Sail and all

  

I'll write more about this soon, but for now I'm sharing a photo of a Surfbird (Calidris virgata) eating a By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella).  Photographed on Bodega Head on 21 March 2026.

Hot Spring?

  

Although inland (e.g., Santa Rosa) air temperatures have almost reached 90°F during the last couple of days, Bodega Bay has stayed cooler.  The high temperature at the coast today (19 March 2026) was ~68°F (20°C). 

Views of mirages over Point Reyes were eye-catching in the mid-afternoon today — see above and below.

 

 

It looks like the first day of Spring might be even warmer, so here's hoping for cooler air temperatures soon after.

 

Morning fog

  

Fog in Bodega Harbor, 18 March 2026 

Heat + light

  

Mirage of Point Reyes from Bodega Head today, 17 March 2026 

Over the hills

  

 Sunrise over Bodega Harbor, 12 March 2026 

Bat Ray for breakfast?

 

 

River Otter (Lontra canadensis) chewing on a Bat Ray (Myliobatis californica) in Bodega Harbor on 9 March 2026.

 

The wind hadn't picked up yet, so there were some nice views of the otter swimming in shallow water along the shoreline:

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.  The otter seemed to be having trouble eating the Bat Ray, perhaps due to its thick skin?  Eventually it left the ray behind and moved on.

 

One Mourning in March

More warm air temperatures = more butterfly sightings.  Today (8 March 2026) I was in Cotati and came across a few Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa), example above, and a couple of Pipevine Swallowtails (Battus philenor). 

Basking and nectaring

   

Air temperatures reached at least the high 60s in Bodega Bay today (7 March 2026).  I started seeing butterflies zipping by in the morning, so I went out after lunch for a short walk and took a few photos.

California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica) were the most common butterflies I saw today (photo above), but I also noticed quite a few Margined Whites (Pieris marginalis) and at least one Western Pine Elfin (Incisalia eryphon).

Many of the tortoiseshells were nectaring on willow catkins:

 

 

Shadowy Moon

  

Lucky that I looked at the Moon when I did early this morning.  I checked a little bit later to try to see the Moon emerging from the shadow and it was completely fogged in!

This photo is from a little after 3:30 a.m. PST. 

In the drift line

  

I didn't expect to find a Purple Sea Snail (Janthina umbilicata) tonight (2 March 2026), but I also thought there was potential.  Ocean temperatures have been warm this winter and there was a lot of debris washed up on the beach tonight, so I kept the color purple in my search image and I happened to spot one individual.

The last time I recall Janthina being in our area was during the winter of 2024 (see post called "It's been a while" on 21 February 2024.)

It looks like there were several Janthina sightings in San Mateo County and Santa Cruz County in late February, so it's a good time to keep your eyes open for these beautiful pelagic snails.  If you come across one, I'd love to hear about it!