Wake rider

 

Pacific White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) riding the wake of the New Sea Angler near Cordell Bank on 10 September 2017.

Might as well jump

 

I spent a few minutes watching a Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) today.  Occasionally, it paused.  Most of the time it was busy looking for food, especially beach hoppers.

 

 

Sometimes, the sandpiper was successful in capturing prey.  In the photo below, there is small beach hopper in its bill (close to the tip).  [Click on the picture for a larger version.]

 

Sometimes, the beach hopper was successful in avoiding capture.  Below, look for the beach hopper escaping via a jump to the right!

 

Gray beauty

 

Painted Tiger Moths (Arachnis picta), 8 September 2017

For more pictures and information about this species, see the following posts:

- "A fantabulous night" on 20 September 2016

- "Now you see me..." on 18 October 2012 

- "Painted Tiger, Hidden Dragon" on 1 October 2012

 

Gathering at dusk

 

Just a quick note about the White-tailed Kites that have been roosting in our neighborhood.  When it was so hot and hazy last weekend, we didn't see them at all.  But now that the weather has changed, I'm happy to report that they've returned!

This year, the kites seem to be roosting in different places, but there's a tall tree near our house where some of them gather before heading to a roost site.  It's so nice to see them, if only for a few minutes.

Stauro Trek: A continuing mission...

Several days ago, on 1 September, I showed this mystery photo:

 

The next day, I promised to tell the full story about this animal.  Well, it turned out to be a bigger mystery than we first anticipated.  I don't have enough time tonight to reveal all of the details, but I thought it would be fun to share at least part of the story (and more pictures!).

If you follow this blog, you might have guessed that this is a staurozoan, sometimes informally called a stalked jelly.  [See previous posts about staurozoans on 13 July 2017, 25 May 2013, and 12 November 2012.]  Below you can see the entire animal, with the stalk attached to a blade of algae.  This individual is ~25 mm long.

 

Staurozoans are predators, capturing small crustaceans (e.g., amphipods) with their stinging tentacles.  Here's a close-up of one arm with the beautiful (but deadly) tentacles:

 

While observing these staurozoans, we noticed an individual with an amphipod deep inside the calyx (the cup-like portion of the staurozoan).  Can you find the pink amphipod in the photo below?

 

One time we saw a staurozoan capture an amphipod that swam a little too close to the tentacles:

 

The unanticipated and exciting part of this story is that we are not sure which species this is.  It appears that it could be a staurozoan not previously known from California.  We are continuing to work with a team of experts to try to figure it out.  I'll provide additional information and we'll share more as the mission unfolds.  

And I'll end with a bonus.  Eric captured some very nice video, so here are some short clips of two individuals:

Haliclystus sp Bodega Bay from Jackie Sones on Vimeo.

Stay tuned!

P.S.  Many thanks to Malina for spotting these staurozoans!

Cloud waves and a peach moon

 

Cloud waves

 

 

Peach-colored moon

 Photographed from Valley Ford on the way home on 5 September 2017.

Something brewing

 

Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri), photographed on Bodega Head on 2 September 2017.

I don't have much experience with this species, but I could tell it was different right away.  Compared with the resident White-crowned Sparrows, it was much smaller and paler.  Note the relatively subdued facial markings and the prominent white eye ring.

Brewer's Sparrow is a rare fall migrant in this area.  This is the first time I've seen one on Bodega Head.  I saw it briefly, snapped a few quick photos, and then it flew off to the east and I could not relocate it.

From the Birds of North America —

 "Most individuals breed in and around Great Basin and winter in Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of sw. U.S., w. Mexico (including Baja California peninsula), and Mexican Plateau."