Seasonal creeks are alive and singing!

We've had nearly fifteen inches of rain since February 1st at our place in Anchor Bay. It had been so dry, the rain was especially welcome. Seasonal creeks came to life and the sound of them is glorious. Craig Tooley photographed one this past week.

The creek that crosses our property is now running clear. Quinliven Creek brings Rick and me much joy.

A certain golden retriever loves the creek too. Here Huckleberry is leaving one of the many ponds, not caring in the least that he is soaked.

It finally feels like winter. We are having brilliant sunshine today. Mushrooms are popping up in abundance. I will share some photos of them soon.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com

A rare Sun Pillar.

Rarer than a green flash, a Sun Pillar appeared on January 24th and several coastal residents got a photo of the phenomenon. Richard Hansen took the first photo photo - a spectacular Sun Pillar.

 And Jan Jewell got this beautiful photo the same evening.

A Sun Pillar occurs when light from the sun is reflected off thin ice crystal clouds high in the atmosphere in a spot or band pattern vertically above the setting sun,an amazing event to experience.

Thanks to Richard and Jan for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see my only photo of a Sun Pillar, also called a Sun Dog, here is the link:
http://mendonomasightings.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-beautiful-sun-pillar-appeared-at.html

Steelhead were seen spawning in the Gualala River!

Paul Batchelder was by the north fork of the Gualala River, just above the green bridge, yesterday. He saw a happy sight - Steelhead headed up the river. You can see two fish on the upper left side of Paul's photos.The photos aren't the clearest, but the news sure is welcome.

To show you what the Green Bridge looks like, here are two photos taken by Kay Martin.

All the rain we have received in February has revived the Gualala and Garcia Rivers. It is a joy to see them running strong and supporting endangered Steelhead. Hooray for Mother Nature!

Thanks to Paul and Kay for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

A Belted Kingfisher as photographed by Craig Tooley.

This is a fun bird to see as it looks like it is having a bad hair day! Belted Kingfishers, Megaceryle alcyon, are seen on the Mendonoma Coast more often in the wintertime. Craig Tooley recently photographed one, this one a female.

You can tell this is a female because she has two breast bands, one gray near her neck and a brownish one further down. Belted Kingfisher females are more brightly colored than their male counterparts - something rather unusual in the birding world.

Kingfishers mostly eat fish and they fish by either plunging directly from their perch or by hovering over the water. They breed far to our north.

To hear their call, here is the link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/belted_kingfisher/sounds

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share his photo of this fascinating bird. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.ruffimage.com

The sunset last night...was amazing!

The color in the sky was truly remarkable last night. The sky almost appeared to be on fire. This photo was taken from our front deck in Anchor Bay and not cropped or changed in any way. A panoramic camera would give you the full impact of this beautiful sunset but this photo does show you a great deal of the beauty which evolved in front of our eyes.

Paul Brewer was photographing the sunset, too, from his perspective in Gualala, a few miles south of me.

A treat for the senses!

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Paul's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/

Is it possible to get the perfect wave photo?

Photographers on the Mendonoma Coast love to photograph the beautiful waves. We are always searching for the perfect wave. Here are several photos taken recently. The first is from Paul Brewer.

Margaret Lindgren photographed this big wave splashing up onto the rocky bluff.

And Robert Scarola took this photo of a big wave coming in. That Gull better watch out!

Thanks to Robert, Margaret and Paul for allowing me to share their photos with you here.
To see more of Paul's nature photography, here is his website: http://www.capturingnatureswonders.com/
And Margaret's website for coastal hikes is: http://unbeatenpath.weebly.com/

The Russian River was closed to the ocean last week.

Siegfried and Gretel Matull stopped at the mouth of the Russian River in Jenner. They found the river closed but the Harbor Seals and Gulls didn't seem to mind.

 The wave action was dramatic at times and Siegfried got this photo of a crashing wave.

Rick and I had driven down the coast last Thursday and saw the river was about to flood the deck of the visitors' center. On our way back home, we saw this fellow getting ready to manually open the river - a dangerous task indeed.

We had to go down to Bodega Bay on Monday and saw that the river was at least four feet lower than it was the previous Thursday. Yes, the river was once again open to the Pacific Ocean.

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