Recent Sightings

Good visibilty for most of the day interrupted at times by fast moving thin waves of fog. Very little wind. Blows were easy to spot.

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula we observed:

* 4 northbound gray whales – one pair and two singles

* 42 harbor seals

* 2 American kestrels

* 1 red-tailed hawk

* 1 great blue heron

* one flock of cackling geese flying north – approximately 300 geese

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AT SAUNDERS REEF, we observed:

* 7 northbound gray whales – one group of two and five singles

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TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE (as of November 1, 2024) =

🔆 69 northbound

🔆 391 southbound

Today we observed at Gerstle Cove which is part of Salt Point State Park in northern Sonoma County. We had excellent visibility most of the day until late afternoon when the wind and whitecaps increased.

We observed:

* 21 northbound gray whales –
twelve singles, three sets of two, and one group of three
All but one set of two were within one mile of shore and we could see their heads, backs, and in many cases, their flukes. All seemed to be in good body condition.

GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE (as of November 1, 2024) =

🔆 58 northbound

🔆 391 southbound

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* 1 sea lion

* 16 harbor seals

* 1 Cooper’s hawk

* 1 immature bald eagle

* 2 American kestrels

* 8 flocks of northbound cackling geese ranging in size from greater than 500 geese to approximately 200 geese

With winds at 17 mph and gusts of 26 mph, visibility at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula was poor. The surface of the ocean was covered with whitecaps and wind blown spray.

* NO WHALES SEEN

GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE (as of November 1, 2024) =

🔆 37 northbound

🔆 391 southbound

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* 56 harbor seals

* 1 American kestrel

* 2 black oystercatchers

* 1 great blue heron

* two flocks of northbound cackling geese – one flock of 50-60 geese, the second one of approximately 40 geese

We had a persistent 15 mph wind with gusts of 25 mph. Although the day was sunny and visibility was good, there were many whitecaps on the ocean. Most blows stayed quite low on the surface of the water. In the afternoon, a front came through brining some light rain.

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula we observed:

* 10 northbound gray whales

GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE (as of November 1, 2024) =

🔆 37 northbound

🔆 391 southbound

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* 4 harbor porpoise swimming north – please see below for some information from NOAA FISHERIES

* 32 harbor seals

* 4 black oystercatchers

* 2 red-tailed hawks

* 1 American kestrel

* 2 flocks of northbound cackling geese

✳️ Quick Facts about harbor porpoises ✳️ from NOAA FISHERIES

WEIGHT
135 to 170 pounds
LENGTH
5 to 5.5 feet
LIFESPAN
About 24 years
THREATS
Entanglement, Ocean noise
REGION
Alaska, New England/Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, West Coast

✳️ Appearance ✳️ From NOAA FISHERIES
Harbor porpoises have a small, robust body with a short, blunt beak and a medium-sized triangular dorsal fin. Their back is dark gray fading to lighter intermediate shades of gray on their sides. Their belly and throat are white, with a dark gray chin patch.

On this cloudy day at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we observed:

* 1 southbound gray whale

* 5 northbound gray whales – 3 singles and one set of two

GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE (since November 1, 2024) =

🔆 27 northbound

🔆 391 southbound

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* 43 harbor seals

* 2 great blue herons

* 2 American kestrels

* 1 red-tailed hawk

* 8 flocks of northbound cackling geese – 4 of these flocks consisted of 500+ birds