
Recent Sightings
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026
Another ideal day for observing whales. Calm ocean, no wind, excellent visibilty. There was offshore fog which fortunately stayed offshore throughout our observation period.
AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:
💠 36 southbound gray whales – one group of three, twelve pairs, and nine singles
💠 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰 244 southbound 💠
🔆🔅🔆🔅🔆🔅🔆🔅🔆🔅🔆🔅🔆🔅🔆🔅🔆🔅🔆
💠 65 harbor seals
💠 3 brown pelicans flying south
💠 1 great blue heron
💠 2 American kestrels
💠 1 Northern harrier
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2026
Ideal observation conditions today! No wind, sunny, calm ocean, excellent visibility. Blows remained suspended and heads, backs, and flukes were visible.
AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:
🔷 36 southbound gray whales – one group of four, three groups of three, six groups of two, and eleven singles; one whale breached four times
🔷 108 harbor seals
🔷 2 great egrets foraging on the rocks
🔷 1 great blue heron
🔷 2 black oystercatchers
🔷 1 red-tailed hawk
🔷 1 American kestrel
🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟦🟩🟦
🔶 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE = 208 southbound 🔶
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2026
Our day at the Point Arena Lighthouse began with a completely cloudy sky and a great deal of haziness. Eventually, the sun did shine through and our ability to see blows improved greatly. Some haziness remained but visibility was good.
AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:
🔺 7 southbound gray whales – one deuce and five singles; some were as close as 1/2 mile offshore and others were between 3 and 4 miles offshore
🔺 74 harbor seals
🔺 1 Ferruginous hawk
🔺 1 great blue heron
🔺 2 American kestrels
🔺 5 brown pelicans flying south
🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆
🔷 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE ▶️ 172 southbound 🔷
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2026
The ocean was calmer today compared to yesterday but there was still a significant amount of spray creating a haziness. There was absolutely no wind and blows did stay suspended in the air making them easy to spot.
AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:
♒️ 16 southbound gray whales – one group of three, two groups of two, and nine singles; one of the singles breached once
♒️ 93 harbor seals
♒️ 2 American kestrels
♒️ 2 black oystercatchers
♒️ 1 red-tailed hawk
♒️ 22 pelicans flying south
🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹🔸🔹
♒️ TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰 165 southbound
