Sleepy

We went to a great concert tonight at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, so I'm a little late submitting a post.  And I'm sleepy, a little bit like these Sanderlings.  [Click on the photo for a larger version.]

 

Photographed on 7 February 2018

Layers

Sunset sequence on 7 February 2018:

 

 

 

With a little kelp from my friends

 

Last week I went out to check on whether any Sea Palms (Postelsia palmaeformis) were visible yet.  This is when juveniles often appear on wave-exposed rocky shores.  They're very small at this time of year — most of the individuals I saw on 1 February 2018 were under 5 cm (2 inches) tall. Sea Palm is an annual kelp that reaches peak heights (up to 60 cm or 24 inches tall) by summer. 

For comparison, here's an example of a large clump of tall Postelsia washed up on the beach in August (with Eric for scale):

 

Got one!

 

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), just after extracting a seed from a pine cone.  Photographed on 3 February 2018.

Warming up

Remarkably, air temperatures reached 70°F (21°C) in Bodega Bay this afternoon.  That's warm for February!  [Daily air temperature records were broken throughout the Bay area today.]

I decided to go for a short walk in the late afternoon to look for butterflies basking in the sun.

I wasn't surprised, but it was interesting to see five species of butterflies today.  I'll show all five below so you can compare them.  (Note: All five species can overwinter as adults in this area, hence their brief appearances on warm days.  In contrast, many other butterfly species overwinter as caterpillars or pupae.)

 

Monarch (Danaus plexippus) 

 

West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) 

Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus)

 

California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica) 

 

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

 

Goddess of the wilderness

 

Moonglow Anemone (Anthopleura artemisia), 2 February 2018

 

Riding a thermal

 

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) riding a thermal over Pelican Plaza in Bodega Bay today, 1 February 2018.  The air temperature reached 65°F (18°C) on Bodega Head this afternoon.