Eric spotted this beautiful green hairstreak during a walk in Glen Ellen this afternoon (29 March 2025). The taxonomy of this group has been challenging, but it sounds like this is currently being called Lotus Hairstreak (Callophrys dumetorum).
With many thanks to Eric for sharp eyes and patience with the camera, and to Alan for assisting with the identification and taxonomy update.
Male Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) stretching wing and tail feathers.
A second before the photo above, the hummingbird was turned to the left. You can see how much the angle changes the color of the head and throat feathers -- bright pink/rose colored (above), darker and more purplish (below):
Last week I was watching a small group of Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) along the shore of Bodega Harbor. At first they were resting, but then they started feeding among the cobbles, actively flipping stones in search of prey.
Below is a short video clip showing the active turning-stone behavior. [At ~12 seconds, a Black Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala) enters the frame from the right.]
The turnstones appeared to be quite successful finding prey. Sometimes it was hard to tell what they captured, but several times I could see small shore crabs in their bills:
Quick shot of a Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) butterfly, high up in a tree catching the last warm rays of the sun. Photographed in Cotati on 23 March 2025.
A quick update on the Anna's Hummingbird nest (20 March 2025): Tonight we saw the female feeding a small chick. In the photo above, you can see the nestling's bill and mouth opened wide, highlighted by orange color. Just in time for spring!
I was working at my desk this morning (19 March 2025), when a lot of splashing offshore caught my eye. I checked quickly with binoculars and realized it was a large group of dolphins passing Bodega Head, so I went to get my camera to try for photos.
They were pretty far out, so the photos aren't great, but because this doesn't happen very often, here are a few images for the record. [You can click on the images for sharper versions.]
Look for the relatively large body size (8.5-13 feet), overall grayish coloration, and tall dorsal fin.
Remarkably, we also observed a large group of Risso's Dolphins under very similar circumstances last year on nearly the same date (21 March 2024) -- see post called "Splashes, fins, and leaps!" Perhaps the week after St. Patrick's Day is a good time to be watching for Risso's from Bodega Head?
