Recent Sightings

Today, we spotted our first humpback whales while at Ignite Fitness, formerly the Physical  Gym in the  Cypress Village in Gualala. The excellent  visibility we had there was also at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula.

🔆 3 humpback whales – singles off Gualala Beach

🔆 1 humpback whale swimming north close to shore at PAL

🔆 8 harbor seals – high tide

🔆 2 great blue herons

🔆 2 American kestrels

🔆 3 black oystercatchers

🔆 4 black turnstones

✳️✳️✳️ Kate Block reported seeing several whales off Shell Beach on the Sea Ranch. She observed repeated breaching and pectoral fin slapping.

A bright and sunny day at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. No wind, no fog, excellent visibility.

✅ 6 humpback whales – all singles; one breached once

✅ No harbor seals – high tide

✅ 1 sea lion swimming north

✅ 1 great blue heron

✅ 1 red-tailed hawk

✅ Approximately 100-125 brown pelicans flying north

Windy but no fog today at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. The wind was blowing 24 mph with gusts of 36 mph from the north northwest.  This resulted in an ocean covered with large and frequent whitecaps.

💠 6 humpback whales; three sets of two; each set of two whales was within a feeding group of brown pelicans and gulls; we watched as both the whales and the seabirds persistently pursued their prey which was most likely schools of northern anchovies.
*one group was so close to shore that we could clearly see the whales’  heads as they rose above the surface of the water

💠1  Northern harrier

💠 2 American kestrels

💠 3 black oystercatchers on the rocks where the harbor seals haul out to rest

💠 No harbor seals seen

Today was quite cloudy at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula. There was very little distinction between the sky, the ocean, and whale blows.

♦️ 1 humpback whale slowly swimming to the north

♦️ 6-8 harbor seals swimming around their haul out sites at high tide

♦️ 3 black oystercatchers

♦️ 4 black turnstones

♦️ 1 American kestrel

Unfortunately, the dense fog at the Point Arena Lighthouse peninsula resulted in zero visibility.

❇️ NO WHALES SEEN

❇️ 11 harbor seals at high tide

❇️ 67 brown pelicans flying north