One extra

  

Whew!  It's been a busy week.  Sorry for the lack of posts!  Here's a photo from field work this evening.  You might remember that we've been monitoring local sea star populations since 2013.  Tonight Eric spotted this juvenile Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus) with six arms (they usually have five).  We occasionally see six-armed adults, but we haven't seen that many juveniles with this configuration.  This individual was ~2.5 cm (~1 inch) across.

 

Washing in with the waves

  

A tangle of Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) washed ashore after high winds and waves this past weekend.

 

Rising above

  

 Some larger waves (~12 feet) at the coast today, 7 November 2020

Caught red-billed

I attended a conference from home today, but managed to take a few photos out the window during a break:

 

 

 

Small groups of Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus) have been visiting the bird bath in our backyard.

 

Note the bill that tapers to a very sharp point, the notched tail, and the subtle but bright yellow color in the flight feathers (it's more visible in flight):

 

 

 

 

When I was reviewing the photos, I noticed that many of the siskins had something on their bills.  Here are two examples (you can click on the images for larger versions):

 

 

 

 

 

You can see something red on their bills, but I'm not sure what it is.  I have mostly thought about siskins as seed-eaters, but the reddish material looked like it could be berries?  So I read more about the diet of siskins and found one mention of them eating honeysuckle berries.  Perhaps the siskins have found some fruit in the neighborhood?  If you have other thoughts about what they might be eating, let me know!

Above the horizon

  

 Colors above the horizon after a recent sunset 

Waves, ripples, and reflections

  

Waves, ripples, and reflections

Salmon Creek Beach at sunset on 2 November 2020

Early morning moon

  

The setting full moon, photographed from Cotati during the early morning of 1 November 2020.  [You can click on the image to see more detail.]