Whimbrel and friends

 

 

 

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) and Sanderlings (Calidris alba), 28 April 2018

 

Pink Moon

 

The full moon in April is sometimes called the Pink Moon, a reference to a wildflower (Moss Pink, or Wild Ground Phlox) that blooms at this time of year.  Photographed on 29 April 2018.

 

In flight and at rest

 

 

Sanderlings (Calidris alba), 28 April 2018.  Their primary spring migration window in California is from late April-mid May.  They're headed north to nest on high-arctic tundra.  Only 30-40 degrees of latitude to go!

[Note that they're molting into breeding plumage — look for the spiffy black and rufous feathers replacing the worn gray feathers of winter.]

 

Morning light

I've been sorting through some older pictures recently.  This one, with Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) and fog, is from August 2012.

Staying close

 

 

 

Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) mother and pup photographed on 25 April 2018.

P.S.  To avoid disturbing them, photographs were taken from a distance with a long telephoto lens and then heavily cropped.

 

Sea Thrift

 

Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima), photographed near Dillon Beach on 22 May 2017

 

Happy Earth Day!

Just a few photos to help celebrate Earth Day!

 

 

 

Dark-eyed Gilia (Gilia millefoliata) 

 

 

Red Phalarope (Phalaropus filicarius)

 

The Water Planet courtesy of NASA

 

The colors of seed set

 

The beautiful colors of one of our local poppies, Hesperomecon linearis (formerly Meconella linearis), as it finishes flowering and produces fruit.

P.S.  To see what the flowers look like before they go to seed, review the post called "Yellow to red" on 6 April 2013.

Cloud peak

 

Yesterday (16 April 2018) brought scattered showers and dramatic layers of clouds on the horizon.

 

Colors of the sea

In honor of the Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival (April 14-15, 2018), a close-up of fish scales. 

Among the stones

 

On the way home from work tonight, I noticed a Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) flying low over a field.  It reminded me of this Killdeer nest that I photographed a couple of years ago.  The patterning on the eggs looked remarkably similar to the little pieces of granite scattered around the nest site.

 

Topographic

 

Section of a driftwood log on the beach, uncovered when sand was washed away by recent freshwater runoff.  [Click to enlarge.]  Doesn't it seem reminiscent of a topographic model?

It's spring!

 

Coastal Goldfields (Lasthenia minor) and Red Maids (Calandrinia menziesii) photographed on 7 April 2018.  Can you spot the clover leaves, too?

Open to the sun

 

Cream Cups (Platystemon californicus) on Bodega Head, 7 April 2018

 

Welcome rain

 

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) bathing on 5 April 2018.  We often notice a lot of bird activity at the bird bath when it starts to rain.  I'm not exactly sure why?

Sounds like we're due for quite a bit of precipitation tomorrow.  We've received ~20 inches so far this winter, but the average annual rainfall total in this area is closer to ~31 inches, so a little more would be welcome!

Warming up and remembering

It's been in the upper 70s during the last few days, and butterflies have been passing through our yard.  Yesterday (1 April 2018), a Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) landed in a fruit tree for a few seconds.  I didn't get a great shot, but here's one for the record:

 

This triggered a memory of finding Gulf Fritillary caterpillars and chrysalids a couple of years ago (June 2016) while we were in the line for SF Giants Ferry.  The dock is in Larkspur, and I noticed a passionflower vine (Passiflora sp.) just before boarding:

 

Looking more closely, there were several Gulf Fritillary caterpillars (below) — with bold stripes and prominent spikes!

 

And there were also a few chrysalids attached to the frame supporting the passionflower vine:

 

For more about Gulf Fritillaries, see the post called "Silvery spots" from 11 April 2015.