Mirage of Point Reyes from Bodega Head today, 17 March 2026
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Monday, March 9, 2026
Bat Ray for breakfast?
River Otter (Lontra canadensis) chewing on a Bat Ray (Myliobatis californica) in Bodega Harbor on 9 March 2026.
The wind hadn't picked up yet, so there were some nice views of the otter swimming in shallow water along the shoreline:
P.S. The otter seemed to be having trouble eating the Bat Ray, perhaps due to its thick skin? Eventually it left the ray behind and moved on.
Sunday, March 8, 2026
One Mourning in March
More warm air temperatures = more butterfly sightings. Today (8 March 2026) I was in Cotati and came across a few Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa), example above, and a couple of Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor).
Saturday, March 7, 2026
Basking and nectaring
Air temperatures reached at least the high 60s in Bodega Bay today (7 March 2026). I started seeing butterflies zipping by in the morning, so I went out after lunch for a short walk and took a few photos.
California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica) were the most common butterflies I saw today (photo above), but I also noticed quite a few Margined Whites (Pieris marginalis) and at least one Western Pine Elfin (Incisalia eryphon).
Many of the tortoiseshells were nectaring on willow catkins:
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Shadowy Moon
Lucky that I looked at the Moon when I did early this morning. I checked a little bit later to try to see the Moon emerging from the shadow and it was completely fogged in!
This photo is from a little after 3:30 a.m. PST.
Monday, March 2, 2026
In the drift line
I didn't expect to find a Purple Sea Snail (Janthina umbilicata) tonight (2 March 2026), but I also thought there was potential. Ocean temperatures have been warm this winter and there was a lot of debris washed up on the beach tonight, so I kept the color purple in my search image and I happened to spot one individual.
The last time I recall Janthina being in our area was during the winter of 2024 (see post called "It's been a while" on 21 February 2024.)
It looks like there were several Janthina sightings in San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County in late February, so it's a good time to keep your eyes open for these beautiful pelagic snails. If you come across one, I'd love to hear about it!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)