Morning fog

  

Fog in Bodega Harbor, 18 March 2026 

Offshore fog

  

This isn't a recent photo, but it's been foggy at the coast lately, and I came across this older photo of offshore fog while doing some photo organization, so here you go!  Photographed from Bodega Head on 29 March 2013.

P.S.  Bodega Bay can be pretty foggy, leading to some nicknames for the foggiest months, e.g., June Gloom, No Sky July, Faugust.  It isn't foggy all of the time, but I'm intrigued by all of the different forms of fog.  What's your favorite form of fog?

Above and below

  

Fog at the horizon, 16 October 2023

Drifting in and out

 

 

 Fog, sometimes closer, sometimes farther, from the coast. 

Photographed on 14 July 2023.

Offshore account?

  

A quick shot of an impressive offshore fog bank yesterday.  Photographed south of Fort Ross on 3 June 2022.

Above the horizon

  

This one is from last weekend, but I haven't had a chance to share it yet.  A crescent moon and fog bank with offshore rocks at sunset on 5 December 2021.

Shades of gray

  

 Foggy conditions off Bodega Head, 30 July 2021

Head in the fog

  

Bodega Head in the fog, 28 July 2021

The blue zone

 

 

We spent part of the day in northern Sonoma County today (3 July 2021).  This was the view just south of Fort Ross.  There were fog layers near shore and out near the horizon, but there was a narrow strip in between with sun.  The contrast between the foggier sections and the blue zone was intense!

 

A windy start to May

  

Classic upwelling conditions along the Sonoma Coast today.  Winds blowing from the northwest at ~25 knots (30 mph).  This view is from up near Fort Ross on 1 May 2021.

Silver lining

 

 

Light near the western horizon, 28 March 2021

Fog and morning light

  

 

Interesting light with fog over the ocean this morning, 29 October 2020.

[You can click on the images for larger versions.]

 

 

 

Light levels

 

Ocean and sky off Bodega Head on 21 August 2020

 

August, otherwise known as Fogust

We often see quite a bit of fog in August and the first week of the month as been true to form.  Here's a fog bank off Bodega Head from 2 August 2020:

 

And here's another view of one of the Bull Kelp patches near shore.  Conditions were good for seeing the damping effect of the kelp — note the difference in surface waves outside of the kelp (top half of the photo) vs. inside (bottom half of the photo):

 

Into the fog

We had to do some work during the early morning today, but afterwards we were rewarded with a nice view of a Barn Owl (Tyto alba):

 

There was dense fog at the coast, so you could see moisture in the owl's feathers.

As the owl flew off into the fog, it looked like an apparition, making us wonder if it had really been there or not:

 

Thanks, Tyto!

 

Shrouded in blue

 

Moonrise over the Bodega Dunes, 11 November 2019

 

Feeding in the fog

 

I didn't get to post these photos earlier.  Both photographs are from 4 September 2019.  It was a foggy day in Bodega Harbor, but there were nice views of shorebirds on the tidal flats.  Western Sandpiper (above) and Red-necked Phalarope (below).

 

Diving in

 

We were out sailing in Tomales Bay yesterday (15 September 2019).  Nice views of a few feeding frenzies — pelicans, gulls, cormorants, terns (including a flock of 11 Elegant Terns), seals...

Along with beautiful shoreline reflections...

 

And elk bugling and fog coming in over Tomales Point:

 

Offshore light

 

Even though we were 20+ miles offshore yesterday, the ocean was incredibly calm.  Because there was fog, sometimes it was hard to tell the ocean from the sky.  When the sun started to break through in places, the light and patterns were mesmerizing.

It also made for interesting backgrounds and reflections.  Here are two examples with Buller's Shearwaters (Ardenna bulleri):

 

 

More to come, so stay tuned!

Summer fog and a breeze

 

Thought it would be fun to share a few shots from a recent sail in Tomales Bay.  Above, approaching White Gulch on Tomales Point.

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadow in the foreground:

 

Tomales Point shoreline through the fog:

 

The final run before we headed back to Nick's Cove: