It’s a Wild Life in Bodega Bay!

We’ve had some amazing wildlife sightings lately and my husband was fortunate enough get some photos. Warning, these shots are not for the squeamish. But if you've got the stomach for it, you can click on them to enlarge.

The other evening, we went for a walk and happened upon this egret eating her dinner-yikes! I know it’s the circle of life and all that, but who doesn’t feel sorry for this little mouse? I didn’t even know egrets were meat-eaters. But sure enough they eat mice, lizards, gophers, frogs, even snakes.





We’ve also seen a few more bobcats, including this one across the street from our house.



A friend told us he spotted a mother bobcat and two cubs in the neighborhood recently. He was driving down the road and saw her just as she was stepping over the curb. She quickly retreated when he approached, but as he drove past he saw two curious little cub faces peeking out from the brush beside her!

And here’s a beautiful great blue heron that I passed on a walk the other day.



We were also recently thrilled to see the doe and her twin fawns that were born in the meadow behind our house in May. I wrote about them here and here. The fawns are nearly as big as their mother now but they're still covered in adorable white spots. We couldn't get a good photo because they kept to the bushes, but we'll keep trying.

Sandpiper Will Move in November

Photo credit: Christopher Chung / Press Democrat

The Sandpiper restaurant owner's two-year battle with his landlord has come to an end and he has agreed to move. This November, Steve Weissman will move the Sandpiper from Porto Bodega to the Pelican Plaza shopping center here in Bodega Bay, where it will replace his other restaurant Cioppino’s (known as Claudio’s until just recently).

You can read the full story in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and some background in my previous post. The Save the Sandpiper website has been taken down.

This settlement is quite a blow to the owners, staff and 6,000+ people who signed a petition asking developer Richard Battaglia to allow the Sandpiper to remain at its current historic location.

I’ll keep you posted on their move. I actually love the new Cioppino’s menu and décor and wonder if they will change it all again or perhaps integrate the two restaurants. I’ll also watch to see what becomes of their vacated building in Porto Bodega. The County is demanding the owners fix code violations and bring it up to current earthquake standards, but others speculate the developer plans to tear it down. In fact, in a joint press release, the two sides said “the cost could be prohibitive for the building to be improved to meet the earthquake codes.” Stay tuned.

Another House Finch Encounter

This morning while I was meditating, I heard a thunk outside. I was afraid a bird might have crashed into the glass wall outside our deck and could be lying stunned on the ground below. When I went out to investigate, I was surprised to see a little female house finch on the floor of the deck, right next to me. She started flying around down there, crashing into the glass walls, trying to escape.

I started speaking to her softly and knelt down beside her. She calmed down and stood still, and then she let me stroke her back a few times. I told her I was going to help her, but I'd have to lift her up to the railing so she could be free. I put my hand around to lift her and she stepped onto my finger! Wow, I felt just like Snow White!

I placed her gently on the railing and fully expected her to take off. But she must have been a little stunned from all that crashing around because she stayed put, still gripping my finger with one of her claws. I stroked her back a few more times and told her to take her time and regain her composure.

By then, my husband saw what was going on and came out to take a quick shot with his camera-phone. She still didn't startle or fly away. Just cocked her head, looked at us, and blinked a few times. We stayed like that for a long time. While we were hanging out, I wondered if she was the mother of the house finch babies in the nest out on our porch. She was so light and delicate, and not quivering like other birds I've handled in the past.

Our new bird feeder was down below, surrounded by curious birds who had been eyeing this entire scene. Finally I told my little finch that she should probably go join her feathered friends and have some thistle seed for breakfast. I gently pried her claw off my finger and set it on the railing. She looked up at me, took a few hops across the railing, then flew down to a bush. She looked back once, then disappeared into another shrub and I went back inside. What a way to start the day!

Baby Finches and New Bird Feeder

Some house finches built a nest in the wreath on our front door. We relocated the wreath to a safer location on a nearby wall and were excited to see five little eggs in the nest a week later. After the eggs hatched, all we could see in the nest were little tiny fluttering puffs of downy feathers, each about the size of a nickel. I'm not sure if the fluttering was their heartbeats or lungs. They've about doubled in size but are still very small, delicate and vulnerable, with tightly shut eyes and little yellow beaks.

Here's a video showing how they look today. Sorry it's so blurry, I shot it with a digital still camera while teetering on a ladder up in a dark corner of the porch. Hopefully you can make out a couple of heads and beaks.



Anyway, I guess I started getting all maternal myself and decided we should provide some food for this little family. So last weekend, we put up a new bird feeder and filled it with Nyjer seed on one side and sunflower seeds on the other. It took a few days before the finches discovered it. But then not only did "our" finches find it, it looks like every other finch in the neighborhood did as well! I can't believe it, the birdfeeder is covered with brilliantly colored birds from sunup to sundown. It’s so exciting, the birds are mesmerizing and quite a distraction. Passing cars are slowing down to watch the spectacle. I thought I’d bought enough seeds to last about a month (I’m brand new to this) but so far, they’ve eaten half the seeds in four days. Oh boy what have I gotten myself into here? Fortunately my sister, who has four birdfeeders and is an old pro, said they’ll eat you out of house and home if you let them, and it’s okay to let the feeder sit empty for a few days before refilling it again. After all, the finches were surviving quite nicely before we came along.

