Recent Sightings

On this cloudy, overcast day at the Point Aren Lighthouse peninsula , the ocean was calm and there was a light breeze from the northwest. We had good visibility.

♦️ 2 humpback whales – singles

♦️ 23 harbor seals – out going high tide

♦️ 1 great blue heron

♦️ 1 red-tailed hawk

♦️ 2 American kestrels

♦️ 1 black oystercatcher

♦️ dozens of brown pelicans, mostly flying north and circling around the Lighthouse, some flying south; two large flocks passed over one another flying in opposite directions

We observed today at Vista Point which is at the north end of Irish Beach.   There was some offshore haziness that limited our visibility slightly.

🔷 3 humpback whales – two together and a third close by; no significant movement north or south

🔷 37 brown pelicans flying north

🔷 1 breaching humpback seen off Iversen Point just south of Hearn Gulch

Today, we spotted our first humpback whales while at Ignite Fitness, formerly the Physical  Gym in the  Cypress Village in Gualala. The excellent  visibility we had there was also at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula.

🔆 3 humpback whales – singles off Gualala Beach

🔆 1 humpback whale swimming north close to shore at PAL

🔆 8 harbor seals – high tide

🔆 2 great blue herons

🔆 2 American kestrels

🔆 3 black oystercatchers

🔆 4 black turnstones

✳️✳️✳️ Kate Block reported seeing several whales off Shell Beach on the Sea Ranch. She observed repeated breaching and pectoral fin slapping.

A bright and sunny day at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. No wind, no fog, excellent visibility.

✅ 6 humpback whales – all singles; one breached once

✅ No harbor seals – high tide

✅ 1 sea lion swimming north

✅ 1 great blue heron

✅ 1 red-tailed hawk

✅ Approximately 100-125 brown pelicans flying north

Windy but no fog today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. The wind was blowing 24 mph with gusts of 36 mph from the north northwest.  This resulted in an ocean covered with large and frequent whitecaps.

💠 6 humpback whales; three sets of two; each set of two whales was within a feeding group of brown pelicans and gulls; we watched as both the whales and the seabirds persistently pursued their prey which was most likely schools of northern anchovies.
*one group was so close to shore that we could clearly see the whales’  heads as they rose above the surface of the water

💠1  Northern harrier

💠 2 American kestrels

💠 3 black oystercatchers on the rocks where the harbor seals haul out to rest

💠 No harbor seals seen