The beautiful wings of a California Darner (Rionaeschna californica). Note how shiny and new they look. [You can click on the image for a larger version.] I could see this darner's wings glittering in the sun as it flew across a grassland. When it landed nearby, I leaned in for a closer view. Because the wings are so fresh, it's likely this individual metamorphosed recently. Once a dragonfly has been flying for a while, the wings lose their shine and can show nicks and other impacts.
Wow! Eric took some striking photos of featherduster worms last weekend. This is Serpula columbiana, a marine worm that lives in a white calcareous tube and uses its broad fan to filter food from the surrounding water.
The round, trumpet-like structure is an opercular plug. When the fan is withdrawn into the tube, the plug seals the opening to protect the worm within.
I'm a big fan of these beautiful tubeworms, and Serpula columbiana comes in lots of different color forms, so here are two more examples:
After off and on rain showers for most of the day (12 April 2026), Eric spotted a brilliant rainbow to the southeast of Cotati at sunset.
We spent some time watching an American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) in a creek along the Oregon Coast today (5 April 2026). I had trouble deciding which photos to share, so here are a few different views. Enjoy!
A beautiful view of the tentacles of an Orange Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria miniata). You can also see a few of the cucumber's tubefeet closer to the rock. Photo from Del Norte County in California on 4 April 2026.
With thanks to Eric for a great photo!
I'll write more about this soon, but for now I'm sharing a photo of a Surfbird (Calidris virgata) eating a By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella). Photographed on Bodega Head on 21 March 2026.
Although inland (e.g., Santa Rosa) air temperatures have almost reached 90°F during the last couple of days, Bodega Bay has stayed cooler. The high temperature at the coast today (19 March 2026) was ~68°F (20°C).
Views of mirages over Point Reyes were eye-catching in the mid-afternoon today — see above and below.
