And the answer is...

Tortoiseshells!

Last night I mentioned butterflies zipping by, and that I wasn't sure if they were Satyr Anglewings (Polygonia satyrus) or California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica).  There were even more butterflies today, and I finally got a few photos.

The first photo was one for documentation, but I like it because the butterfly was perched on a seine net:

 

Then I managed to get a few more photos — here's one from above:

 

Compared to Satyr Anglewings (see last night's post), note that California Tortoiseshells have fewer dark spots on the hind wings, pretty blue spots along the trailing edge, and relatively smoother wing margins (anglewing is an appropriate name for the other species).

Here's the view from below.  I love the coppery tones and the bark-like appearance:

 

You can see how well camouflaged California Tortoiseshells are against background vegetation when their wings are closed:

 

So this is the first time I've seen California Tortoiseshells on Bodega Head.  It was so much fun to see them flying in off the water (most were flying west to east), and to wonder where they were coming from and where they were going!  This species is known to undertake long-distance movements, so it's not necessarily surprising to see large numbers of tortoiseshells flying by.  However, in my experience here during the last 12 years, it's uncommon (rare?) to see this species, and large movements of this species, along the coast.  (Large movements are more common in the mountains.)

I'd love to hear about other tortoiseshell sightings in this area, so let me know if you see them!