Official Bird & Nature Post

One-Off

Tom Curren status
Jul 28, 2005
14,128
10,250
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33.8N - 118.4W
Quite the landscape shift from down south. Crazy how so much of it is trees as far as the eye can see. Sure beats never-ending concrete.


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Eel River

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Nice. You made a nice change moving up north. If you want to experience never ending trees, take the Orr Springs Road from Ukiah to Mendocino. Don't be in a rush, and resist the temptation to turn around thinking you're lost on some logging road. And especially don't forget to stop at Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve. It's my favorite redwood grove on earth because of it's remoteness. So beautiful. I'll have to see if I can fid some photos....
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,990
22,531
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PNW
Headed inland today to hike a zone a friend of mine has been recommending to me for a couple years. Pretty long drive on gravel to get to the trailhead and then a couple mile hike but it was worth it.20210508_143204.jpg
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We decided to make a loop out of the drive so took a different route home and saw a small sign for the tallest port orford cedar in the world. My girl informed me that we had to stop and do the hike even though it was getting pretty late. Okay boss. The hike was a brute but I'm glad we did it. No one else out there and tons of ancient fir, maple, oak and of course, cedar.
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Kento

Duke status
Jan 11, 2002
68,691
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The Bar
Nice. You made a nice change moving up north. If you want to experience never ending trees, take the Orr Springs Road from Ukiah to Mendocino. Don't be in a rush, and resist the temptation to turn around thinking you're lost on some logging road. And especially don't forget to stop at Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve. It's my favorite redwood grove on earth because of it's remoteness. So beautiful. I'll have to see if I can fid some photos....
Nice! I'll have to try that route next time coming back Mendocino/Fort Bragg area. Last time, I took 20 across to Willits and then down. Wish I had stopped and taken a photo from this one viewpoint looking south where it was just, screw Mirkwood. :drowning:

Got a few camping trips planned with family over next few months stretching from Mendo to Lassen to Oregon. Pretty stocked on it.

Oh and I'd add that a major difference is waves. Not sure what down south was like this weekend but nothing like 11'@9 swell with sub-50 water with no one out but admittedly tricky conditions. Humbling a lot of the time and Saturday was no exception. But back to 30-40 kt NW winds, apparently regular-scheduled spring programming. Good thing there are a lot of great running trails around here to keep the blood flowing between sessions - been taking advantage and applies to the bird and nature post as dozens of turkeys, geese, and deer everywhere. Pretty damn awesome. :jamon:
 
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Boneroni

Tom Curren status
Mar 5, 2012
12,093
1,912
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44
Goleta
Saw this poor guy on the sidewalk near my house. I think he may have been hit by a car, but I was originally worried about poison because I've seen a few suspicious carcasses near this specific house.
I'd like to point out the fact that I didn't think to snap a pic. It was my 12y/o daughters idea :roflmao:
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SteveT

Phil Edwards status
Apr 11, 2005
5,867
2,412
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This little guy landed on the rail next to me on the Royal Star last year.
We were out at Cortez Bank fishing Bluefin (100 mi offshore) He let me pick him up and I put him on a tackle box.
Have no idea what kind of bird it is, looks like some kind of finch.
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SteveT

Phil Edwards status
Apr 11, 2005
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These turkey buzzards sit on this section of posts (high and low) almost every morning and at some point do the horaltic pose as the sun rises. On rare occasions every single one of them will face the rising sun and all do it at the same time. One day I'll get the pic.

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Pretty cool how social they are with one another.
Snapped these guys at the S entrance of Vandenburg AFB on the way to Point Sal.
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One-Off

Tom Curren status
Jul 28, 2005
14,128
10,250
113
33.8N - 118.4W
Nice! I'll have to try that route next time coming back Mendocino/Fort Bragg area. Last time, I took 20 across to Willits and then down. Wish I had stopped and taken a photo from this one viewpoint looking south where it was just, screw Mirkwood. :drowning:

Got a few camping trips planned with family over next few months stretching from Mendo to Lassen to Oregon. Pretty stocked on it.

Oh and I'd add that a major difference is waves. Not sure what down south was like this weekend but nothing like 11'@9 swell with sub-50 water with no one out but admittedly tricky conditions. Humbling a lot of the time and Saturday was no exception. But back to 30-40 kt NW winds, apparently regular-scheduled spring programming. Good thing there are a lot of great running trails around here to keep the blood flowing between sessions - been taking advantage and applies to the bird and nature post as dozens of turkeys, geese, and deer everywhere. Pretty damn awesome. :jamon:
I never like being the only one out up there...I was the only one out once up in Mendocino at a left reef. The water was really clear. When I first paddled out and paddled over the first couple of waves I nearly had a heart attack because the wave would cast a shadow on the bottom. You can guess what I thought the shadow was. I didn't stay out very long.

If you take the road (Comptche Road) from Mendocino to Ukiah, it gets really narrow. We thought we'd missed a turn and got onto a logging road. I was literally looking for a place to make a three point turn to go back around and see where we'd messed up when we came upon the parking lot for Montgomery Woods. There are only like 6-8 spots. If you go mid week you might be in the grove by yourselves.
 

Kento

Duke status
Jan 11, 2002
68,691
20,904
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The Bar
I never like being the only one out up there...I was the only one out once up in Mendocino at a left reef. The water was really clear. When I first paddled out and paddled over the first couple of waves I nearly had a heart attack because the wave would cast a shadow on the bottom. You can guess what I thought the shadow was. I didn't stay out very long.

If you take the road (Comptche Road) from Mendocino to Ukiah, it gets really narrow. We thought we'd missed a turn and got onto a logging road. I was literally looking for a place to make a three point turn to go back around and see where we'd messed up when we came upon the parking lot for Montgomery Woods. There are only like 6-8 spots. If you go mid week you might be in the grove by yourselves.
Some days have creepier vibes than others. Doesn't help as so many sessions are solo. I actually thought it was going to be crowded Saturday morning because of the break in wind. When I got there, first thing I thought was, "Oh it's going to be one of THESE types of days". There were a couple other people spread out but yeah, not crowded and for good reason. :roflmao:

Thanks for the word on Montgomery Woods. That will be fun to check out.
 
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Icu812

Nep status
Jun 23, 2013
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Some days have creepier vibes than others. Doesn't help as so many sessions are solo. I actually thought it was going to be crowded Saturday morning because of the break in wind. When I got there, first thing I thought was, "Oh it's going to be one of THESE types of days". There were a couple other people spread out but yeah, not crowded and for good reason. :roflmao:

Thanks for the word on Montgomery Woods. That will be fun to check out.
Hey Kento, lmk when you wander farther north...
Cormorants on a cliff:
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keenfish

Duke status
May 12, 2002
18,754
6,448
113
Trona
www.pbase.com

One-Off

Tom Curren status
Jul 28, 2005
14,128
10,250
113
33.8N - 118.4W
I agree.
Monkfish
They used to serve this at the Enterprise Fish Co.
We called it Mock Lobster.
They might be in the same family as the Football fish.

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I had an Italian friend who would sail to Greece every summer. He said the Greeks would throw the monkfish ("coda di rospo," tail of the toad) out. He had to teach them how to cook them before they realized how good eating they are.
 

Hump

Phil Edwards status
Jan 10, 2002
5,910
2,130
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Vancouver Island
Here's a little GoPro video my buddy Neil Cameron made a couple of days ago.
This is a tiny little pool in a small creek that runs into the Campbell River and the fish are Coho fry/parr feeding and generally hanging out.
Go full screen and watch a few minutes if you enjoy fish doing their thing.





Take care.