Author: tmercer

Ideal conditions at Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park provided excellent visibility clear to the horizon. The ocean was calm, a very light wind, and brilliant sunshine. 🔷🔶 13 humpback whales – several within one half mile of shore, others about 3 miles out; backs, dorsal fins, flukes visible; one group of three, three…

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, it was cloudy and there was offshore fog starting at approximately 3 miles out. 🌊 5 humpback whales – one pair and three singles 🌊 4 harbor seals – high tide 🌊 2 osprey – one hunting over the ocean and one sitting upon a utility pole eating a…

The day began with decent visibility at Gerstle Cove. Unfortunately, the fog that was threatening offshore did roll in and eventually reduced our visibility to zero. However, later in the day, the wind picked up and cleared the fog away. ♦️ 6 humpback whales: one set of two and four singles ♦️16 harbor seals ♦️…

A beautiful day at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula provided us with excellent visibility.  The wind was moderate and a few whitecaps began to develop on the ocean. 💠 5 humpbacks whales; one group of two and three singles 💠 76 harbor seals 💠 39 brown pelicans

We encountered windy conditions today at Gerstle Cove but it was clear all the way to the horizon giving us excellent visibility. ❇️ 18-21 humpbacks whales – mostly feeding solo; some small groups of twos and threes would form but eventually break apart as the whales set out on their own to locate food; flukes…

There was offshore fog at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula and it was moderately windy with some whitecaps upon the ocean. 🟪 NO WHALES SEEN 🟧 105 harbor seals 🟪 33 brown pelicans 🟧 2 black oystercatchers 🟪 1 great blue heron 🟧 1 American kestrel

We returned to Gerstle  Cove today and we were NOT disappointed.  Many humpbacks stretched out before us to the north and to the south at varying distances from the shore. The ocean was calm and the sky was a bit cloudy but visibility was quite good. 🔷 15 or more humpbacks -several whales were breaching,…

We were elated to be able to return to Gerstle Cove today in Salt Point State Park about two weeks after full containment of the Woodside Fire. The Gerstle Cove area was spared any damage from the fire which burned to the south of this location. The day began with considerable cloudiness and a large…

We observed today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula where the fog limited our visibility to about 2 miles offshore. ✅ NO WHALES  SEEN ✅ 97 harbor seals ✅ 2 black oystercatchers  

The following information has been published by NOAA Southwest Fisheries : A new abundance estimate of the gray whale population that migrates along the West Coast suggests their numbers have increased since last year. Researchers at NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center estimate that the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population is between 15,930 to…

With much less wind at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula compared to the previous week, we had a calm ocean. Unfortunately, it became quite foggy at about 3 miles offshore. ♦️ 2 humpback whales – staying within a ten degree range north and south for over three hours ♦️ 105 harbor seals ♦️ 1 great…