Bobcat!

Rozann Grunig has the magic - Bobcat magic! She had this beauty saunter across the front of her property and turn around and look back at her, as if posing. Rozann got several great photos. I thank her for sharing this one with us here.

Bobcats have great hearing and vision and a good sense of smell. They usually avoid water but will swim if they have to. Climbing is where they excel. The gray in Rozann's photo is a road on The Sea Ranch!

Spyhopping Gray Whale, as photographed by John Batchelder

John Batchelder was watching a pod of Gray Whales migrating northward recently. He saw tails and backs and  a lot of spouts. He also saw several breaches. And he got a photograph of one spyhopping and has kindly allowed me to share his great photo with you here.

We've had a lot of wind lately that has made spotting whales very difficult. Hopefully conditions will get better. That would also be good news for abalone divers. There are minus tides early in the morning this Easter weekend, which is what divers look for. I'm keeping my fingers crossed - for good luck - for those of you who hunt for red treasure!

One of my favorite birds is the clown-faced Acorn Woodpecker

It's okay to play favorites, isn't it? I love the Acorn Woodpeckers that share the Mendonoma Coast with us. They are beautifully marked, have a unique call and have great swooping flights as they come to our feeder. They particularly love sunflower seeds. Their main food source, though, is acorns and there are many Tan Oaks on our property.

Siegfried Matull photographed a male Acorn Woodpecker and has kindly allowed me to share his photo with you here. You can tell it's a male because there is no black between the white and red on its forehead.

Below is a photo I took of our bird feeder. I entitled it, "Are you done yet?" These are two females. Note the black in-between the white and red on their foreheads.

Acorn Woodpeckers work hard to store acorns in a granary tree. Here are two such trees on my neighbor's property. There are hundreds of holes in these trees. I was only able to photograph the top 1/3rd of the tall tree so you'll just have to imagine how big these granary trees are. Each hole will have an acorn stuffed in it in the fall. They will have to defend their food from raiding Jays.

It would have been a hardship for our Acorn Woodpeckers if my neighbor had taken these dead trees down. Thank goodness she didn't! They are serving a higher purpose.

The Admiral, as photographed by Hal Fogel

See if you agree. Hal Fogel deemed this Western Scrub Jay "The Admiral." I can see where Hal is coming from! This bird has a great deal of presence about him. And you've got to love those white eyebrows.

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

Rock that looks like a mushroom, as photographed by Susan Gonzalez

Susan Gonzalez was out with her camera and discovered a rock formation that looks like a stone Morel mushroom. Is Mother Nature playing a joke on us?

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

Calypso Orchids, exquisite wildflowers blooming in the forest

Calypso Orchids began blooming the last few days of February and are continuing through March and into April. These tiny wildflowers are always a treat to find. Reneé Jardine found this one blooming on The Sea Ranch and has kindly allowed me to share her photo with you here.

And in the photo below John Sperry has photographed a dozen of these orchids. These were blooming on a neighbor's property in Timber Cove. This photo shows you how tiny they are! Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Calypso Orchids should never be dug up and transplanted as they need a fungus in the soil to grow. Just leave them be and enjoy their beauty.

Gorilla Rock and a Gull, as photographed by Rozann Grunig

Gorilla Rock is found on The Sea Ranch near the White Barn. Rozann Grunig recently photographed this unique stone structure with a Gull sitting on top. I thank her for allowing me to share her fun photo with you here.

I sincerely hope nobody is out trying to abalone dive today on the first day of the season. Huge swells and high winds make the ocean very treacherous. Local diver Eric Anderson already proclaimed today unsafe. No abalone is worth a life. Check out Eric's web site if you need an abalone fix today: https://sites.google.com/site/abaloneten/ It's the best web site for all things abalone.