Thursday, August 16, 2012

great blue heron ~ 08/16/12 ~ at home

great blue heron
Ardea herodias

posted 08/25/12 - Grey, gray, blue? Fog, fog, bird. Heavy sigh. The typical CA coastal fog this summer has really sunk deep into my mood this year. We call it June Gloom, even though up here in Pacific Grove hundreds of miles from SoCal the drizzly fog hits hardest in July and August. I haven't been motivated to go out and take pictures of what I find. Silly really since in neighboring Monterey the fog often burns off by the afternoon. Today we're heading 3 hours inland to the Central Valley for my family reunion. A cousin reminded me how lucky I am to live in coastal summer weather. The forecast there is 99°F (37°C), "cooler" than the 110.4°F (43.5°C) from a couple weeks ago. Yellow, yellow, brown, here we come.

6 comments:

Cindy said...

oh please go to Point Lobos and tell me what the cormorants are doing . . . that is, if you accept assignments to fight the fog funk.

Jeannette said...

I recognize that sky color in your picture...well you can see how it has been effecting my brain, here I am calling it a color...
Your cousin is right. I get requests for fog all the time from the hot spots out there where the fog isn't doing its thing. I am, however, also ready for a glimpse of blue.

Waypoints said...

We've been getting a lot of lingering morning overcast here too which drifts over the mountains. I actually like it because it cools down the house making it easier to sleep (w/o air). Less smog too when it doesn't sit baking in the heat.

Jennifer said...

I often see a great blue heron at Crespi pond. You know me, I'll take gray blue fog over yellow brown sun any day of the week. However, the way things are looking right now it seems we could be headed towards an Indian summer!

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Cindy, if the cormorants at Point Lobos are on the same schedule as the Coast Guard Pier cormorants, they should have been done nesting about a month ago. Although, the timing of nests does change from year to year. I'll have to take another look at your Point Lobos post and figure out which rock you feature for comparison if I head there.

Jeannette, grey is a color. I would have said the weather has taken a seasonal turn with the gorgeous sunny weather the past few days, but this morning we're once again socked in thick fog. I was reminded by the check-out clerk at the grocers that if I want heat and sun I could just drive out a few miles to Carmel Valley. We're definitely spoiled.

Randy, it's probably much warmer up where you are. I can't imagine sleeping with A/C since we don't have it. Ooh, I forget many places have stifling smog. OK, I'll take fog any day.

Jennifer, you should be happy today with the return of the fog.

ingrid said...

I admit, I really really miss that Northern California coastal fog. We've had 40 straight days of sun, warm temperatures and no clouds or rain here in Seattle ... and I'm starting to feel like I'm back in LA. The mere mention of fog makes me terribly homesick. ;)