Recent Sightings

Despite the windy conditions, there was excellent distinction between the ocean and the sky giving us good visibility to spot blows. The wind did cause lots of whitecaps and blows were batted down quickly.

AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:

❇️ 16 southbound gray whales – four pairs of two and eight singles; several of these whales were traveling between 100-300 yards apart

❇️ 91 harbor seals

❇️ 2 great blue herons

❇️ 1 Ferruginous hawk

❇️ 1 Northern harrier

❇️ 26 brown pelicans – mostly flying north, some circling the lighthouse

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TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE ➡️ 142 southbound

Today we had a very calm ocean but the sky was cloudy and there was haziness making it difficult to see blows. However, when whale’s came to the surface to breathe, their backs and flukes were clearly visible.

AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA :

🟣 14 southbound gray whales – one trio, two duos, seven singles

🟣 77 harbor seals

🟣 1 bobcat hunting in the field

🟣 2 great blue herons

🟣 2 American kestrels

🟣 2 black oystercatchers

🟣 15 brown pelicans

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TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰 126 southbound

Fantastic visibility and ocean conditions today allowed us to locate blows, observe heads, backs, and flukes, and track whales along their southbound journey.

AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:

🔷 24 southbound gray whales – three groups of three, three groups of two, and nine singles; one whale breached twice; we did see one of the pairs split up as they swam through our observation area

🔷 79 harbor seals

🔷 1 Ferruginous hawk

🔷 1 Northern harrier

🔷 2 American kestrels

🔷 28 brown pelicans flying north, 14 flying south, and approximately 7 floating on the water

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TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰 112

Today we were at Gerstle Cove in Salt Point State Park. Unfortunately, the wind was very strong, blowing 14 mph and gusting 27 mph out of the north northwest. These strong winds covered the ocean with whitecaps, waves between 12-15, huge swells, and high surf.

We observed:

💠 4 southbound gray whales – two pairs, difficult to track due to the ocean conditions

💠 2 Northern harriers

💠 34 brown pelicans flying north and 16 flying south

💠 1 American kestrel often seen hovering

💠 no harbor seals were seen due to high surf

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TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰 88 southbound

We had a mix of sun and clouds today with very little wind to begin the day but the wind did pick up creating lots of whitecaps later in the day. It was fairly good visibility allowing us to spot blows easily.

AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:

⚛️ 20 southbound gray whales – two groups of three, two groups of two, and ten singles: one of the singles breached once!

⚛️ 12 harbor seals – incoming tide

⚛️ 3 American kestrels

⚛️ 1 great blue heron hunting for food in the field

⚛️ 1 red-tailed hawk

⚛️ 22 brown pelicans

❇️❇️ TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE = 84 southbound ❇️❇️