Stepping out

  

Well, after receiving almost 3 inches of rain in the past 24 hours, I stepped outside to see if any salamanders were out and about.  It didn't take long to find one!  In the photo above, note the expanded tips of the toes — a feature that's apparently helpful for climbing.

 

This is a fairly large Arboreal Salamander (Aneides lugubris), the most common salamander in our backyard.  I'd estimate this individual was ~15 cm (~6 inches) long.

I'm so glad they're finally experiencing some rain!

A fish of a different stripe

 

Here's another nice little fish that we encountered in the rocky intertidal zone on 1 January 2018.  My best guess?  I'm leaning towards this being a Striped Kelpfish (Gibbonsia metzi).  But I don't have any experience with this group, so please let me know if you have a different opinion!

Green on the horizon

 

This is a good time of year to watch for a green flash on the horizon at sunset.  This one showed up through a narrow gap in the clouds tonight, 6 January 2018.

Sheltered from the storm

 

We got lucky tonight.  While driving home from work, we spotted this beautiful Barn Owl (Tyto alba) perched in a tree along the roadside.  Eric is always encouraging me to have my camera ready in case we see something interesting on the drive home.  But I'll admit — I'm often lazy and I leave the camera in the back of the car with everything else where it's hard to reach.  This time I heeded his advice, and it was worth it!  :)

P.S.  We received ~0.4 inches of rain today.  Let's hope for more tonight!

Orange dots

 

Glass-spined Brittle Star (Ophiothrix spiculata) photographed in the low intertidal zone along the Sonoma Coast on 1 January 2018.

 

What a marvelous night...

...for a moonglow

 

Moonglow Anemone (Anthopleura artemisia), photographed on Bodega Head on 2 January 2018.  This species often emerges from sand and gravel in the low intertidal zone.  Click on the photo for a larger version and check out the varied patterns on the tentacles!

 

Sunset colors

I often exchange a sunset photo from the West Coast with my mom on New Year's Day (she sends a sunrise photo from the East Coast).  So, here's the sunset on 1 January 2018:

 

And just for fun, here's another sunset picture — can you see me and the sunset reflected in this fish's eye?

 

Quite a fish!  I'd love some assistance with the identification if you recognize this species.

Both photos were taken in the intertidal zone near Fort Ross.