Here's some video footage of our new friends. Sorry about the visual quality. If I'm going to continue posting video clips, I'll have to borrow a real video camera.

Sea Lion Swimming Lessons

We were recently fortunate enough to attend a Marine Mammal Center release here in Bodega Bay, where they returned a number of rehabilitated sea lion and harbor seal pups to the sea. So when I saw this video from the Pittsburgh Zoo, I was especially intrigued and wanted to share it with you. If offers a fascinating (and adorable) glimpse of the natural behavior that's probably taking place up and down the coast here as well.

More on Sandpiper Restaurant in Bodega Bay

Our friend Norm Levin just sent me these cool night photos taken outside the Sandpiper Restaurant, after seeing my last post. Norm and his family recently visited Bodega Bay for vacation, he's the portrait photographer I mentioned in a previous post.

Here are his comments about the Sandpiper: "We stopped here to sample the Clam Chowder for a take-out snack. Mixed reviews from our crew, some thought it too salty. Anyway we empathize with their landlord plight. I cannot understand why 'developers' have so little regard to local sentiment. Preservation of local landmarks is something taken for granted in most parts of the world.... except here!

"My photos of the harbor were coincidentally taken across the parking lot from the Sandpiper. The scene takes on an otherworldly view at night. These and others are in my Fine Arts Gallery."





Photo copyright for all three images: Norm Levin, Natural Portraits

The Sandpiper Restaurant in Bodega Bay

The Sandpiper is a popular Bodega Bay restaurant that's been serving locals and visitors for more than 50 years. It has been through several incarnations but through the decades many menu items have stayed the same, from the famous clam chowder (one of our favorites in the Clam Chowder Contest) to the open face crab and shrimp sandwich, or the beer battered fish and chips.

We stopped by for lunch recently. I ordered their clam chowder (delicious, creamy and herby) and my husband had the grilled chicken sandwich with sun-dried tomato pesto and roasted red peppers, which came with fries and cole slaw. The employees wear t-shirts that say "Please don't eat the chowder." Since we went there specifically for that dish, I asked about the warning. Our waitress replied that they want you to "savor it."



The service is very friendly and attentive (I was thrilled when they refilled my ice tea several times without having to ask) and the atmosphere is reminiscent of an old-fashioned, no-frills, comfortable family restaurant.



It's located down by the water, across a narrow wooden bridge, near the Porto Bodega Marina, with beautiful views over the water toward Spud Point Marina on the other side of the harbor.



The Sandpiper owners are in a battle with a developer who purchased the 15 acre, harbor-front strip known as Porto Bodega, including the restaurant, two years ago. The developer has been threatening to evict them and the community has rallied to their defense. They're getting amazing support and now have Save the Sandpiper t-shirts, pins, a petition, and a website. They ask supporters to help protect small business in Sonoma County and keep 25 local jobs. If not an official landmark, the Sandpiper is certainly a significant part of Bodega Bay's history and community.

Sandpiper Restaurant
1410 Bay Flat Rd.
Bodega Bay, CA 94923
(707) 875-2278
Open Daily
For breakfast, lunch and dinner

This google map isn't very accurate. Click "view larger map," zoom in, then scroll over to the intersection of Eastshore and Bay Flat roads for the Sandpiper's true location.


View Larger Map

Tippi Hedren at The Tides

Tippi Hedren made an appearance in Bodega Bay last weekend to raise money for her animal sanctuary. You can read more details here. So I decided I'd go down and meet her, make a donation, get my photo taken and tell you all about it. Well, I've been stalling all week because I've never really written anything negative in my blog and not sure I want to start now. Let's just say she and her publicist might have been having a bad day.

Anyway, they had a large black booth set up in the lobby of The Tides. There was a TV monitor playing The Birds movie, film posters were on display, and various photos from the movie were stacked on the table. The photos were for sale for $25 with a personal autograph from Tippi, or you could have your photo taken with her, with your own camera, for $15. No conversation, no warm fuzzies, and no, we don't take checks. Proceeds benefitted her animal foundation Shambala Preserve where she is den mother to over 70 big cats.

Fireworks in Bodega Bay

We’ll have a spectacular fireworks show over the harbor in Bodega Bay this year on Fri., July 3, beginning at 9:30 p.m.

They'll fire them off from Westside Park on Westside Rd. and the display can be viewed from anywhere around the harbor as well as from many of the homes and hotels in town. Here's a map to give you an idea.



Every year on July 3 or 4 Bodega Bay has raised funds from within the community to provide a free fireworks display over the harbor. Because of regulations, Bodega Bay is the last Northern California coastal town allowed to have legal fireworks over the Bay.

Happy 4th of July!

New Art Show at Local Color

Painting by David Kingwill

A lot of visitors come to Bodega Bay for our beautiful art galleries. They’ll be happy to explore Local Color Gallery's new show "Abstractions" featuring extraordinary, mixed media art by Leslie Zumwalt, color-full, aesthetic paintings by David Kingwill, imaginative paintings by Joy Stocksdale and fused glass art by Melissa McCann.

Opening reception, Saturday, July 4th from 1 to 4. Show continues through August 16th.
Local Color Gallery
1580 Eastshore Rd., Bodega Bay
(707) 875-2744
Open daily (closed Tues) from 10 to 5.