Red-capped Butter Boletes found near Quinliven Creek in Mendocino County

Close to the banks of Quinliven Creek on our Anchor Bay property, a group of colorful wild mushrooms caught our eye. They turned out to be the edible Red-capped Butter Boletes, Boletus regius. Another wonderful gift in the forest. Thank you, Mother Nature!

Anchor Bay waves - a beautiful photo by David Wayne Floyd

On Thursday the Pacific Ocean was putting on a show. Just look at the photo David Wayne Floyd took at Anchor Bay Beach.

Anchor Bay Beach is found at Anchor Bay Campground. Here's a link to learn more about the campground and beach: http://www.abcamp.com/

A Great Blue Heron riding out the high surf of the Pacific Ocean

Rozann Grunig captured this dramatic photo of a Great Blue Heron perched on a rock during the wild surf. Storms to our north can cause high surf on the Mendonoma Coast in November.  The heron sure looks like it is hunkered down!

To see a lovely photo by Marianne Rittenhouse of a Great Blue Heron at the moment it takes wing, and to learn more about Great Blue Herons, click on this link: http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2011/09/great-blue-heron-photographed-just-as.html

Song Sparrow brightens our days with its musical calls

Craig Tooley recently photographed a lovely Song Sparrow. They are found across the United States but those in the Pacific Northwest look a bit different from their Eastern counterparts. It fills the air with its lilting song.

To hear the Song Sparrow's call, here's a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_sparrow/sounds

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to show his photo here. To see more of Craig's work, here's a link to his web site: http://web.me.com/theruffians1

Matsutakes!

White Matsutakes are beginning to pop. Rick and I found several recently on a neighbor's property in Anchor Bay in Mendocino County. Lucky for us they have given us permission to mushroom there! Here's a photo of Rick picking a perfect Matsutake.

And this is what they look like when allowed to open.

Here is a link to see what the Matsutakes looked like at this spot several weeks ago:
http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2011/11/first-matsutakes-are-peeking-up-from.html

Grevy's Zebra photographed at the B. Bryan Preserve in Point Arena

Judy Mello headed out with her camera to try and get a photo of the Kingfisher visiting a pond at the B. Bryan Preserve. Then she noticed one of the Preserve's Grevy's Zebras eating her roses! No picture of the Kingfisher but Judy got this nice one entitled, "Stop and eat the roses."

Here's a link to a newborn Grevy's Zebra at the Preserve that was startled to see a Gopher for the first time: http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2011/08/young-grevys-zebra-at-b-byran-preserve.html
And to see what is going on at this fascinating place, here is the web site for the B. Bryan Preserve: http://www.bbryanpreserve.com/

Ferruginous Hawk photographed by Steve Wilcox

Ferruginous Hawks are migrating into the Mendonoma Coast where they will overwinter. They are our largest hawk. One of the best places to see hawks hunting is between Manchester and Elk in Mendocino County. Steve Wilcox enjoys "hunting" hawks with his camera. I thank him for allowing me to share his beautiful photo with you here.

The favorite food of Ferruginous Hawks is Rabbits and Ground Squirrels. If you'd like to hear their piercing call, here's a link to Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ferruginous_hawk/sounds