Ready for a dip

  

We paused for a picnic lunch in northern Sonoma County today (30 August 2025) and noticed a very large sea lion on an offshore rock. 

With a closer view, we could see that it was a Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus).  Note the paler fur color and the shorter snout (relative to California Sea Lion).

After a few minutes, the sea lion lumbered down the rock face to a low corner.  Note the very long flippers: 

 

 

 

 

 

The sea lion was perched on the edge of the rock, but we sensed that it might not be in that position for very long:

 

 

 

 

I thought the sea lion might continue moving down along the rock towards the edge of the water, but instead it launched (!) off the rock and dove directly into the water:  

 

 

 

Even along the coast today it was warm enough that I considered doing the same thing! 

 

Moon journal

  

Last week I showed a waning crescent, but tonight (26 August 2025) there was a beautiful waxing crescent in the western sky after sunset.

P.S.  Finding the moon on any given day always makes me smile.  Partly because it reminds me that keeping a moon journal was one of my early lessons in making daily natural history observations.  Looking for the moon every day and tracking its phases is a great way to connect to the rhythms of the Earth and the Moon.  If you want to try it, here are some basic guidelines from NASA for a moon observation journal.

A clam like no other

 

 

I looked down to see this distinctive shell washed up at Point Reyes this past weekend (23 August 2025).  Note the elongate shape and the fine ridges radiating from the hinge (the hinge is at the bottom of the photo).

 

I posted briefly about this species back in 2015 (See "File this away" on 28 June 2015), but it's rare to observe Hemphill's File Clam (Limaria hemphilli) in our region, so I thought it would be worth sharing another record.  Limaria hemphilli has a more southern distribution, with most records south of Point Conception (and only a few records north of Monterey).

 

I also remembered that Sam documented a file clam in Bodega Harbor in 2024.  He was lucky to find a live individual and he captured the beautiful and intriguing tentacles.  Check it out!

 

 

 

 

Here's an even closer view of those amazing tentacles:

 

 

 

The tentacles are extensible -- they can stretch out far away from the shell.  And interestingly, there are reports of predators being distracted by tentacles that have been dropped, so at times the tentacles might be used to deter predation (somewhat similar to a lizard's tail).

 

With many thanks to Eric for the photo of the shell and to Sam Briggs for the spectacular photo of the live file clam. 

Multi-porpoise

   

A few quick shots of Harbor Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from Limantour Beach on 23 August 2025.

Sea conditions were relatively calm today, making it easier to spot the porpoises.  But it was hard to tell how many were in this group.  Eric and I agree on at least three individuals, but there could have been more.  I wasn't able to photograph more than two at once.

 

 

 

 

 

Classic view of the nice triangular dorsal fin: 

 

 

 

Parade of planets

   

Have you been awake in the early morning this week?  There's a wonderful "parade of planets" visible in the eastern sky.  

Above, the crescent moon with Venus to the far right.  

Below, Jupiter is also visible high in the upper right corner of the photo:

 

 

And here's a close-up of that wonderful crescent moon:

 

 

 

Our view of the eastern horizon is somewhat obscured, but if you live high enough you might be able to add Mercury to the parade in the very early morning hours.

  

Sensory apparatus?

  

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) perched on an antenna that measures surface currents, 18 August 2025.

P.S.  With thanks to Sam for letting me know about this observation!  

As the world terns

  

Small flock of Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and Elegant Terns (Thalasseus elegans) near Drakes Estero this morning (9 August 2025).

There are five Caspians on the left side and one in the far background.  Note their larger size and more robust bills.  Here's a close-up to compare the two species:

 

 

In the photo above there are two Caspian Terns in the foreground on the left side and one Caspian in the background; all of the others are Elegant Terns.  

It's helpful to compare their bills -- the Caspian has a more robust, red bill, with a bit of black towards the tip of the bill.  In contrast, the Elegant has a longer, thinner bill that's often more orange (or yellow) in color, rather than red.  It can also look like it is curved downward because of the shape of the ridge of the upper bill.  

The length and color of Elegant Tern bills vary quite a bit, so here's a close-up of Elegant Terns:

 

 

Tomales Bay reflections

 

 

White Gulch in Tomales Bay with Giant Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) reflection, 8 August 2025. 

Bounding

I stepped outside to stretch and to think about a presentation I'll be giving soon, when movement caught my eye.  First, a very small rabbit emerged from the shrubs and went bounding along to the right at a very fast pace and then dove under a different shrub.  Hmmph, I thought, I don't often see Brush Rabbits that small, and it was really moving quickly.  

I had just started to ponder it, but then another movement caught my eye in the first location...a weasel!  The weasel appeared where I had first seen the rabbit, then went bounding along the exact same route, paused, and then dove into the same bush as the rabbit!  Now what was going to happen?  

Out burst the rabbit, running back in the opposite direction (to the left).  And you guessed it, the weasel followed again.  But it didn't seem to know where the rabbit had ended up.  The weasel kept hunting around the bushes, so although I didn't have a camera with me at first, I still managed two quick photos when I returned.  And then both the weasel (and the rabbit) disappeared.  

A few moments of excitement!  It made me laugh a bit, as it was almost like a cartoon...although maybe not as funny for the bunny, although it did escape!  (I'm wondering if this was a juvenile weasel?  It looked a little smaller and paler than usual.)