Author: tmercer

We had windy conditions at the Point Arena Lighthouse and the ocean had a significant amount of whitecaps.  We did have a clear view to the horizon and visibility was very good. 🔆 3 northbound gray whales – singles 🔆 86 harbor seals 🔆 3 brown pelicans flying south and 1 flying north; 3 others…

After a stormy Saturday, the skies cleared and provided us with excellent visibility with a clear view to the horizon. There was a mixture of sun and clouds, and the ocean was rough with 4-6 feet waves crashing upon the shore creating  quite a bit of white water and spray. ✅ AT THE POINT ARENA…

We observed today at Saunders Reef where the ocean was flat calm, there was no wind, a mix of sun and clouds, and some way offshore cloudiness. Blows were easy to spot. ⚛️ 2 northbound gray whales – singles ⚛️ 1 osprey ⚛️ 56 brown pelicans flying north ✅  TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE…

Today brought us blue skies, a calm ocean, and a clear view all the way to the horizon.  Blows, backs, and flukes could be seen. 🔶 AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA: 🔺 5 northbound gray whales – two sets of two and one single 🔺  1 gray whale foraging 🔺  1 humpback whale 🔺…

Mostly cloudy skies created monocolor conditions with no distinction between the sky and the ocean.  The ocean was calm and there was only a slight wind. ♦️♦️  AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA: 🔷 NO WHALES SEEN 🔷 75  harbor seals 🔷 approximately 170 brown pelicans flying north 🔷 3 black oystercatcher 🔷 1 bobcat…

We had an 80% cloud cover day today but the ocean was calm and there was no wind. Although the cloudiness did not allow for much distinction between the ocean and the sky, visibility was very good. ⚛️ AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA : 🔆 No whales seen 🔆 41 harbor seals – in…

Observations on this absolutely gorgeous day were from Gerstle Cove at Salt Point State Park. Ocean and weather conditions were ideal- excellent visibility clear to the horizon. Blows remained suspended in the air. 🌊  8 northbound gray whales – one trio, one deuce, three singles 🌊  2 gray whales initially seen swimming north, but then…

On this very windy day, the ocean was covered with whitecaps and spray created hazy conditions which definitely limited our visibility and reduced our ability to spot blows. 🔶 AT SAUNDERS REEF: ♦️ No whales seen ♦️ 2 Canada geese – walking along the bluff ♦️ 140 Aleutian cackling geese flying north ♦️ 10 brown…

On this cloudy day, whale blows were difficulty to see due to the lack of distinction between the ocean and sky. For most of the day, our observation area  was mono-color.  Thankfully, the ocean was calm and there was little to no wind. ✳️ AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA: ♦️2 northbound gray whales –…

The day began with excellent visibility, the ocean was calm and there was a slight wind.  As the day progressed, it became cloudy and we lost the distinction between the ocean and the sky. 🔶 AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA: 🔷 7 northbound gray whales- two sets of two and three singles 🔷 76…

The Mendocino Whale Festival continued today at the Point Arena Lighthouse. We were honored to be a part of this event and we thoroughly enjoyed helping many visitors learn about whales and search for whales off the peninsula.  Although there were not many whales in our area, the enthusiasm for finding them was inspiring! Our…

Observations today were at Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park.  The ocean was calm, there was a very light wind, but there was a fair Amin t of haziness that reduced our visibility to  about two miles.  The haziness did lessen throughout the day. ❇️ 2 northbound gray whales – a pair traveling together…