Monday, April 30, 2018

Whimbrel and friends








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

Sunday, April 29, 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.
 

Saturday, April 28, 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 plumagelook for the spiffy black and rufous feathers replacing the worn gray feathers of winter.]
 

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Morning light


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

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

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.
 

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Sea Thrift


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

Saturday, April 21, 2018

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
 

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

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.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Cloud peak


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

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Colors of the sea





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

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

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.
 

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

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?

Monday, April 9, 2018

It's spring!


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

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Open to the sun


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

Thursday, April 5, 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!

Monday, April 2, 2018

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.