This a Raven with an attitude. Tim Gonzalez and his wife, Susan, were visiting their friends, Peggy and Mike Mee, at The Sea Ranch. They noticed this big black bird staring at something in the meadow. There stood a Gray Fox, seemingly intimidated by the stern Raven.
You can just imagine what the Raven might say to the Fox. Thanks to Tim for allowing me to share his photo with you here.
Like the Salal Trail, the Stengel Beach Public Access Trail is a little hard to find. To access the Stengel Beach Trail you turn off of Highway One onto Wild Iris at mile marker 53.96. You will then see the pay station and parking on the right. This is a very short trail with a big pay-off with enough rain - a waterfall!
Below is the sign that you will be looking for at the entrance.
And here is a portion of the easy trail out to the bluffs.
Looking down over the waterfall and over Stengel Beach. Bring a coat! It can be very cold on the bluffs.
To learn about the beautiful Salal Trail, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/01/30/how-to-find-the-salal-trail-a-hidden-gem-of-a-trail-on-the-sea-ranch/
Winter sunsets are the best! Carolyn André recently photographed a beautiful, golden sunset from The Sea Ranch.
Thanks to Carolyn for allowing me to share her photo with you here!
There are many beautiful sunset pictures posted on this blog. Here's a link to one at Gualala Point Regional Park: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/08/01/beautiful-sunset-at-gualala-point-regional-park/
This past week Cathleen Crosby and her granddaughter, Tali, came across a small Pacific Tree Frog on The Sea Ranch. The way it's looking at Cathleen's camera makes me think this frog has an attitude! This would be a fun photo to have a caption contest.
This is the only frog who's call is "ribbitt, ribbitt." It is usually green but can change color to help camouflage itself. These frogs are found on the West Coast all the way up to British Columbia. To see another photo Cathleen took of a Pacific Tree Frog on a spa, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2011/10/21/a-tiny-frog-with-a-big-voice-meet-the-pacific-tree-frog/
This past week we've had high surf on the Coast. John Sperry photographed the Pacific Ocean in full boil mode in the Timber Cove area of Sonoma County. You can see the mist the ocean is throwing into the air. Just beautiful.
Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see another dramatic photo of the Pacific Ocean that Carolyn André took from The Sea Ranch last month, here's the link: http://www.mendonomasightings.com/2012/01/09/dramatic-photo-of-the-sonoma-coast-by-carolyn-andre/