It's amazing what you can see from an airplane!

Craig Tooley was photographing from an airplane last week when he came across a pod of Gray Whales.

 The plane circled around and Craig got this second photo.

 Here's a photo of the distinctive Gray Whale tail.

There were thirteen Gray Whales with three mother/calf pairs - a wonderful sighting off the Mendonoma Coast.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's photography, here's the link to his website: http://ruffimage.com/

Wild weather on the Mendonoma Coast!

A strong storm hit the Mendonoma Coast late yesterday afternoon. High winds and drenching rain were finally the story of the day. This morning we had a rainbow day. I waited until the rainbow reached Fish Rocks.

 There's a hint of a second rainbow on the left.

 And a photo of some of the dramatic clouds this morning.

All of these were taken from the front deck of Rick's and my home in Anchor Bay. The Pacific Ocean is very turbulent and loud. The sound of crashing waves can be heard even inside our home and we are a half mile away. Amazing!

We received 1.4 inches of rain. That was enough to get Quinliven Creek going again. With the lack of rain over the past two months, there were several places where creek went underground. We're used to that happening in May, not February! We are very thankful for the rain.

Young Bobcat won't cross this fence

Mark and Kitty Simkins have a Bobcat family near their home in Manchester. Mark caught this young Bobcat looking through a fence.

Mark said the Bobcat didn't try to get past this barb-wired fence. Does this cat with the tufted ears look a little peeved to you?

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

And the green flash was followed by a beautiful sunrise

Carolyn André photographed the sunrise on Feb. 25th. It was a stunner!

Watching the sunrise is the reward for early risers. Thanks to Carolyn for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

Robert Scarola photographed a recent green flash!

It's hard to get a photo of the green flash as sunset. I should know - I've been trying for years. Robert Scarola hit the jackpot when he photographed a recent green flash.

They don't happen very often but when they do your heart beats a little faster and it is hard to stop smiling. It is Mother Nature at one of her flashier moments. Thanks to Robert for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Once again we have a beautiful spring-like day here on the Mendonoma Coast. But there are changes in our forecast, with a pretty good rainstorm headed our way early next week. Bring on the rain!

Moon Rocks and a few other oddities at Salt Point Park as photographed by John Sperry

These unusual rock formations, nicknamed Moon Rocks, can be seen just south of Stump Beach at Salt Point State Park. John Sperry recently photographed them.

They are calleded Moon Rocks because of their many craters. These are sedimentary sandstone formations. They actually continue underwater and provide valuable habitat for marine life. Above the sea, salt crystals are found in the cracks and crevices, which are called tafoni. Kasaya Pomo collected salt there for many years, using abalone shells as chisels. This is how this land came be to named Salt Point.

John photographed several other unusual rock formations there. Rick and I have hiked there many times and it is a place like no other.

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

Acorn Woodpecker, as photographed by Robert Scarola

I'll let Robert tell about his photo. He wrote, "Just off our deck is a Douglas-fir with lots of tips. This guy appeared the other day, flying in with that classic woodpecker dip and dive flight pattern. We also have a Bishop Pine nearby that woodpeckers like to dig for bugs, and a couple of Tan-bark oaks not too far away where he can find acorns, so I think he was looking around to see where to go next to feed.

"I loved his bright red head and white body markings. Acorn Woodpeckers are very striking to my eye, with a large and really powerful beak."

I love their call. It is very distinctive and sounds like no other bird. To hear it for yourself, here's the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/acorn_woodpecker/sounds

I thank Robert for his photo and his story.