Recent Sightings

The day began with excellent visibility, sunny skies, and a light breeze. However, in the afternoon, our observation area at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula become completely encompassed in fog for approximately one hour. The fog did lift and our visibility returned.

At PAL:

🔸 3 northbound gray whales – all singles

🔸 50 harbor seals

🔸 4 flocks of north flying cackling geese

🔸 21 brown pelicans flying north

🔸 8 black oystercatchers

🔸 1 osprey

🔸 1 gopher

AT SAUNDERS REEF:

🔸 1 northbound gray whale

🔸 2 flocks of cackling geese flying north

🔸 1 osprey

🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE: (since November 1, 2024) 🟰

🔆🔆 303 northbound – includes 1 mother/calf pair seen on March 14th

🔆🔆 391 southbound

🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻

gray-whales-are-dying-off-the-pacific-coast-again-and-scientists-arent-sure-why

This important article was written by Susanne Rust, an award-winning investigative reporter specializing in environmental issues. She has been following and reporting about the status of the gray whale population for several years. We had the great privilege of meeting Susanne in 2020.

Observations from the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula:

✳️ 3 northbound gray whales – two traveling together and one single

✳️ 48 harbor seals

✳️ 3 sea lions swimming north

✳️ 1 red-tailed hawk

✳️ 35 pelicans flying north

✳️ 2 gophers

Observations from Saunders Reef:

✳️ 2 northbound gray whales – both singles

✳️ 7 pelicans flying north

✳️ 1 great blue heron

🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆

TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE: (since November 1, 2024) 🟰

🔷🔷 299 northbound- includes 1 mother/calf

♦️♦️ 391 southbound

🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆

With foggy and soggy conditions throughout the day, we did not observed any whales at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula or at Saunders Reef. However, in between rain showers, Shari Goforth did observe 5 northbound gray whales at Gualala Point Regional Park.

At PAL, we observed:

✳️ 33 harbor seals

✳️ 1 red-tailed hawk

✳️ 1 great blue heron

🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦

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

🔷🔷 294 northbound – includes 1 mother/calf

♦️♦️ 391 southbound

🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦🌊💦

We participated in our community march and rally for Democracy today.🇺🇸

After the rally, Shari Goforth reported seeing two northbound gray whales passing by Gualala Point.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

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

🔷🔷 289 northbound – includes 1 mother/calf
♦️♦️ 391 southbound

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