Category: Daily Observations

Two southbound gray whales were seen about 4 miles off of Saunders Reef this morning by Shari Goforth-Eby. They took multiple blows. At the Point Arena  Lighthouse  peninsula, we observed:  *16 southbound grays- 9 singles, 2 pairs, and 1 group of three * 8 harbor seals swimming about their haul out sites * 1 kingfisher…

The morning clouds disappeared into a sunny day with excellent visibility. At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula we observed:  * 8 southbound gray whales – 6 singles and 1 pair * 6 harbor seals * 2 American kestrels * 1 White-tailed kite      GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE = 182 southbound

While hiking along the Pelican Bluff Trail this morning, Janet McElroy and I spotted a juvenile gray whale foraging in the kelp about 200 yards off shore. Cloudy, gray conditions today created no distinction between the ocean and the sky making it challenging to spot blows. The ocean was calm at first but the wind…

Another day with ideal observation conditions. At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we observed: * 35 southbound gray whales – 21 singles, 4 groups of two, 2 groups of 3, varying in distance from the shore between 1/4 mile to 4 miles * 59 harbor seals  * 1 red-tailed hawk * 1 sea lion foraging …

Thankfully, yesterday’s fog disappeared and we had ideal spotting conditions  today. Very calm ocean, no wind or whitecaps, visibility to the horizon. At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we observed:   * 23 southbound gray whales – 1 group of four, 2 groups of three,  4 groups of 2, and five singles   * 40…

Excellent visibility today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula allowed us to observe: * 23 southbound gray whales – 6 groups of 2 and 11 singles; one was a sub-adult swimming only 500 yards offshore; many whales fluked and backs were often visible * 51 harbor seals * 1 Northern harrier * 1 red-tailed hawk…

While hiking along the  bluff trail at the Sea Ranch, 1 southbound gray whale was seen. Yesterday’s challenging conditions continued today. Winds were blowing 13 mph and gusting to 21 mph. Many whitecaps on the ocean. At the Point ArenaLighthouse peninsula we observed:  * 6 southbound gray whales, 2 whales started as singles but eventually,…

Conditions today were windy, with wind speeds at 16 mph with 29 mph gusts and the ocean was covered with whitecaps. Conditions were challenging .  The blows of whales were batted down quickly. At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula we observed:  * 9 southbound gray whales, 1 group of 2 whales traveling together and 7…

Today we had more wind and haze compared to the previous two days but visibility was still good. At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula we observed:  * 6 southbound gray whales – 2 groups of 2 and 2 singles  * 71 harbor seals  * 2 great blue herons  * 2 Ferruginous hawks  * 3 American…

 Another day of near ideal conditions at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula allowed us to observe:  * 17 southbound gray whales – 1 group of 4 which spread out into four individuals as they moved along southbound through our observation area;  2 groups of 2; 9 traveling solo; two whales did a full breach!  *…

Conditions for observing were ideal today.  Calm seas, no wind, good distinction between sky and ocean. At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula we observed: * 19 southbound gray whales! (our highest count to date!) –  1 group of four, 3 groups of two,  9 singles (reminder, gray whale groups are temporary and will break up…

Sea conditions were calm and visibility was excellent to the horizon. Slightly hazy at times. Observations from the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula: * 5 southbound gray whales; two traveling together, 3 traveling solo; 1 fluked,  long dives by all  * 54 harbor seals * 1  California sea lion hauled out with the harbor seals *…