Reaching out to say...

  

  Happy solstice, everyone!

P.S.  From a Ten-tentacled Sea Anemone (Halcampa decemtentaculata) photographed recently by Eric along the Sonoma Coast.

Blowing offshore

  

Not sure about you, but I was a little surprised by the strength of the wind this morning.  I think the prediction was for ~6 mph, but it was more like 18 mph with gusts to 28 mph.  And it was from the east or east-northeast (blowing offshore), so it created some interesting foam line patterns perpendicular to the shore.

Conditions were also good for clean waves and spindrift:

 

 

 

 

Purple sky

  

Purple sky from Bodega Head on 17 December 2024

Frosty forms

  

 Frost in Massachusetts on 14 December 2024

Gifts from the north country

  

It was a bit of soggy day here today (10 December 2024), but we spent a little time walking at Duxbury Beach (in Massachusetts) and encountered a flock of ~25-30 Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris).  

I thought I could hear some Lapland Longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) mixed in with them as they flew by, so I snapped a few quick photos and then we spent a little more time trying to find them when they landed.  (You can see at least four longspurs in the photo above.)

Conditions were tough for photos (distant and dark), but here's an example of a Horned Lark (first photo below) and a Lapland Longspur (second photo):

 

 

 

 

 

 

And when we were walking back to the car, we noticed some movement on the ground and were glad to see a few Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis):

 

 

 

It was worth going out in the rain!

 

Homes on the rocks

  

Northern Acorn Barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides), photographed in Scituate, Massachusetts, on 9 December 2024.

Thanks for the great photo, Eric!

Light on the light

 
 

A couple of photos of sunrise over Scituate Harbor, 9 December 2024

 

 

And here's one more, with the light on the light:

 

Morning warning?

  

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning?

Whew, it was an intense day with a tsunami warning issued after an earthquake near Cape Mendocino.  The tsunami warning covered a large swath of the West Coast from Florence, Oregon, to Davenport, California.

The only surge measurement I've heard about so far was 9 cm at Arena Cove (near Point Arena) at 11:45 a.m.

This brought back memories of the Tōhoku tsunami in 2011 and the Tonga tsunami in 2022.  I posted a few photos and some info in 2022, so if you'd like to review that post, see "Tsunami surges" on 16 January 2022.

The same or different?

  

Eric photographed some nice sculpins a few days ago.  These two (above and below) were intriguing.  Although at first glance these fish appear to be different, a closer look reveals quite a few similarities, e.g., the shape of the head, the red striping in their eyes, the shapes and sizes of some of the pale blue markings.  So now I'm wondering if they're the same species?  What do you think?

 

 

P.S.  Thanks for the great photos, Eric!

 

December light

  

 Sunset off Bodega Head, 2 December 2024

Wile E.'s

  

These are somewhat distant views (the photos are heavily cropped), but it was interesting to watch a group of three coyotes in a salt marsh at Point Reyes recently.  I appreciated the way their fur matched the fall colors of the marsh. Were they hunting small mammals during the flood tide?  Ducks?

Maroon cab

  

Juvenile Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) from the intertidal zone along the Sonoma Coast on 30 November 2024.  This individual was pretty small, only ~3.5 inches (~9 cm) long.  I loved the deep red color of this one!

In the lee

 

 

Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) on the left, and Snowy Plover (Anarhynchus nivosus) on the right, at Point Reyes on 29 November 2024.

Frosty moon and fall dragon

  

Started the day with frost and morning fog and a beautiful crescent moon...

...and in the afternoon we noticed a Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum) sunning in our backyard.  In Cotati, air temperatures reached the 60-65°F range today (28 November 2024).

 

 

Resting

  

Whew, it's been a busy time!  We've just finished Day 40 of a big project, so don't be surprised if you see us looking something like this Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) during the next few days.

Thank you so much for tuning in to the Natural History of Bodega Head.  I am so grateful for your thoughtful comments and questions and observations throughout the year!

Clouds after the storm

  

 Some cloud photos for you from 23 November 2024. 

 

 

 

 

Storm birds

  

During a break in the rain this afternoon (22 November 2024), I noticed a couple of Red Phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicarius) at the north end of Bodega Harbor — blown in from offshore by the recent storm.

 

 

 

 

Frog weather

 

 

I'm running out of time tonight, but here's a couple of quick photos of a beautiful Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii) that we came across in the road tonight.  It's certainly been good weather for frogs!

 

 

 

I hope everyone is staying safe during these storms!

Twilight

  

"Like the twilight at the end of the day" 

(Tedeschi Trucks Band)

A single rose

  

We haven't heard of too many Hopkins' Rose Nudibranch (Ceratodoris rosacea) observations recently, so kudos to Sam for spotting this individual today (13 November 2024).  And thanks to Eric for the great photo!  If you come across this species, we'd love to hear about your sightings.

Looking west

  

Looking west from Bodega Head on 12 November 2024

Watchful

 

 

Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii), Bodega Bay, 7 November 2024

Lunar reflection

 

 

Moonset with reflection.  

 

Over Bodega Harbor on 6 November 2024.

Eventide

  

From Bodega Head after sunset on 5 November 2024

In the western sky

  

Crescent moon in the western sky on 4 November 2024.

Tool chest?

  

We had to do some field work in Monterey County yesterday, but we arrived a little early, so had a few minutes to observe a few sea otters while eating lunch in Pacific Grove.  

The first sea otters we saw were actively munching on sea urchins -- above, and next two photos:

 

 

 

But then our attention was drawn to a hard slapping sound, and we turned to see an otter trying to crack open a large mussel against a rock that was balanced on the otter's chest:

 

 

 

Several times we watched this otter dive down, bring up a rock and a mussel (or clump of mussels)...and then use the rock like an anvil -- hammering the mussel against the rock.

 

Sea otters are known to do this, but I hadn't photographed it before, so here are a few more images.  (Tool-use by mammals aside from humans is rare.)  In each picture, look for a rock resting on the otter's chest and a mussel between the otter's paws.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were reading up on this behavior at the end of the day and came across an interesting research paper about tool use by sea otters just published in May 2024.

 

It turns out that using rocks as tools to access hard-shelled prey might be especially important for female otters in areas where their preferred and easier-to-process prey (e.g., abalone and urchins) aren't as common.  And using the rocks to open hard-shelled prey can prevent tooth damage and give the otters access to an alternative food source that otherwise wouldn't be available by biting alone.

Law et al. 2024. Tool use increases mechanical foraging success and tooth health in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis).  Science 384: 798-802.

 

Glowing from within

  

We hope you've been enjoying the fall season.

 Happy Halloween!

Hunter at dusk

  

Well, that's one benefit of working late -- a chance to see Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) on the way home!  

Moon at sunrise

  

A beautiful sunrise yesterday morning (26 October 2024) with pink highlights in the clouds surrounding the moon.