Recent Sightings

At the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula, we had good visibility.

✳️ 9 northbound gray whales – including our first mother/calf pair of this season!! one group of three, four singles

✳️ 63 harbor seals

✳️ 2 American kestrels

✳️ 1 osprey

✳️ 3 black oystercatchers

🔆 SHARI GOFORTH SPOTTED TWO NORTHBOUND GRAY WHALES PASSING ONE HALF MILE OFF GUALALA POINT

🔵   272 northbound  – includes 1 mother/calf pair        🔴   382 southbound

🟢   2 foragers

We observed today from the Noyo Center for Marine Science ‘s Crow’s Nest in Fort Bragg. Many people on the Noyo Headlanes Coastal Trail stopped at the Crow’s Nest to learn  about whales and help us spot whales.
There was a fairly strong wind, some whitecaps, and the marine layer created haziness.

🔷 5 northbound gray whales – two sets of two and one single

🔷 1 osprey

🔷 7 brown pelicans – flying north

💠 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE  ➡️

🔵   261 northbound           🔴   382 southbound           🟢   2 foragers

Excellent visibility today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula with a marine layer way off at the horizon and some minor whitecaps. There was a moderate wind.

🔶 8 northbound gray whales – two pairs and four singles

🔶 57 harbor seals

🔶 1 sea lion swimming north

🔶 4 brown pelicans flying north

❇️ NO WHALES SEEN AT SAUNDERS REEF

❇️ TOTAL GRAY WHALES  SEEN TO DATE  🟰

🔵   256 northbound          🔴   382 southbound          🟢  2 foragers

The fog was gone and we had excellent visibility today at the Point  Arena Lighthouse peninsula. We received reports of gray whale sightings from Kate Bloch where she observed several whales traveling north past Gualala Point Island at the north end of the Sea Ranch. In addition, Fred McElroy had sightings of northbound gray whales as they were swimming past Hearn Gulch which is north of Iversen Point and south of Schooner Gulch.

💠 15 northbound gray whales – one trio, three groups of two’s, and six singles

💠 73 harbor seals

💠 1 great blue heron

💠 7 brown pelicans flying north

❇️ TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE  ➡️

🔵   248 northbound          🔴    382 southbound          🟢   2 foragers

photo below by Fred McElroy

We encountered a second day of unrelenting fog at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula so today’s observations were entirely done at Saunders Reef. There was fog here as well but it retreated and allowed us decent visibility.

♦️ 4 northbound gray whales – one deuce and two singles

♦️ 1 red-tailed hawk

🔶 SHARI GOFORTH OBSERVED 2 NORTHBOUND GRAY WHALES AT OLLIE’S STRAIGHT – both singles

🔶 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE ⤵️

🔵   233 northbound          🔴   382 southbound           🟢  2 foragers