Recent Sightings

On Saturday, September 21, Sara Bogard will present “Seals Beside Us: Harbor Seals and Other Inhabitants of the Point Arena Lighthouse and Stornetta Public Lands” at the Point Arena Lighthouse at 4:00 pm.

Another day of dense fog prevented us from observing whales at any location.

Dense fog at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula:

* no whales seen

* 4 harbor seals

* 1 red-tailed hawk

* 1 American kestrel

The fog at Saunders Reef retreated enough for a short while for us to see 1 humpback whale .

 

Observations at Saunders Reef in the morning:

* 4 foraging humpbacks

Observations from the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula:

* 4 foraging humpbacks

* 29 harbor seals

* 1 red-tailed hawk

* 1 American kestrel

* 4 Black Oyster Catchers

 

Observations from Saunders Reef in the afternoon:

* 6 foraging humpbacks

* 1 red-tailed hawk

Ship strike likely killed beached young fin whale

A juvenile female fin whale, measuring 40 feet in length, had washed up on 10 Mile Beach north of Fort Bragg. Veterinarian Pádraig Duignan, director of pathology at the Marine Mammal Center,  said that the preliminary cause of her death is ship-strike blunt force trauma. The whale was in excellent body condition and had no evidence of preexisting illness

Observations from Saunders Reef:

 * 4-6 humpbacks; 1 traveling south; the others foraging in the area

We were notified today that a female fin whale has washed ashore on Ten Mile beach in MacKerricher State Park.  A necropsy will be performed to hopefully determine the cause of death and to gather as much information as possible about this whale. Only a blue whale is larger than a fin whale.

 

The Center for Whale research is  happy to announce a new calf in L pod of the Southern residents orcas!!

L90 and new calf L128: Mom looks physically robust, and the calf is nursing and moving normally.

 

Observations from the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula:

 * no whales seen

 * 66 harbor seals

 * 1 Great Blue Heron

 * 1 Great Egret

 * 2 American kestrels

  No whales seen at Saunders Reef