Nature’s on display along Sonoma Coast

People flock to the coast for the Fourth of July festivities, but many also take time to enjoy what Mother Nature chooses to put on display every day.

After the fireworks, barbecues and parades, the Mendonoma coast remains in all its glory, with the backdrop of the ever-changing, entrancing Pacific Ocean.

Fogbows

Once in a great while the combination of fog and sun brings the chance to see a fogbow in the morning.

Fun Fact: Fogbows are sometimes called white rainbows.

Spider web jewels

July often brings fog, especially in the mornings. The resultant moisture can reveal a work of art, spider web jewels.

Fun Fact: Spider webs are made of protein. Spiders will use the breeze to move the first strand across the space where the web is to be installed. Then they will carefully cross this first strand, spinning another strand on top of the first, as they begin to build their intricate webs.

Gray whales

The great parade of gray whales migrating north is nearly over by July, though it wouldn't be unusual to see several spouting just offshore. Summer brings the opportunity to see humpback whales, and the biggest creature of them all, the blue whale.

Fun Fact: When the mouth of a blue whale is wide open a bull elephant can fit inside.

Abalone

Abalone season closes for the month of July, but fishing can be good this time of year. When the winds die down, the Pacific Ocean can look like a lake. That's an invitation to fishermen and women to head out and see what can be found.

At least one 34-pound ling cod has been caught just north of Point Arena cove. Big salmon have been reeled in too as they moved in closer.

Fun Fact: You can fish at the Point Arena pier without a license, though you do need to follow the California Fish and Wildlife regulations regarding size and limits.

Perch is a common fish to catch there. You can also fish for rock cod, herring, sardines, cabezon, kelp greenlings and the occasional ling cod.

Fledgling birds

Birds are fledging – leaving their nests for the first time. Ospreys and barn swallows are among the many birds fledging in July.

Fun Fact: It's to our benefit to have swallows nesting nearby, as each swallow eats close to 1,000 insects every day.

Killdeer eggs

While many birds are fledging, some are just laying eggs, such as Killdeer. Killdeer use dry gravel bars to lay their eggs. The stones and pebbles are good camouflage.

Fun Fact: This is one of the many reasons to never drive in any riverbed. Leave your truck or ATV behind and carefully walk alongside the river.

You will find that even deceptively barren-looking gravel bars are teeming with fish and wildlife that survive by hiding or using the gravel as camouflage.

Rough-skinned newt

One of the more unusual creatures here on the coast is the rough-skinned newt. You might catch a glimpse of its orange under-parts as it walks across a forest path. You never want to touch this newt as it has a high level of toxin that can cause skin irritation.

Fun Fact: The only animal that can eat this newt is a Garter snake.

Other sights

July also brings the first lovely blooms of the coast's wild honeysuckle, California honeysuckle. If the weather is warm, butterflies also appear, a charming sight on a lovely summer day.

Our encounters with nature enrich our lives is so many ways.

To live with the wildlife that was here before us is our challenge and our privilege. And the more we learn about the Mendonoma coast, the more we appreciate its wonders.

Jeanne A. Jackson is the author of “Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year,” a month-by-month look at nature on the Sonoma/Mendocino Coasts. She writes a weekly nature column in the Independent Coast Observer in Gualala and posts nature photos of the Coast at mendonomasightings.com.