Recent Sightings

We had sunny but increasingly windy conditions today at beautiful Gerstle Cove. The wind was blowing at 15 mph with gusts of 23 mph from the northwest. This created an ocean covered in whitecaps.

✳️ 9 humpback whales – eight singles and one group of two

✳️ approximately 30 sea lions hauled out and several more below the rock in the ocean; some rafting

✳️ 11 harbor seals

✳️ 1 osprey

✳️ 2 black oystercatchers

✳️ 32 brown pelicans flying north; 1 flying south; 3 circling over the ocean

💠  TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE.

  344 northbound – includes 7 mother/calf pairs

  382 southbound

 18 foragers

Cloudy conditions at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. 3-5 foot waves and offshore haziness.

🔶 13 humpback whales –  three sets of two’s and seven singles- many breaches including two full breaches side by side and lots of tail lobbing

🔶 81 harbor seals – 11 moms and pups

🔶  12 sea lions

🔶 1 red-tailed hawk

🔶  1 osprey with a fish

🔶  1 great blue heron

✅  AT SAUNDERS REEF:

🔶  2 humpbacks – singles

✅  TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE  ⤵️

  344 northbound – includes 7 mother/calf pairs

  382 southbound

 18 foragers

 

 

 

🟨 AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:

🔳 13 humpbacks whales  – one group of three, two groups of two, six singles; one full breach

🔳 2 gray whales foraging

🔳 78 harbor seals – 10 moms with pups

🔳 1 great blue heron

🟨 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE. ↘️

🔵   344 northbound – includes 7 mother/calf pairs

🔴   382 southbound

🟢  18 foragers

Clouds prevailed but there was some filtered sunshine upon the calm ocean today. Overall visibility was good although we had limited distinction between the sky, the ocean, and whale blows.  There were about 25 fishing boats spread out throughout our observation area.

🔆 AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:

🔷 3 humpbacks – a deuce and one single

🔷 1 gray forager

🔷 75 harbor seals – 11 moms with pups

🔷 12 sea lions swimming north

🔷 several pelicans circling just above the surface of the ocean and some floating

🔷 1 great blue heron

🔆 Later in the day, Shari Goforth observed 7 humpbacks whales:  3 at Ollie’s straight, 1 north of there, 1 off the Gualala Park beach, and 2 more off Gualala Point Island. The whale that was just about 1/4 miles out from  the beach was making multiple dives and another breached multiple times

🔆 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 👀

🔵   344 northbound – includes 7 mother/calf pairs

🔴   382 southbound

🟢   16 foragers

 

🔶 ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY SHARI GOFORTH:

It was a cloudy day at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula but some sunshine did break through later in the day. The ocean was calm and there was a layer of haze offshore.

🔷 3 humpbacks – two moving slowly south together and one single traveling in a southwest direction

🔷 77 harbor seals – 8 moms with pups

🔷 19 brown pelicans flying north; 4 flying south; 4 floating on the water

🔷 2 black oystercatchers

💠 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰

🔵   344 northbound – includes 7 mother/calf pairs

🔴   382 southbound

🟢  15 foragers