Latticework

I was researching a topic tonight and ran out of time, but I'll post a mystery photo for you to ponder:

 

  

The image above was taken under a microscope.  Do you have any guesses about what it is?  I'll provide the answer tomorrow night.  

Greenery

Okay, I know some of you have probably been waiting for me to show the 2017 Pantone Color of the Year.  ;)

Well, I've been trying to find a good match.  That is, until I photographed something that would be a good representation of the color known as "greenery."

Although it's not a perfect match, today I think I came close enough.  Here's a nice patch of moss on a stone with some late afternoon sun (photographed in Petaluma on 15 January 2017):

 

If you'd like to compare the color of the moss with the actual color, here's a link to the Pantone web page with a swatch of greenery.

I'll keep looking for examples of "greenery" in our landscapes (and flora and fauna), but for now I thought it would be fun to introduce the Color of the Year.

P.S. To review previous Pantone Colors of the Year, review the posts for the 2015 color "marsala" and the 2016 color "rose quartz and serenity."

  

Coming in for a landing

 

Carol mentioned she had seen a Bald Eagle near Spud Point Marina this afternoon.  So I kept an eye out for it when I went to the post office.  I didn't think I was going to see it, but then I noticed the eagle in my rear-view mirror perched on a utility pole.

I turned around and pulled up nearby and started taking some photos from the car (see below).  Then the eagle took off and flew over Bodega Harbor.  I think the eagle was chasing an Osprey (hoping to force it to drop a fish), but then, amazingly, I could see the eagle flying straight back towards the same pole that it had started on.  The picture above is of the eagle just before landing.

 

 

While perched, the eagle spent some time preening:

 

  Here's one more picture from the end of the preening session:

 

Thanks to Carol quite a few people were able to enjoy great views of this bird!  Maybe it will stay around for a little while.

Sanderlings at sunset

 

Sanderlings on Salmon Creek Beach at sunset, 12 January 2017

High tide haul-out

Where do seals haul out in Bodega Harbor during one of the highest tides (+7.0 ft) of the year?

 

Even a small patch of iceplant on Gaffney Point will do. 

Wet weather

It's been a stormy week, with quite a bit of rain...almost 6 inches during the last 7 days.  

I stopped in Bodega this afternoon to take quick pictures of the high water levels in Salmon Creek.

Here's the view looking to the north:

 

And the view looking to the south (below).  Both photos were taken at ~12:30 p.m. on 10 January 2017.

 

During the last month we've received about 10 inches of rain, which is about 33% of the annual average.  Since October 1st, the total is about 24 inches — about 78% of the annual average.  We are potentially on pace to have an above average annual rainfall total — which I don't think has happened in over 10 years (since the winter of 2005-2006). 

In case you're interested, here's an "historic" photo from the end of the wet winter of 2005-2006.  This is a low spot in the Bodega Dunes that's normally dry at the surface (dominated by rushes).  It filled with water by April of 2006, creating an ephemeral wetland:

 

Overlooking the Pacific

 

Common Raven and lichen-covered rocks, Bodega Head, 28 December 2016.