Several Blue Whales were seen last Saturday and a surprise sighting of Northern Right Whale Dolphins!

With the ocean looking like glass last Saturday, there were a lot of great sightings. The greatest of them all was the sighting of Blue Whales. A mother and her calf were seen off of The Sea Ranch.

Jodi Smith, of Naked Whale Research, went out of Fort Bragg and found another Blue Whale.

Blue Whales are the largest animal on earth. And they are on the endangered species list, as their recovery from the days of whaling has been slow. To see a mother with a calf is such a good sign.

To Jodi's joy she also saw several Northern Right Whale Dophins.

 They rose next to the boat and rode the bow for a while. You can read about Jodi's excellent day on the water on her blog at: http://orcinusorca.wix.com/nawhare-temp/apps/blog

And to learn more about Jodi's Naked Whale Research, which studies Killer Whales, here is that website:

http://www.nakedwhaleresearch.org/

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

Hearn Gulch, as seen from the lovely pocket beach.

Last week I showed you Hearn Gulch as seen from the bluffs. Recently Cathleen Crosby and her granddaughter explored the pocket beach.

 In the photo below a Sea Lion's head can be seen.

 And this photo below shows you the curve of the beach. It is very protected from wind, a perfect place to relax and appreciate the beauty of the Pacific Ocean.

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

Monarch Butterflies are migrating through the Mendomoma Coast.

They are the essence of beauty - Monarch Butterflies have been seen recently. Tom Eckles photographed this one feeding on a dahlia.

I have seen perhaps a half dozen in the past two weeks. Their numbers are declining dramatically due to pesticide use and loss of habitat. Planting native milkweed would be a great idea - it's Monarch Butterflies host plant.

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

A beautiful photo of a "meditating" Bobcat by Mark Simkins

Mark and Kitty Simkins are lucky people. They are regularly visited by a Bobcat at their place in Manchester. Mark thought this Bobcat looked like it was meditating.

What a beautiful animal! They hunt for gophers and other rodents in grassy meadows. Looks like the Simkins have plenty of gophers to keep this cat with the tufted ears and bobbed tail well fed.

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

To see one the most popular photos on this blog, a photo of a Bobcat, here is the link: http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2012/04/beautiful-bobcat-as-photographed-by-tom.html

Robert Scarola saw hobbits and a face of a lion in the forest.

Sometimes Mother Nature reminds you of something else. Robert Scarola felt as if he had stumbled into a hobbit's forest. Below he found mossy hobbits.

And here a hobbit throne.

Then the face of a lion.

You never know quite what you might see when you wander into a forest on the Mendonoma Coast.

Heatwave on the coast today! There could be a chance for the green flash at sunset.

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

The Pacific Ocean is beginning to talk...and we're listening.

After doing its summertime impersonation of a lake, the Pacific Ocean has come to life. Waves have begun crashing onto bluffs, sand and rocks. Richard Kuehn's home overlooks Gualala Point Island. He recently took these photos.

You can see we are having beautiful clear weather, albeit windy. This is a great time to be on the Mendonoma Coast.

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

What a beautiful day at Hearn Gulch!

Hearn Gulch is found just north of Iversen Road at mile marker 10.0 in Mendocino County. It is a fairly new public access point. Rick and I recently hiked there, along with our golden retriever, Huckleberry. The sky was amazing with beautiful clouds.

 This is the view to the west. Bishop Pine trees are clinging to the bluff face.

And this is the view to the south.

If you walk to the north you will find this pocket beach. You can see some kelp has already washed ashore. There is a trail to the beach. While it is steep there is a rope to help you on your way down and back up.

There wasn't much wave action the day we were there. There is a sea tunnel on the left. In the days to come, with the ocean beginning to be more active, this would be a great place to visit.

The Redwood Coast Land Conservancy works to provide public access to scenic spots like Hearn Gulch. And, wow, are they doing a great job! To learn more about RCLC and other access spots on the Mendonoma Coast, here is the link to their website: http://www.rc-lc.org/