Recent Sightings

The rain we had over night stopped and gave way to mostly cloudy skies. There were small choppy waves on the ocean.

AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:

* no whales seen

TOTAL WHALES SEEN TO DATE = 382 southbound
1 northbound

* 1 great blue heron

* 1 red-tailed hawk

* 1 Ferruginous hawk

* 1 American kestrel

* 27 harbor seals

Huge waves, 12 – 15 feet, created extremely rough seas with considerable spray and high surf. There was also a strong, persistent wind throughout the day.

* No whales seen today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula or at Saunders Reef.

TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE: 382 southbound
1 northbound

* 21 harbor seals

* 1 great blue heron

* 1 American kestrel

* 1 black oystercatcher

Today we took the opportunity to observe at Gerstle Cove which is part of Salt Point State Park in Sonoma County. It was a mostly cloudy day with some breaks of sunshine and visibility was quite good. Here we saw:

* 1 northbound gray whale – our first northbound of the season
* 2 southbound gray whales

TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE = 382 southbound
1 northbound

* 16 harbor seals

* 3 black oystercatchers

* 1 red-tailed hawk being harassed by an American kestrel and then successfully hunting a mouse

* 2 American kestrels

* 1 white-tailed kite

The sun was shining and the wind was strong today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula where we observed:

* 10 southbound gray whales – all singles

TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE = 380 southbound

* 79 harbor seals

* 3 American kestrels

Sun returned today along with a strong north northwest wind with gusts up to 25 mph. This created significant whitecaps on the ocean and blows were battered down quickly.

Observations from the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula:

* 4 southbound gray whales – two were seen by Sara Bogard during her harbor seal survey

TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE = 370 southbound

* 27 harbor seals

* 3 American kestrels