California Red-sided Gartersnake, as photographed by Peter Baye.

It's Latin name sounds pretty scary -Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis. California Red-sided Gartersnakes are only found on the California Coast from Humboldt County south to Monterey Bay. Peter Baye recently photographed one found along Tenmile River.

They have a toxin in their saliva which can be deadly to their prey. They are not considered harmful to humans but I wouldn't want to be bitten by one. Their bite could cause an adverse reaction. California Red-sided Gartersnakes eat a wide variety of creatures, including Banana Slugs. Gartersnakes are the only known creature that can eat Rough-skinned Newts.

They are great swimmers and will often retreat into the water if threatened. C'Anna Bergman Hill photographed this Red-sided Gartnersnake in a creek on the Stornetta Public Lands.

Thanks to Peter and C'Anna for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Gray Foxes are suppose to be nocturnal but we see them in the daytime here on the Mendonoma Coast!

Cathleen Crosby was airing out a carpet on the railing of her deck. An opportunistic Gray Fox obviously thought that would be a comfortable spot to take a nice rest.

Cathleen caught this fox in a big yawn. Life is good when you're on the Mendonoma Coast!

Thanks to Cathleen for allowing me to share her photo with you.

A Coyote pup, as photographed by Jim Garlock

Coyotes are a fairly rare sighting on the Mendonoma Coast but we definitely seen one or two ambling through. Though Jim took this photo in Marin County recently, I thought you'd enjoy seeing this Coyote pup in the fog.

To see a Coyote that was seen earlier this year, here is the link: http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-coyote-was-spotted-by-patricia.html

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

Risso's Dolphins, the dolphin with the rounded head as photographed by Ron LeValley.

I love these dolphins. Risso's Dolphins look like no others, with their rounded heads and scarred bodies. Ron LeValley got these fantastic photos of them.

They usually are about ten feet long, though they can get as big as fourteen feet long.

Risso's Dolphins feed on Squid and the scars on their bodies are believed to be from their encounters with their prey.

Risso's often travel in large pods and have been seen surfing waves and even the wakes of Gray Whales.

The male is a little bigger than the female. Here Ron shows you what their dorsal fins look like. 

Many thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Ron's photography, here is his website: http://www.levalleyphoto.com/home/

Ceanothus Silk Moth caterpillars finally spinning their cocoons and Jerry Rudy photographed the event!

One of the strangest creatures on the Mendonoma Coast is the caterpillar stage of a Ceanothus Silk Moth. I shared a fantastic photo of Jerry Rudy where he witnessed a female Silk Moth lay her eggs. He watched the eggs hatch and has tended them since. Except when he had to be away from the Coast for a while and he asked his friend, John Sperry, to tend them. John took the first photo of this exotic-looking caterpillar.

 When the caterpillars have stored up enough energy, they begin to spin their cocoon, as photographed by Jerry.

 Below are several cocoons. The Silk Moths spin a silk thread a mile long into an intricate double-chambered cocoon.

 And below is the finished cocoon. The pupae will reside inside during the rest of the year and into spring.

In spring, the lovely Ceanothus Silk Moth emerges to live only a few days. The one below was photographed by Clay Yale. This moth is about four inches across.

What a metamorphosis!

Thanks to John, Jerry and Clay for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

Another look at the white fawn born on The Sea Ranch

The white fawn continues to thrive and is slowly coloring up. Katie Solley recently photographed the beautiful fawn with its normal-colored sibling near the 9th hole of The Sea Ranch golf course.

You can just make out some of the spots appearing on its flank as it slowly colors up. It is considered the equivalent of a towhead child - like me! I was born with platinum blond hair but I "colored up" to brown in a few years. This fawn will color up in a few months.

Katie also got a photo of this fawn running on the golf course and it will be in today's Independent Coast Observer. They sell on-line subscriptions if you'd like to read my weekly Sightings column and see Katie's other photo. There is LOTS going on here on the Mendonoma Coast! Here's the link to the ICO: mendonoma.com

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

So exquisite - an Anna's Hummingbird nest, as photographed by Siegfried Matull

So tiny, so exquisite and so well camouflaged, it's a miracle to even spot one. And to find it occupied is even better. Siegfried Matull found an Anna's Hummingbird nest with two eggs in it.

Below the mother Anna's is sitting on her nest. She builds it with lichen, bark and spider webs.

And below are the two babies. Siegfried tells me that the spiders webs used in construction of the nest, allows the nest to expand with the growth of the babies.

Richard Kuehn, The Birdman of The Sea Ranch, tells me, "The male mates with the female but afterwards she does it ALL - builds the nest, lays the eggs, incubates and then feed the young till they've fledged."

What wondrous photos that Siegfried has allowed me to share with you here. Thanks to Siegfried!