Cloaks, admirals, and angles +

  

It warmed up quite a bit in Cotati today — at one point our outdoor thermometer was reading ~80°F (~26°C).  Butterflies were definitely taking advantage of the sun. 

Above, a Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa).

Next, a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta):

 

 

And, a Satyr Anglewing (Polygonia satyrus):

 

 

Also, we checked on the Anna's Hummingbird fledgling.  Eric spotted it very high, about 50 feet up in a tree adjacent to the nest site.  Mom flew in a couple of times to feed the fledgling, but only about every 20 minutes (see below).  In between feeding visits from mom, the fledgling probed nearby buds and leaves and practiced short flights among the branches.

 

 

The female might feed the fledgling for 1-2 weeks after they've left the nest, but it will likely be harder for us to locate them as time goes on and they spend time farther from the nest site.

 

Curled up in the prairie

  

Luck found us again last week with a sighting of an American Badger (Taxidea taxus) napping in the mid-day sun.  After a couple of minutes it shook itself and then descended into a burrow.  Fortunately, I had a long lens on my camera, so this photo was taken from a distance and then cropped.

Up, up...and away!

  

Well, my last estimate of when the hummingbird chick might fledge was off.  Yesterday (6 April 2025), this was the view of the chick in the nest (above).  

And here's what we saw today(7 April 2025):

 

 

The chick was taking short flights among the tree branches near the nest.

 

Up close, you could see some of the feather details, including a few downy feathers still visible on the back:

 

 

 

And here's a nice view of the fledgling from below:

 

 

 

Way to go, everyone!

Shimmery

 

Quick and distant shot of a Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) from a neighborhood walk in Cotati tonight (6 April 2025).  It was perched very high up in the trees, catching some of the last rays of the sun.  The shimmery blue iridescence on the hind wings was visible from far away.

Growing up fast

  

A quick hummingbird update (3 April 2025): In the nest we've been following, the chick has grown a lot during the last couple of weeks.  (Compare tonight's photo to the one on 20 March 2025.)  I'm guessing it will be another 7-10 days before the chick is ready to leave the nest.

Buoyant packets

  

We were doing some field surveys this morning (2 April 2025) along the rocky shore when Eric noticed these unusual compacted packets of By-the-wind Sailors (Velella velella) floating in tidepools.

He recognized what was going on right away (and there's a hint in the photo above), but it's likely this only happens under rare circumstances.

Here's another photo with an even stronger hint:

 

 

Giant Green Sea Anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) have been feeding on By-the-wind Sailors...and there have been so many of them recently that the anemones are expelling large packets filled with the indigestible parts of Velella.

 

The basic idea — an anemone swallows lots of Velella, digests what it can, and then expels the leftover bits from its mouth in a dense ball (like an owl pellet) surrounded by mucous.

 

Here's a photo just before the Velella packet is expelled:

 

 

 

Today was a blustery spring day with strong northwest winds.  Because these packets of Velella float at the surface, there were often clusters of them at the downwind ends of tidepools (especially in pools with good numbers of anemones):

 

 

With thanks to Eric for noticing and documenting this interesting phenomenon!

Land Ho!

  

You might have heard or noticed that there have been a lot of By-the-wind Sailors (Velella velella) washing ashore on local beaches recently.  Here's a photo from Bodega Head today, 31 March 2025.

Numbers of Velella vary from year to year, but this is a relatively common phenomenon during the spring, especially when there are strong west winds.

Sometimes when there are lots of Velella, there could be other species from farther offshore mixed in with them, so I often take a closer look to see if anything else stands out.

Interestingly, when I was looking at one Velella that was still floating, it looked like there was something on the "deck" (the skirt or mantle):

 

 

And with an even closer view, I realized what it was:

 

 

 

What?  Stuart Little with a spyglass!

 

 

 

Well, just kidding...Happy April Fools' Day!  

 

I couldn't resist documenting the recent Velella strandings, and it's also fun to think about all of the little By-the-wind Sailors out on the open ocean.