Wave energy

I'm working on a project tonight, but here are a few more recent wave shots.  [Click on them for larger versions.]  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liftoff

The swell was even larger this morning (the offshore buoy was reading ~17 feet at 19 seconds).  A few more photos for the record.  [You can click on the them for larger versions.]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I continue to be fascinated by the colors in spindrift:

 

 

 

 

Fire and light?

 

 

 

I had to make a run out to the coast today (7 December 2020).  The waves were pretty big (the swell was ~13 feet in the late afternoon) and there was an offshore breeze, making for some nice spindrift conditions.  It's always hard for me to choose which wave images to show, but this didn't seem like a bad place to start.

 

 

 

 

Smooth operator

 

 

 

Two views of a Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

Golden light

Recently I enjoyed spending some time watching several Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus) hunting in the late afternoon/early evening:

 

 

At certain angles the December sun really lit up their underwings:

 

 

 

 

I also appreciated seeing the owls within the surrounding landscape:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just kept thinking how grateful I am that the owls have a such a beautiful space for hunting and resting.

Bluest of blue

 

 

On 30 November 2020, Ron reported that he had found a small group of Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) at Tolay Lake Regional Park, so I left work a bit early today (3 December 2020) and headed over to see if they were still around.

 

Luckily, they were!  I haven't seen Mountain Bluebirds in a long time, and I had forgotten just how blue they are!  The adult males (above) are especially striking.  The females (below) are more subtle, but you can still see that bright cerulean (or cobalt) blue on the wings, rump, and tail:

 

 

 

 

Note that Mountain Bluebirds lack the rufous or chestnut tones of Western Bluebirds.

 

Mountain Bluebirds are rare in Sonoma County.  They nest at high elevations in western North America.  It looks like there are ~12 records for this species in Sonoma County.

 

Many thanks to Ron for getting the word out about these beautiful birds!

Blue on blue

  

 Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana), Bodega Head, 2 December 2020