EVENT:

On May 15, the 21st dead gray whale washed ashore in Washington state. We highly recommend attending the webinar below to learn more about why this is happening. You can take a look at Cascadia Research Collective’s working list of stranded gray whales here: https://cascadiaresearch.org/working-list-of-gray-whale-strandings-in-2026/

Please visit the website below to register for this event:

mersociety.org – MARINE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH SOCIETY

 

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, conditions were sunny, clear, windy (20 mph with gusts of 31 mph from the northwest) and the ocean was covered with large whitecaps.

⭐️ 2 humpback whales moving slowly to the south

⭐️ 106 harbor seals – 15 pups

⭐️ 2 great blue herons

⭐️ 1 osprey

⭐️ 2 black oystercatchers

⭐️ 23 brown pelicans – several circling the area

💠 NO WHALES SEEN AT SAUNDERS REEF

💠 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE  

  344 northbound – includes 7 mother/calf pairs

  382 southbound

 18 foragers

 

The morning fog gave way to a gray, overcast day at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. Once the fog lifted, the wind began to blow strongly. Despite this, visibility was very good.

❇️ NO WHALES SEEN

❇️ 94 harbor seal – 15 moms with pups

❇️ 2 sea lions

❇️ 37 brown pelicans

🔷 NO WHALES SEEN AT SAUNDERS REEF

♦️ TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE  ⤵️

  344 northbound – includes 7 mother/calf pairs

  382 southbound

 18 foragers

After two days of very windy conditions , today began with significant fog.  The fog eventually did recede to offshore but it remained quite gray and cloudy at the Point  Arena Lighthouse. We did find sunnier conditions at Saunders Reef.  Visibility at both  sites was limited.

🔆 AT SAUNDERS REEF:

💠  NO WHALES SEEN

💠 6 brown pelicans flying north; 6 flying south; and 4 circling

💠 1 red-tailed hawk

💠 1 adult bald eagle

🔆 AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:

💠 one unidentified whale swimming less than 1/2 mile offshore; spotted the whale’s blow once and then not seen again

💠 85 harbor seals – 7 pups

💠 1 osprey

💠 1 red-tailed hawk

💠 11 pelicans flying south

🔆 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE. 🟰

  344 northbound – includes 7 mother/calf pairs

  382 southbound

 18 foragers

 

 

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