Author: tmercer

High winds at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula created numerous whitecaps. Blows were batted down very quickly and whales were difficulty to follow in the rough sea. 💠 3 northbound gray whales – one deuce and one single 💠 17 harbor seals – outgoing tide 💠 3 brown pelicans flying south and 14 flying north…

Today was sunny and warm with a light wind. There were whitecaps starting at about 2 miles offshore and beyond that, there was haziness. ✳️ AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA: 🔆 11 northbound gray whales – one deuce and nine singles 🔆 59 harbor seals 🔆 35 brown pelicans flying north ✳️ AT GUALALA…

After two days of very strong winds and a rough ocean that offered poor visibility, we were able to successfully observe today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula as well as at Saunders Reef.  It was still quite windy and there were numerous whitecaps on the ocean as well as haziness. Spotting blows that disappeared…

On this very windy day at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, the ocean was just covered with whitecaps of all sizes.  Visibility was greatly reduced by spray and haze.  The wind was blowing at 23 miles per hour with gusts of 31 miles per hour from the north north west. 💠 4 northbound gray whales…

Although the day started out quite sunny, out on the peninsula it became and stayed cloudy with offshore fog and eventually, misty. The wind also increased and there were many whitecaps.  Blows were low and bushy and disappeared quickly along the surface of the ocean. 🔆 AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA : ❇️ 8…

We had ideal conditions today with a calm ocean and a clear view all the way to the horizon. ♦️AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA: 🔷 17 northbound gray whales- six singles, two deuces, one trio, and one group of four 🔷 1 foraging sub-adult gray whale swimming north and south within 500 yards of…

Today began cloudy but sunshine prevailed for approximately two hours in the afternoon. This created excellent distinction between the sky and the ocean and whale blows stayed suspended and were easy to spot and to track. The ocean was calm and there was no wind or whitecaps. Unfortunately, the clouds returned and our observation area…

It was a cloudy, hazy day and a calm ocean. The sky and the ocean were both gray today making blows difficult to detect. ✅ AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA : 💠 4 northbound gray whales – two singles and one deuce 💠 55 harbor seals 💠 2 American kestrels 💠 2 black oystercatchers…

Observations today were at Gerstle  Cove in Salt Point State Park on an absolutely gorgeous day. It was sunny, a light breeze, calm ocean,  some haziness on the horizon, but overall excellent visibility. WE OBSERVED: 🔷 9 northbound gray whales – three singles and three sets of two; these whales ranged from one quarter mile…

Today presented us with ideal observation conditions.  It was sunny, no wind, calm ocean, excellent distinction between the sky and the ocean.  We had visibility all the way to the horizon although as the day progressed, some offshore fog began to appear way offshore. AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA: ♦️ 14 northbound gray whales…

After the torrential rains of yesterday, fog moved in today reducing visibility along our coast. AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA: 🟣 NO WHALES  SEEN 🟣 87 harbor seals 🟣 1 American kestrel We relocated to Saunders Reef where the fog had retreated closer to the horizon: 🔵 5 northbound gray whales – a loose…

After a very rainy, windy weekend that did not allow for observations, we did get out to Lighthouse Road on the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula to look for whales. It remained quite windy at 13 miles per hour with gusts of 26 miles per hour from the south southeast. The sky was cloudy and the…