Nature and wildlife

Local photographer Bill "Birdman" Gengler shares these peacock photos and a note: "I thought you might be interested in an eye-spotted-tail pet peacock that lives off Ione Road with others. He is a member of the pheasant family and is the treasured national bird of India, where he was domesticated more than 3,000 years ago. The eye-spotted peacock tail sends a signal to the female and others who live around him. We used to have some roaming around Rancho Murieta several years ago, until they were chased off by RM. Have a good RM day."

Steve DeMello captured this shot of mother and child the other day at Lake Clementia.

While shooting photos of a mute swan family at Lake Clementia Wednesday afternoon, neighbor Steve DeMello managed to get a 14-photo sequence of a bald eagle fishing -- extraordinary photos you haven't seen before.  Click the "Start" triangle to see.

Neighbor Steve DeMello shares one of his photos with this note: "Thought you might like this photo I took this morning. 'The Dance' -- Poppies and Hummingbirds over Lake Calero. Rancho Murieta ... what a great place to live life."

Two bicyclists saw a mountain lion near the Cosumnes River early Friday afternoon, Security reports.

Security Chief Greg Remson writes in an email, "Today at about 1 p.m. two bicyclists were riding on the 'Boulder Trail' in the North back area, along the river. As they rode around a bend they saw a mountain lion walking down the trail in front of them. When it saw the bicyclists the lion ran away from them." Read more »

Security Chief Greg Remson reported Tuesday that a Security patrol officer on routine patrol overnight observed a mountain lion walking on the hill between Lake Chesbro and the water treatment plant. Remson reminds residents that "we live in mountain lion country," and advised people to call Security at 354-2273 (CARE) if they see one. Read more »

Here's your chance to see a modestly bright comet this week -- maybe a prelude to a bigger display in December.

For the next week, astronomers say you should be able to see Comet PanSTARRS at sunset -- a sky show that could pale by comparison to another comet headed into our skies late this year. Read more »

Neighbor Steve DeMello shares this photo and caption: "A visiting bald eagle perusing the breakfast buffet on Lake Calero. Who says the 'Rancho Murieta Sunday Brunch' is a thing of the past?"

It's not really bald-eagle season until we get a photo from Bill Gengler, known as the birdman of Rancho Murieta for the hundreds of photos he has shared with us all. So, with Bill's latest photo, consider the season under way. Referring to this and a couple of other photos that are in a new Bill Gengler gallery, he writes, "I am happy that the eagle has finally returned to his home trees from previous years. And, my favorite egret is also happy that a high charged eagle has taken roost on a power pole on the lake."

Here's a Valentine card from Rancho Murieta, taken by neighbor Steve DeMello. "It took all morning to get these two to cooperate," he writes.