Wanderings at the Mouth of Mad River

Giant Driftwood left by the last high seas waiting for next one as they glow in the setting sun near the mouth of Widow White Creek.

A 10 minute drive from my house gets me to the Hammond trail near the mouth of the Mad River.

It is a place to unwind and enjoy the sea and the ever changing saga of how it affects the landscape.

I continue to look for anything unusual such as the Burrowing owl that I reported in November.

On this trip the tide was very low.

A Herring Gull with a crab walks away from other gulls that would snatch its prey
if given the opportunity.


The river cuts through the layers of sand west of Widow White Creek on it's final
stretch toward the sea.

A couple walks at the far edge of low tide where the river meets the sea.
A lone Marbled Godwit trots along the edge of the surf.


The silhouette of the temporarily closed Pulp Mill 15 miles south can be seen through
the seas mist.

The head of a Harbor seal appears at the waters surface as it glides quietly toward the sea then disappears abruptly.

A immature Red-Necked Grebe foraging in the river is an uncommon bird in the area.
I will return to this place many times or as long as my legs allow me and there is air in my lungs.
It is a local treasure that is mostly unappreciated by the majority judging by the few people I see on most days.

Burrowing Owl by the Sea

A gorgeous day in Humboldt County near McKinleyville,California compelled me to go out to the Mouth of the Mad River. Clear sunny skies with no wind and a very high tide flooding the beaches along the river. As usual I checked to see if the burrowing owls had returned and to my joy and surprise while scanning the driftwood area along the west edge of Widow White creek there standing on a large log was the familar bequilling owl that I have become so familar with.
I had my camera with SigmaDG telephoto lens and was anxious to get my first digital photo of a Burrowing owl.
I have hundreds of owl slides taken while I was in Davis long before the digital era.
This is not typical habitat for Burrowing owls but I documented them previously in the same area earlier in the year between Feb. and April. They have also been observed along the coast previously in the winter by local birders. Could this be one of the same birds that was here before I thought? Unless someone bands them we may never know the answer to that question.
CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

I eventually walked out to the mouth of the Mad river and a few hundred yards north along the beach and spotted some shorebird activity.
I was rewarded with large numbers of Sanderling's and Marbled Godwits foraging along the surf's edge for invertebrates.

One can become absorbed watching the Sanderling run toward the receding surf to prob the sand then they all turn, rapidly retreating just ahead of the waves rolling in.
It's their familiar "dance" that they have done for generations feeding along the surf's edge Their white feathers giving the illusion of foam.


When startled they rise in unison in a compact flock only to land a few seconds later nearby to continue their feeding activity.