A small wildflower with a long leaf - Pussy Ears are blooming on the Coast

Such a sweet little flower, Pussy Ears or Cat's Ears, are now blooming on the Mendonoma Coast. Robert Scarola recently photographed one of these beauties. Yes, the flower is soft to the touch.

Below is a photo I took that shows the long, slender leaf of this wildflower. It grows separate from the actual flower. Once you recognized this long leaf, you will more easily see these flowers.

Pussy Ears are also called Hairy Star Tulip or Tolmie Star Tulip and their Latin name is Calochortus tolmiei. They are native to California but found in other western states. They are a treat to find on the edges of forests.

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

An Osprey perched on a branch, as photographed by Rozann Grunig

Rozann Grunig was at the bluffs near Tidepool Beach on The Sea Ranch when she saw this Osprey perched in a tree.

Nice spot to take in the view or perhaps catch sight of a nice, fat fish. Thanks to Rozann for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

We can see an Osprey nest from our home in Anchor Bay. It's nearly a half mile away so we view it through our scope. The other day as we watched the male Osprey came with a fish and the female briefly left the nest. Rick and I saw two fuzzy heads peak up over the rim of the nest. Yes, Ospreys have hatched on the Mendonoma Coast!

An Oregonian Aquatic Garter Snake in Schooner Gulch, as photographed by Linda Bostwick

Linda Bostwick and Mel Smith were hiking at Schooner Gulch State Beach. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw three Oregonian Aquatic Garter Snakes in the creek. And one of them was eating a fairly large fish.

Linda and Mel didn't know this creek had fish in it, much less these large garter snakes. One was floating, looking like a branch. Good camouflage for surprising an unwary fish.

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

A mated Gray Fox pair, as photographed by Siegfried Matull

I thought you might enjoy a photo of two adult Gray Foxes since I've been showing you Fox Kits. It was taken by Coastal photographer Siegfried Matull at his home on The Sea Ranch. It is one of my favorite photos. Doesn't it speak to the serenity and beauty of the Mendonoma Coast?

The female is on the left. Thanks to Siegfried for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

A River Otter and a Gull, as photographed by Gary Hopkins

A lucky sighting is one of River Otters. I'll let Gary Hopkins tell the story. "We spotted the River Otter and a Western Gull from the bluff above Tidepool Beach at The Sea Ranch. We watched for about fifteen minutes as the Otter cavorted in and around the tide pool, alternately playing, feeding and sunbathing. The Gull stood and watched, sometimes intently, sometimes with seeming disinterest."

 Here the River Otter and Gull eye each other.

 Gary photographed the River Otter cavorting in the water and kelp.

And lastly the River Otter basks in the sun as the Gull stands nearby.

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

Fawns playing, as photographed by Ben Scarola

Ben Scarola was visiting the Mendonoma Coast when he saw a Doe and two Fawns appear. He captured a wonderful photo of the two Fawns playing.

The Coast is teeming with new life. Osprey eggs have hatched and furry heads can be seen peeking up from the nest. Two Acorn Woodpecker babies are begging to be fed by their hard-working parents. As you saw yesterday, Fox Kits have been born too. And as precious as a jewel, newborn fawns grace us with their presence.

Thanks to Ben for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see Ben's photo of one of the Fawns nursing, you can see it at the Independent Coast Observer under on-line features, Mendonoma Sightings photos. Here's the link: www.mendonoma.com

Gray Fox Kits - are they the cutest critters on the Mendonoma Coast?

Craig Tooley and Rita Peck had several days this week to enjoy a family of Gray Foxes near their home on The Sea Ranch. Frequent readers of this blog will know that Craig got some great photographs. Below is a photo of a young Fox Kit.

 And here Craig captured the mother Gray Fox nursing several of her young ones.

 And this Fox Kit decided to go for a different approach - nursing in comfort on its back!

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos here. To see more of Craig's Coast photographs, here's the link to his web site: http://ruffimage.com/

And to see several more photos of Fox Kits on this site, here are the links: http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2011/08/two-photos-of-gray-fox-kits-by-coastal.html

http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2011/06/gray-fox-kits-are-being-born-now-on.html