Recent Sightings

We met with challenging conditions today at Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park.  The ocean was covered with whitecaps and the wind was blowing 15 miles per hour with gusts of 20 miles per hour out of the northwest.  Both the wind and the whitecaps increased throughout the day.

✳️ NO WHALES SEEN

🟧 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE  ➡️

🔵  3 northbound          🔴  379 southbound

✳️ 32 harbor seals

✳️ 3 American kestrels

✳️ 2 black oystercatchers

✳️ 8 brown pelicans flying south

✳️ 1 Northern harrier

Today we had sunny conditions with excellent visibility.  The ocean was a bit choppy due to some wind and there were numerous small whitecaps.

AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA WW OBSERVED:

💠 2 southbound gray whales – both singles

💠 2 northbound gray whales traveling as a pair

🔺🔶 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰

🔵  3 northbound          🔴 379 southbound

 

💠 88 harbor seals

💠 3 American kestrels

💠 2 brown pelicans flying south

💠 2 black oystercatchers

💠 1 Northern harrier

 

 

 

After a rainy morning, the afternoon remained cloudy but visibility was quite good at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula.  We did have some light rain showers to contend with but they passed quickly. The ocean was calm and wind was not a factor.

🔆 3 southbound gray whales – one pair and one single traveling fairly close to each other

✅🔆 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰

🔴 377 southbound

🔵 1 northbound

🔆 120 harbor seals

🔆 7 brown pelicans flying south and 4-5 circling the area

🔆 1 red-tailed hawk

🔆 2 American kestrels

On this windy day at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we encountered challenging conditions for spotting blows. The wind was blowing 10 mph and gusting to 15 mph out of the north northwest.  The ocean was covered in whitecaps but visibility was quite good.

♦️ 1 northbound gray whale – we tracked this whale for at least one half mile to be certain he or she was traveling north; blows were bushy, rolled along the surface of the ocean and disappeared quickly; head was visible on some surfacings

♦️ 2 southbound gray whales were spotted earlier in the day from the Gualala Bluff Trail by Shari Goforth; a foggy patch obscured her view so she relocated to a spot north of where she made the initial sighting  and the whales did not show up there leading us to conclude they were traveling south

🟧 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE =

🔵 1 northbound

🔴 374 southbound

♦️ 84 harbor seals

♦️ 2 American kestrels

♦️ 4 brown pelicans circling in the area and feeding

♦️ 2 black oystercatchers

 

 

We had a mixture of clouds and sun today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula.  Visibility varied from quite good to limited due to offshore haziness. Large waves were breaking on the rocks creating spray and for most of the day, there was little distinction between the sky and the ocean.  There was little to no wind which helped in spotting blows and tracking whales.

🔷 2 southbound gray whales – singles traveling about 50 yards apart; backs and flukes visible

🔶🔷 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰 372 southbound 🔶🔷

🔷 52 harbor seals – during an out going tide

🔷 2 great blue herons- one flying low over the field with a gopher in his or her throat

🔷 1 Ferruginous hawk

🔷 4 brown pelicans circling and plunging into the ocean for fish