In the bay

These are somewhat distant shots, but I haven't shown photos of these species before.  Both were taken in Bodega Bay (in the water off Pinnacle Gulch) on 7 October 2018. [You can click on the images for slightly larger versions.]

 

Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus)

 

Clark's Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii) 

 

Fall colors

The large-scale movement of California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica) that I mentioned in last night's post continued this morning.  The butterflies seemed to be enjoying the morning sun on the south-facing walls of the Bodega Marine Laboratory.

Many of them were also probing the surface of the building with their proboscises.  I wondered what they might be interested in — could there be salt on the outside of the building?  Or were they just searching for moisture or nutrients?

They're such beautiful butterflies, and I just love the fall colors in their wings.  I took a few photos for the record:

 

 

 

 

Why did the tortoiseshell cross the road?

Late this afternoon, I was driving south along Highway 1 from Bodega Bay towards Valley Ford, when I noticed a fairly steady stream of butterflies crossing the road.  I thought they might be tortoiseshells, but I wasn't certain without a better view.  So I pulled over in Valley Ford to take a closer look.

The number of butterflies was impressive!  I counted more than 50 individuals in ~10-15 minutes.

They were California Tortoiseshells (Nymphalis californica), and here are two photos for the record.  Both were taken on the outer wall of what is now the Northern Light Surf Shop in Valley Ford.

 

 

Around this time last year, there was also a large movement of California Tortoiseshells.  See the post called "And the answer is..." on 26 September 2017.

 

A big splash

 

Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have been quite active off Bodega Head during the last couple of days.  Although somewhat distant — near the horizon when viewed from shore — they've been breaching frequently, creating enormous splashes when they hit the surface.  If you're at the coast this weekend, scan the horizon for breaching Humpbacks.

Loping along

I can't help posting one more River Otter photo.  After they finished feeding in the swash zone, this family of three (mom on the right) loped along the shore for a bit before leaving the beach.  It's a nice view of otters in motion — and check out those broad feet!  [This photo was taken with a large zoom lens and then heavily cropped, so I was much farther away than it looks.]

 

I hope this helps cheer up your day! 

 

Heads in the sand

Some interesting observations of River Otters (Lontra canadensis) this morning (3 October 2018).  This group of three otters was spending some time in the swash zone on a sandy beach:

 

From their postures, it appeared they might be feeding.  Note the young otter on the far left — the nose-up position is one that you often see when otters are eating something.  And check out the mother otter on the far right with her head curved downward.  She appears to be holding something and perhaps chewing on it or manipulating a prey item in some way.

I started to wonder if they might be eating Mole Crabs (Emerita analoga).  So I took a few more pictures.  Watch the young otter in the middle of the photo — you can see it "bulldozing" its head through the sand, perhaps in pursuit of a crab:

 

 

And here's one more photo, with all three otters lined up.  It looks like the younger otter in the foreground might be using its paw to dig at something in the sand:

 

I've read about Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris) eating Mole Crabs, but I haven't seen reference to River Otters doing so.  Perhaps it's an opportunistic behavior?

 

With the passing rains

This morning I was interested to see that we received almost 2 inches of rain last night.  Some of the local birds took advantage of the puddles.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida) among them:

 

Likely the same bird in a Coyote Brush shrub (Baccharis pilularis):

 

Not too far away, a Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) was finding something to eat on the pavement:

 

And here's a view of the same bird on a nearby Bush Lupine (Lupinus arboreus):

 

Nice views during a brief walk through the parking lot!