Recent Sightings

Mostly cloudy skies with a few breaks of sun. The ocean was calm and visibility was good.

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we observed:

🟣 5 northbound gray whales – all singles; none fluked but heads and backs on all were visible

🟣 22 harbor seals

🟣 3 black oystercatchers

🟣 125 brown pelicans flying north and 3 flying south

🟣 1 red-tailed hawk

🟣 1 gopher

AT SAUNDERS REEF:

🟣 1 northbound gray

🟣 18 brown pelicans flying north

🟣 1 Canada goose

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

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

🔆 391 southbound

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Cloudy and gray today with some offshore fog. Conditions and visibility improved throughout the day and the ocean was calm.

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we observed:

🔷 3 northbound gray whales – one set of two traveling together and one single

🔷 24 harbor seals

🔷 1 bobcat hunting in the pasture – two sightings

🔷 2 black oystercatchers

🔷 3 red-tailed hawks

🔷 1 osprey

🔷 9 brown pelicans flying north and 2 flying south

AT SAUNDERS REEF:

NO WHALES SEEN

🔷 1 Canada goose

🔷 1 red-tailed hawk

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TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE: (since November 1, 2025) 🟰

✅ 321 northbound – includes 1 mother/calf pair seen on March 14th

✅ 391 southbound

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On this warm, sunny day with calm seas, a thick fog rolled into our observation area at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula reducing visibility to zero. Gradually, the fog lifted and visibilty returned to about 3 miles. The day remained gray and cloudy.

♦️♦️ NO WHALES SEEN AT PAL OR AT SAUNDERS REEF ♦️♦️

AT PAL:

* 3 bottlenose dolphins swimming south

* 29 harbor seals

* flock of 60 cackling geese flying north

* 78 brown pelicans flying north and 1 flying south

* 2 black oystercatchers

* 1 Northern harrier

* 1 gopher

AT SAUNDERS REEF:

* 1 red-tailed hawk

* 1 osprey with a fish

* 1 Cananda goose, eventually flew off to the south

* 62 brown pelicans flying north

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

✅ 318 northbound – includes 1 mother/calf pair seem on March 14th

✅ 391 southbound

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At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we observed:

❇️ 1 northbound gray whale

❇️ 36 harbor seals

❇️ 1 sea lion swimming south

❇️ 10 brown pelicans flying north

❇️ 1 white-tailed kite

❇️ 1 red-tailed hawk

❇️ 1 black oystercatcher

AT SAUNDERS REEF, we observed

❇️ 1 northbound gray whale

❇️ 1 Canada goose sitting in the bluff top

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

🔷 318 northbound – includes 1 mother/calf seen on March 14

🔷 391 southbound

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At Gerstle Cove this morning, we had dense fog for about an hour and 15 minutes. When the fog lifted, visibilty was good but we were challenged by plentiful whitecaps, spray, and northwest wind at 15 mph gusting to 24 mph.

We observed:;

🔻 2 northbound gray whales – both singles

🔻 20 harbor seals

🔻 1 sea lion swimming south

🔻 1 adult bald eagle

🔻 1 osprey

🔻 37 pelicans flying north

🔻 1 Northern harrier

🔻 3 black oystercatchers

🔻 1 Caspian tern

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

❇️ 316 northbound – includes one mother/calf pair seen in March 14th

❇️ 391 southbound

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