Then and now

In late January I decided I should start taking some pictures to document this year's drought conditions.

Below are two pictures comparing a previous year with this year.  The scene is a small wetland at the north end of the Bodega Dunes.  The first picture was taken in June 2007, after a winter with about 25 inches of rain.

 

The next image shows the same wetland, in just about the same place — compare the horizon line in the background — taken on 20 January 2014.  This was after receiving only ~4 inches of rain this winter.

 

On 9 February 2014 I stopped to take a picture of this wetland after ~7 inches of rain had fallen at the coast over three consecutive days.  I couldn't get to the same position as in the pictures above because of the water level, but here's a view of the flooded marsh.  The site in the earlier pictures is in the far back center of the image below.

 

And I'm delighted to report that when I was taking this picture (in the rain), my ears perked up to hear this sound:

chorus by nhbh


I'm sure many of you are now hearing the calls of treefrogs nearby, too!  But if not, head outside to your nearest wetland to enjoy the chorus! 

P.S.  For more about Pacific Treefrogs (also known as Pacific Chorus Frogs), review posts from 17 March 2012 and 15 December 2012.