Points in the sand

  

 Patterns in beach sand at Point Reyes

Holiday flight

We went for a beautiful morning walk at Limantour Beach today (27 November 2020).  Nice light and wonderful flocks of shorebirds (especially Sanderling and Dunlin).  I couldn't choose just one picture, so here are several.  Enjoy!  [You can click on them for larger versions.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishing in the bay

  

 Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) in Tomales Bay, 26 November 2020

All around

  

No matter where you are, no matter what is happening, remember that there's always something to be curious about, that beauty is always waiting to be discovered, that there's always something to be thankful for.  Remember that love is all around.

Intensity

So we were trying to get a shorebird survey done in Bodega Harbor today (23 November 2020), and we we wondering where all the shorebirds birds were, when almost all of the gulls on the east side of the harbor flushed.  I scanned to see if there was a falcon or an eagle around, and sure enough, this bird flew past me not too long afterwards:

 

 

 

Then I heard another Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) calling, and a second bird was diving on the first.  I followed them as they flew east.  One bird kept going, but the other stopped to dive on a Turkey Vulture.  They were pretty distant, but check out the angle (and intense focus!) of this falcon as it dove:

 

 

 

 

Here's a zoomed in view:

 

 

 

 

It's really hard to do a shorebird count when there's an active falcon in the area, but watching these powerful birds in flight is always impressive!

 

 

 

Forest of frost

  

The last couple of mornings have been a little chilly.  This is a small section of a tiny frost forest in Cotati, 21 November 2020.

Here be dragons

  

The shape of this cloud and the lighting made me think of a dragon on the horizon.  Do you see it?  Sunset from Bodega Head, 18 November 2020.

New Moon stroll

  

An Ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzii) out for a New Moon stroll on 15 November 2020, just before the rain started.

Rainbow in the sky

  

Finally, some rain!  And a rainbow to go along with it.  Photographed in Cotati on 17 November 2020.

Rainbow eyes

  

When I first saw this fish's eye, all I could say was, "Who has eyes like that?"  So beautiful!  A rainbow of colors in the eyes of a sculpin.  Photographed on 16 November 2020.

 

One extra

  

Whew!  It's been a busy week.  Sorry for the lack of posts!  Here's a photo from field work this evening.  You might remember that we've been monitoring local sea star populations since 2013.  Tonight Eric spotted this juvenile Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus) with six arms (they usually have five).  We occasionally see six-armed adults, but we haven't seen that many juveniles with this configuration.  This individual was ~2.5 cm (~1 inch) across.

 

Washing in with the waves

  

A tangle of Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) washed ashore after high winds and waves this past weekend.

 

Rising above

  

 Some larger waves (~12 feet) at the coast today, 7 November 2020

Caught red-billed

I attended a conference from home today, but managed to take a few photos out the window during a break:

 

 

 

Small groups of Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus) have been visiting the bird bath in our backyard.

 

Note the bill that tapers to a very sharp point, the notched tail, and the subtle but bright yellow color in the flight feathers (it's more visible in flight):

 

 

 

 

When I was reviewing the photos, I noticed that many of the siskins had something on their bills.  Here are two examples (you can click on the images for larger versions):

 

 

 

 

 

You can see something red on their bills, but I'm not sure what it is.  I have mostly thought about siskins as seed-eaters, but the reddish material looked like it could be berries?  So I read more about the diet of siskins and found one mention of them eating honeysuckle berries.  Perhaps the siskins have found some fruit in the neighborhood?  If you have other thoughts about what they might be eating, let me know!

Above the horizon

  

 Colors above the horizon after a recent sunset 

Waves, ripples, and reflections

  

Waves, ripples, and reflections

Salmon Creek Beach at sunset on 2 November 2020

Early morning moon

  

The setting full moon, photographed from Cotati during the early morning of 1 November 2020.  [You can click on the image to see more detail.]