Living (and dying) in Bodega Bay . . .

California sea lion

Octopus

Gooseneck barnacles

Norma, beach angel

Black-crowned night heron

Migrating American White Pelicans

Great blue heron

Bodega Bay Wildlife . . .

seals & gulls near Diekman's Market

I leapt out of the car to get this shot so it's not the best photo but captures something many people never see.


Doran Beach Castles and Kites Day . . .  

Castles and Kites entry ~ April 23, 2011 ~ Photo by Darris

Petaluma entry ~ Photo by Darris

twisted shark humor . . . ~ Photo by Darris

nose humor ~ Photo by Darris

Doran Beach Dragon ~ Castles and Kites Day ~ Photo by Darris

Valley Springs, CA sand artists ~ Photos by Darris

 
I didn't get a photograph (had ya there for a minute though didn't I!) but I spotted two breaching Orca whales just beyond the breaking waves. There were other whales swimming along with them, possibly Gray whales. Uncommon to see whales at all at Doran Beach but to see Orca's is rare indeed.

Orca ~ photo credit/National Geographic

Bobcat-Spring Lake ~ Thomas Reynolds, photographer

This bobcat wasn't photographed in Bodega Bay but it's such a great shot! These guys are roaming all over our coastal hills but are rarely seen. Wildlife photographer and park volunteer, Tom Reynolds, told me he and a friend spotted this bobcat off the trail at Spring Lake, sunning on a rock.

An avid bird-watcher and photographer, Tom is photographing wildlife all over Sonoma County everyday. He generously shares his photographs with me and frees me up to share them with you. 

Immature Great Horned Owl ~ Tom Reynolds, Photographer

Peregrine Falcon ~ Thomas Reynolds, photographer

'Sweet Rock' Update & Windy Spring . . .

Spring means wind at the coast. I was lulled into blissful sunshine and summer-like weather throughout much of the winter and nearly forgot about the windy Spring. 

My husband reminds me of the fresh ocean air that moves through with the wind. Nice thought honey . . . On my beach walks my hair whips in my face and sand pelts my camera. Even my cats dislike the wind and sulk around as if there were something I could do to make their life better. They howl and complain much like the coastal winds.

I'm much more tolerant of the wind since I've lived on the coast. Actually, I'm more resilient in many ways since moving here. We were very protected from wind at our wooded Freestone property. Cloistered in the surrounding trees and hills, we had no idea what went on out here in the Spring. Spring in Freestone was gentle and quiet, Spring on the coast is gusty and outspoken . . . not unlike me I suppose.

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I received an email (below) from the seal guy, Phil and his wife, Jean updating me on 'Sweet Rock'.

Darris;

Thanks for your continuing support of The Marine Mammal Center. I've attached a copy of our most recent Annual Report to give you an overview of our most recent activities.

Jean & I have made two trips to the Center already this week (Elephant seal weaner from Dillon Beach and a harbor seal pup from Lawson's Landing). While we were there we looked in on 'Sweet Rock'. She seems to be fattening up nicely (boy, that's a statement that would never seem flattering about a human), and is spending her days sprawled out in her pen enjoying the sun.

Phil & Jean Warren

Many thanks to Phil and Jean Warren for their tireless efforts on behalf of the seals on our Sonoma and Marin Coasts. I wish they rescued pigs as well . . .

Searching for Effects of the Tsunami . . .

Bodega Head looking North

on the trail

 

All was pretty calm. There was a 'surge' of water headed into the harbor that a friend described as sounding like "a whitewater river". The waves were coming in faster than usual it seemed.

'surge' into harbor ~ photo taken by Thomas Reynolds

Coast Guard with Seal Rock in background

Doran Beach was closed all day . . . looking calm

seal watching

Hole in the Head

trash on the trail . . .

Although all the beaches were closed we enjoyed our trail hike. It was a beautiful sunny day here on the coast. 

My heart goes out to the people in Japan who are suffering devastating loss . . . .

Bodega Head

Happy Endings . . .

On January 9th my husband and I spotted a sea lion on Doran Beach. I've observed that typically a sea lion will not 'haul out' if there are people near by unless it's in some sort of distress. There were a couple dozen people on the beach that day and some with unleashed dogs. We stationed ourselves close by and asked people to leash their dogs and give a wide berth to the seal until help came. 

I contacted the Marine Mammal Center in Marin. The Center has volunteers along the Sonoma Coast that are on call to assist an animal in distress and make a judgment call on whether or not the animal should be hospitalized at the Center in Marin. As we've experienced in the past, help came quick and the sea lion was loaded into a large dog crate for his trip down to the Marine Mammal Center.

While I was out for my beach walk this afternoon, I received a call from 'Katie' at the Marine Mammal Center. She called to tell me that the sea lion I reported 'in distress' back in January had been released. 'Olga Gret' was released at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, on March 4, 2011. 'Olga', a 160 pound juvenile male California Sea Lion was suffering from leptospirosis, a bacterial infection. The Center cared for him for nearly two months before he was healthy enough to be returned back into the ocean. 

Information about the Marine Mammal Center from their website:

The Marine Mammal Center (formerly known as The California Marine Mammal Center) was founded in 1975 by three local citizens: Lloyd Smalley, Pat Arrigoni and Paul Maxwell. Since then, and thanks to their vision, the Center has rescued and treated more than 16,000 marine mammals.

To learn more about the Marine Mammal Center and the fabulous work they do, CLICK HERE.