously surprised when a Gray fox was descending down a steep branch, supporting itself by holding on with its tail around the branch.

"Surprises never end in our beautiful Mendonoma Coastal area!"

A big thank you to Siegfried for his guest blog and beautiful photos.