A big storm hits the Mendonoma Coast and the Gualala River finally opened.

We have had over seven inches of rain so far from the big storm. The creek that crosses our land has come to life. And this morning the Gualala River finally received enough rain to open to the Pacific Ocean, the first time in many months.

You can see the big opening in the sandbar. The river is running muddy and fast! It was raining hard when I took this photo today.

 

Here is Quinliven Creek - it is always wonderful when it comes to life. I love the many cascades.

It's a rare day when I send out two Mendonoma Sightings blogs in one day but I just had to tell you the news. This is sure to help put a dent in the drought. Hooray for Mother Nature!

A White-tailed Kite spots its prey!

Allen Vinson photographed this White-tailed Kite at the moment it spotted its lunch. When you look at this photo is it any wonder that birds remind us of angels?

 Allen took the photo below on a sunny day. The Kite looks like an ornament in the tree.

White-tailed Kites are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast. They have the ability to be motionless in the air by facing into the wind. This is called kiting and is indicative of this Kite.

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

One of the Bald Eagles paid a visit to Anchor Bay Beach, plus a magnificent wave.

Anchor Bay Beach is a wonderful place to see wildlife, watch the sunset and admire the waves. Donna Woodbury enjoyed a visit recently and was rewarded with the sighting of a Bald Eagle. She showed the big bird to Jerry Anon and he took this photo.

Jerry also caught a beautiful photo at Anchor Bay Beach of what he calls a glass wave. Just beautiful!

Thanks to Donna for sharing her sighting and to Jerry for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

A Roosevelt Elk? On the Mendonoma Coast?

Jeff Ward and the Jerrold Baker family were driving down Highway One south of The Sea Ranch. They could hardly believe their eyes. It was a big Roosevelt Elk.

Here's what Jeff had to saw about their extremely rare sighting:

“We were heading south on Highway One from Gualala. All of a sudden Jerrold yells, ‘What is that?!’ It was a Roosevelt Elk! The Elk was in a full sprint at about 35 mph running on the west side of the highway. It leaped over two barbed wire fences dividing the pastures, completely clearing the fences by four feet on each side, incredible to see.”
As Jeff and the Bakers watched in awe, the Elk jumped another fence and was then running south in the northbound lane of the highway. Fortunately there was no traffic and the Elk veered east and disappeared into the forest.
Jeff continued, “My guess is the Elk’s weight was approximately 650+ pounds. The rack was level to my windshield on a Dodge 2500 3/4 ton 4x4 truck and the spread of the points was about 3 ½ feet.”

These huge elk are normally found to our far north, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. What it was doing on the Mendonoma Coast is a mystery. The much smaller Tule Elk can be seen at Point Reyes to our south.

Thanks to Jeff for allowing me to share his photo and sighting with you here.

A rainbow cloud, as photographed by Don Spear

Sometimes you look in the sky and can't believe what you are seeing. That was the case when Don Spear saw this rainbow cloud.

On another day he saw this unusual cloud formation.

Cloud watching is a Coast tradition! Thanks to Don for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

To see a rare and unique cloud formation, here is the link to a cloud falling out of a cloud:
http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2011/05/rare-cloud-phenomenon-cloud-falling-out.html

Waiting for rain - Gorilla Rock with two Gulls.

There is a rock formation on The Sea Ranch that looks like a resting gorilla. Robert Scarola recently photographed it with two Gulls on board.

Here's what Robert wrote about this rock:

"I just had to take a photo of the famous stone gorilla being cleaned by gulls as he patiently waits for rain. Guess he has seen it all, sitting there for thousands of years.”

We've had some rain and are wishing & hoping for more. Bring it on, Mother Nature!

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

The Bald Eagle pair are making appearances along the Mendonoma Coast.

Bald Eagles, most probably the mated pair seen on and around the Gualala River, are being seen at the Garcia River, Anchor Bay Beach, the Gualala ridge and even at Plantation. I saw one flying towards the Gualala River bridge, its head so white against the blue of the river. Phil Wendt took these photos with his long lens a few weeks ago and I'm pleased to share them here.

First you will see a Bald Eagle's piercing gaze. Be afraid, prey!

 Here the mated pair sit in a snag along the Gualala River.

And this photo below got us very excited as the male has what appears to be nesting materials - in this case a strand of kelp. We hope these Bald Eagles stay, build a nest and raise a family, right here on the Mendonoma Coast.

Thanks to Phil for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see more of Phil's photos of the Bald Eagles and other beautiful places on the coast, here is his website: http://philwendt.com/