Recent Sightings

Today was a bit windier than yesterday with winds at 10 mph from the south and gusts of 15 mph. Visibility was good.

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we observed:

* 13 northbound gray whales – one loose group of three, 3 duos, and 4 singles

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

🔆 111 northbound

🔆 391 southbound

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* 64 harbor seals

* 2 black oystercatchers

* 1 osprey

* 2 great blue herons

* 2 American kestrels

* 1 gopher

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, winds were NW at 6 mph with gusts of 9 mph. It was partly sunny and visibility was quite good.

We observed:

* 14 northbound gray whales -one group of three, two duos, and seven singles;
One member of the group of three breached twice; as we watched this group, we did observe minor courtship behavior (some rolling about) as they slowly drifted north, then one member swam ahead

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

🔆 98 northbound

🔆 391 southbound

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* 64 harbor seals

* 3 brown pelicans

* 3 American kestrels

* 1 great blue heron

* 1 Northern harrier

* 2 spyhopping gophers

We observed at Gerstle Cove today. The morning clouds gave way to bright sunshine and excellent visibility. It was windy and blows were often batted down quickly.

* 15 northbound gray whales – two groups of two and eleven singles

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

🔆 84 northbound

🔆 391 southbound

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* 27 harbor seals

* 1 sea lion catching a fish

* 1 red-tailed hawk

* 1 great blue heron

* 2 American kestrels

* 3 black oystercatchers

* 1 flock of approximately 60 cackling geese flying north

* 1 osprey successfully hunting for a fish

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