Young dove

  

Two young Mourning Doves have been hanging out near the tomato plants in our backyard.  Here's a close-up of one from 31 July 2021.

Shades of gray

  

 Foggy conditions off Bodega Head, 30 July 2021

Head in the fog

  

Bodega Head in the fog, 28 July 2021

Got milk?

An unusual movement caught my eye in the backyard tonight (27 July 2021).  Here's what I saw when I looked with binoculars:

 

 

An adult Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) was feeding a juvenile.  Doves feed their young by regurgitation.  The young bird inserts its bill into the parent's mouth and the adult regurgitates crop milk.  Not sure I'll have another chance to photograph the juvenile, so here's one more quick shot:

 

 

 

Little wonder

 

 

We've been working hard these past few days, but here's a quick shot of one of my favorite marine snails.  This is a pheasant snail, Eulithidium pulloides.  They're tiny!  Compare the shell to the sand grains in the photo.  I've posted about this species before, and I'm fascinated with the variable color patterns of their shells.  If you'd like to see some other designs, check out the post called "Six of a kind" from 21 August 2014.

A hint of purple

  

We're doing some low tide field work in the Monterey area.  During a short beach walk in Pacific Grove tonight (24 July 2021) we spotted this nice shell of a California Cone Snail (Californiconus californicus).  This species is not common in Bodega Bay, but see this post for a little more information: "Connections" from 19 September 2016.

A big six

  

A nice six-armed sea star (Leptasterias sp.) from Mendocino County on 15 July 2021.  This individual was large for a six-armed sea star — about 7 cm across (arm tip to arm tip).