A beautiful Sun Pillar appeared at sunset!

On Dec. 29th a beautiful Sun Pillar appeared just after the sun had set. It lasted long enough for me to find my camera (I ran right past it), go outside and snap a few photos. I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you.

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 phenomenon.

I may not have photographed a green flash (yet!) but I'm happy to have photographed this Sun Pillar!

Robert Scarola joins the elite group of photographers to photograph a green flash.

I've been trying for years to photograph a green flash so, yes, I am a bit envious. Robert Scarola saw that there was a possibility for a green flash at sunset and was ready with his camera.

 And in the photo below - the green flash!

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

Waves, sunlight and a beautiful sunset, all courtesy of Paul Brewer.

Paul Brewer recently photographed the same rock formation in the ocean. In the first photo the waves are cascading over and down the rock.

And the beautiful sunset with the rock in the foreground. The tide was much lower at sunset.

Today the ocean is LOUD! Big rollers are coming in. I can hear the ocean from inside my home, which is a half mile away from the ocean. Amazing.

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

Many critters drink from our birdbaths.

Birds do more than take a bath in the nice birdbaths we put out for them. They more often drink from them. Other critters drink from them too, especially this winter with our sparse rainfall to date. Janice Batchelder captured a photo of a Gray Fox getting some refreshment.

Jim Garlock took one of my favorite photos of a Western Scrub Jay taking a bath.

And below is our golden retriever, Huckleberry, taking a gravel bath after swimming in the Gualala River.

Thanks to Janice and Jim for allowing me to share their photos with you.
Some extra sightings from today - two adult Bald Eagles were perched on a snag in the middle of the Gualala River. I hope to share photos of them with you soon. Gray Whales continue to be spotted heading south on their long migration to Baja California, where the pregnant females will give birth.

Meet Mystery - the newest addition to the Point Arena Pintos!

Jacqueline McAbery adopted the Pinto herd and has cared for them for some time. Here's what she wrote about the newest addition to the herd.

"We misjudged when Polka Dot got pregnant - we have been waiting for a new foal since September.
He finally arrived on December 9th.  He is a sweet little thing and we named him"Mystery" since his arrival date was so mysterious. Below are photos of him one day old."

 Below Mystery is with his doting mother, Polka Dot.

To learn much more about these beloved pintos, here is Jacqueline's website: http://pointarenapintos.blogspot.com/  If you don't have a 2014 calendar, check out the beautiful Point Arena Pinto calendars for sale. All proceeds goes to supporting the herd.

I love Nudibranchs!

At low tide the ocean sometimes reveals one of the exotic creatures that lives within. Jodi Goshorn photographed a Nudibranch, a sea mollusk that sheds its shell after its larval stage. They are commonly called Sea Slugs and they are uncommonly beautiful.

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

The sunset on Dec. 16th was a work of art by Mother Nature.

Craig Tooley caught this magnificent photo of the Dec. 16th sunset.

The beach, rocks, surf and the sunset just beginning, this photo has it all.

Thanks to Craig for allowing me to share it with you here. To see much more of Craig's photography, here is his website: ruffimage.com