Author: tmercer

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…

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we had sunny, but  windy conditions with the wind blowing at 18 mph with 27 mph gusts from the north northwest.  There was an offshore haziness at about four miles out which limited our visibility. ❇️ NO WHALES SEEN ✳️ 82 harbor seals ✳️ 1 great blue heron ✳️…

We had cloudy conditions with moderate wind today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. 💠 18 humpback whales- three sets of two and 12 singles 💠 106 harbor seals 💠 3 sea lions 💠 1 red-tailed hawk  

Observations today were at Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park. We had a sunny day with very good visibility at first but as the day progressed, the wind speed increased creating significant whitecaps on the ocean.  Spotting blows and tracking the whales became more difficult as the wind increased. The blows did not remain…

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we had very good visibility clear to the horizon.  It was moderately windy, 🔷 13 humpback whales- three sets of three, one pair, and two singles; one whale was tail lobbing for a short while  🔷 2 sea lions swimming north 🔷 129 harbor seals 🔷 2 black oystercatchers…

Today’s conditions, so vastly different from yesterday, illustrates that no two days here on our beautiful coast are the same! We had considerable clouds, offshore fog and haze starting at about 2 miles out, and the wind was blowing at 13 mph, gusting to 20 mph from the south southeast. Just north of the Gualala…

A dream day!! Excellent visibility clear to the horizon. The ocean was as calm as a lake and there was no wind. We observed from Saunders Reef and saw: 💠 8 humpback whales – one group of three, two groups of two, and one single We did  receive reports of humpback whales being seen all…