Author: tmercer

We had excellent visibility today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. The ocean was calm and there was no wind. We observed: 🔆 11 humpback whales – two pairs with a single close by and five singles, two of the singles breached 6 times 🔆 67 harbor seals at low tide 🔆 1 great blue…

The day at Gerstle Cove began cloudy and gray but by mid morning, we had abundant sunshine and excellent distinction between sea and sky. We had unlimited visibility all the way to the horizon. We observed: 💠 18-22 humpbacks, many breaching and lunge feeding between 2 and 5 miles offshore 2 humpbacks, approximately 100 yards…

Today we had intermittent fog that greatly reduced our visibility.  However, we did observe three feeding humpback whales less than one mile from shore at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. We also counted 18 harbor seals.

Hazy on the horizon but good visibility overall.  Some whitecaps and slight wind. AT SAUNDERS REEF WE OBSERVED: 🔶 9 humpbacks – two breaches 🔶 1 sea lion swimming north 🔶 7 brown pelicans AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA WE OBSERVED : 🔶 3 humpbacks – two traveling north together, one single 🔶 5…

Slightly hazy on the horizon today. A bit more windy than previous days and some whitecaps have developed. AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA WE OBSERVED: ♦️ 12 humpbacks – many breaching, chin slamming, flukes and back visible ♦️ 12 harbor seals – high tide ♦️ 2 black oystercatchers ♦️ 35 brown pelicans AT SAUNDERS…

On this absolutely gorgeous summer day, we observed at Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park.  Calm ocean, gentle breeze, excellent visibility. WE OBSERVED: ✳️ 15 humpback whales – many breaching ✳️ 2 minke whales swiftly swimming north ✳️ 8 harbor seals – at high tide ✳️ 1 Osprey with a fish ✳️ 1 northern…

Another beautiful day here on the Mendonoma coast.  Ocean is still as calm as a lake and the morning clouds gave way to bright sunshine.  No clouds and no wind. Excellent visibility. Many fishing boats in the area. AT THE POINT ARENA  LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA, WE OBSERVED: 🔆 8 humpbacks- one breached once creating a huge…

The ocean was as calm as a lake today and visibility was excellent. At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we observed: 🔺 8 humpbacks 🔺27 harbor seals – at high tide 🔺 300-350 brown pelicans flying north; others resting in the ocean 🔺 4 flocks of approximately. 50-60 cormorants flying north 🔺 1 osprey 🔺…

After three consecutive days of very foggy conditions,  today finally provided some decent conditions and visibility for observing whales. We received word from Shari Goforth that several humpbacks could be seen offshore from the  beach at Gualala Point Regional Park, south of Gualala Point Island. Thank you, Shari! We went there and observed: 💠 7…

With a cloudy sky, blows were challenging to see today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula.  We observed: 🔷 11- 12 humpbacks scattered throughout our observation area 🔶 61 harbor seals 🔷 1 great blue heron 🔶 23 brown pelicans NO WHALES SEEN AT SAUNDERS REEF 🔷 18 brown pelicans

Another beautiful day with excellent visibility. Calm seas with a light breeze. AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA, WE OBSERVED: 🔆 4 humpbacks – two singles and one group of two 🔆 111 harbor seals 🔆 4 black oystercatchers 🔆 1 great blue heron AT SAUNDERS REEF: 🔆 2 humpbacks

A huge thank you to Michel Reinhart for allowing us to share his amazing photos of these humpback whales he photograph from his home on the south end of the Sea Ranch on Monday evening, August 18th. Look closely and you will see that birds have joined the humpbacks in snatching a meal.