Recent Sightings

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 harbor seals

🔷 49 brown pelicans flying north

🔶 AT SAUNDERS REEF:

🔷 1 northbound gray whale

🔷 1 osprey

🔷 7 brown pelicans flying north

🔶 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE  ⏩️

🔵   297 northbound

🔴   382 southbound

🟢    2 foragers

 

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 visibility was limited by haze.

💠 3 northbound gray whales – all singles

💠 approximately 900 Aleutian cackling geese flying north in flocks of 300, 400, 90, 80, and 30

💠 12 brown pelicans – 4 circling around the Lighthouse and 8 flying north

💠 2 black oystercatchers

🔆 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰

🔵    289 northbound – includes one mother/calf pair

🔴    382 southbound

🟢    2 foragers

 

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 less than one-half mile offshore

❇️ 17 harbor seals

❇️ 1 osprey with a fish

❇️ 1 red-tailed hawk

❇️ 90 Aleutian cackling geese flying north

❇️ 16 brown pelicans flying north

⚛️ TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE ↘️

🔵   286 northbound – includes on mother/calf pair

🔴   382 southbound

🟢    2 foragers

Ideal ocean and weather conditions today allowed blows to remain suspended and for us to see backs, head, and flukes. We had excellent visibility clear to the horizon.

🟪 AT THE POINT ARENA LIGHTHOUSE PENINSULA:

♦️ 6 northbound gray whales – one trio, one deuce, and one single

♦️ 1 unidentified whale –  approximately three miles offshore; was not migrating as it remained between 245 and 250 compass degrees for about 40 minutes; fluked once but we were unable to identify the species with 100% certainty; most likely a humpback

♦️ 84 harbor seals

♦️ 1 great blue heron

♦️ 1 northern harrier

🟪 AT SAUNDERS REEF:

♦️ 1 northbound gray whale

♦️ 1 red-tailed hawk

🟪 Off Salt Point  State Park, Shari Goforth spotted a trio of northbound gray whales followed by a single and off Gualala point she saw one single gray whale

🟪 TOTAL GRAY WHALES SEEN TO DATE 🟰

🔵   284 northbound          🔴   382 southbound          🟢   2 foragers

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