Sunset rainbow

  

After off and on rain showers for most of the day (12 April 2026), Eric spotted a brilliant rainbow to the southeast of Cotati at sunset. 

Drop after drop

  

We went for a short walk in Petaluma this morning (22 December 2025).  One of the plants there had water droplets at the tip of every branch — a field of droplets as far as you could see! 

Among the roots

  

Quick photo of a large Arboreal Salamander (Aneides lugubris) on Bodega Head today, 27 October 2025.  Although we only received ~0.2 inches total of rain this weekend, it was pretty nice salamander weather with consistent moisture for a couple of days.

A little rain, a little color

  

A rainbow appeared briefly to the east when we got home from work tonight (13 October 2025).  

Looks like we received ~0.5 inch of rain in Bodega Bay today.  

Clearing showers

  

Clearing showers at the end of the day today (17 March 2025) produced a beautiful rainbow to the east.  And who was at the end of that rainbow?

The Anna's Hummingbird on her nest -- a little green (and a pot of gold?) for St. Patrick's Day!  ;)

At home in the rain

  

Arboreal Salamander (Aneides lugubris) in the rain in Cotati on 28 December 2024.  

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!

Rain on the way

  

Rain on the way, 14 November 2023

Twinkle toes

  

A quick snapshot of a juvenile Arboreal Salamander (Aneides lugubris) — only ~3 cm long, photographed in Cotati on 14 March 2023.

We've had quite a run of rain recently.  I'm rounding off a bit, but here are some numbers for rainfall amounts in Bodega Bay:

During the last 24 hours = ~1.5"
During the last week = ~4"
During the last month = ~7"
Since January 1st = ~20"
Since October 1st = ~30"

Which means we're very close to our average annual rainfall at this time (98%).

Southbound

  

 

Sheets of rain at the horizon on 22 February 2023 

 

 

 

Towering

  

Interesting weather today, with rainfall totals so far in Bodega Bay at around 0.5-0.7 inches.  The clouds in the late afternoon were impressive — towering, and changing so quickly!  Photographed looking east from Cotati on 18 September 2022.

A night for rainbows

  

Wow!  There were rainbows everywhere we looked on the way home from work tonight.  And I think this is one of the brightest I've ever seen.  Photographed from Stony Point Road on 21 April 2022.

Showers and light

 

 

Nice to hear some rain in the early evening tonight (17 October 2021).  Eric looked out at ~6 p.m. and noticed this amazing double rainbow to the east. 

 

Here's a corner view at the north end:

 

 

 

 

And another view from the south end:

 

 

Sounds like more rain is on the way this week, for which I'm feeling very thankful.

 

Toadally thankful

  

We were hopeful that today's precipitation would bring us some luck in finding a toad...and it did!  I'll write more tomorrow, but here's a wonderful photo that Eric took of a juvenile Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas) near the Gualala River on 18 September 2021.  So thankful for the rain!

Shower curtains?

  

Rain showers falling to the horizon over the Pacific Ocean, 8 March 2021.

Before the rain

  

The ocean was a bit churned up today (5 March 2021) ahead of cold front that will bring some rain tonight.

Chance of rainbows?

  

 
Tonight I started wondering, "What if weather forecasts included the chance of rainbows (like a chance of showers)?"  Or maybe it's just more fun to be watching the sky and trying to predict whether the conditions are right for a rainbow to appear?  There sure were some beauties today (3 February 2021)!

 I photographed this one on the way home from work late in the day.

 

 

 

Gold in the rain

  

I wandered outside tonight with salamanders on my mind.  This is the first one I encountered — a young Arboreal Salamander (Aneides lugubris) in Cotati on 27 January 2021.  We received ~1.5-2" of rain during the last 24 hours.

Looking back

  

It was a cloudy and wet day in Cotati today (2 January 2021).  Rain often brings many birds to our backyard birdbath.  This Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) came by several times, but I'll never get tired of her visits!

Rainbow in the sky

  

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