First of the season

 

With the heat, come the dragons.  It was warm today (15 August 2019).  At the coast, air temperatures reached ~71°F (~22°C).  With these late summer conditions, we often see more insects at the coast.  I noticed a few Common Green Darners (Anax junius) on Bodega Head this afternoon, the first of the season for me.

August elegance

 

What a nice surprise!  When I returned to my office this afternoon, there was a small note on my desk letting me know that a local orchid was in bloom nearby.  So I made a quick stop on my way to the post office, and there it was!  Coast Piperia (Piperia elegans) in Bodega Bay on 14 August 2019.

Mike also alerted me to this beautiful flower back in 2013.  So here are a few more photos from that time:  "Thanks" on 29 July 2013.

Thanks again, Mike!

 

Microwaves?

 

Tiny, incoming wave approaching the beach during the late afternoon on 11 August 2019.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

Flyby

 

Whew, swifts are hard to photograph!  I haven't seen swifts that often on Bodega Head, so here's a Vaux's Swift (Chaetura vauxi) photo for the record.  Observed this morning on 12 August 2019. 

P.S.  Here are a few more photos from several years ago — "Small but swift" on 14 September 2015.

 

Follow the gold

 

Close-up of California Orobanche (Aphyllon californicum, formerly Orobanche californica), photographed on 6 August 2019.

For a little more information about California Orobanche, see the posts called "Why so glandular?" from 16 August 2013 and "Worth the wait" on 19 August 2013.

Summer nap

 

Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus), 9 August 2019.  At first it was swimming and feeding, and then it found a nice resting spot:

 

 

Tucked in

 

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani), 7 August 2019