Tag Archives: Gray Whale

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Robert and Nancy Scarola were walking the public access bluff trail at The Sea Ranch when they saw a Gray Whale.

Robert swears the whale was smiling at them. The whale's head is on the left and its flipper is on the right. The small round objects in Robert's photo are Bull Kelp. There are just a few strands left in the ocean now as recent storms have ripped them from their holdfasts. Some sink but others are tossed up on the beach where they provide food and shelter for various creatures that live on the beach.

A big storm has just passed through. Our seasonal creeks are doing their best impression of mighty rivers this afternoon. We've had 23 inches of rain so far this season, which is an amazing amount.

Thanks to Robert for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

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There have been sightings of a Gray Whale or two off the Mendonoma Coast. This whale was photographed by John Batchelder. It was seen off of The Sea Ranch.

Another Gray Whale was spotted by Ken Bailey off of Point Arena. Ken was out in his boat when he saw the whale. But Ken saw something else that really surprised him - a Mola mola. They like warm water so this might be a sign the Tuna are or will soon be running. No photo of the very strange-looking Sunfish. Ken said it was so big a Gull was sitting on it! Amazing.
Thanks to John for allowing me to share his photo with you here. 

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I recently showed you a photo of Anchor Bay Beach and mentioned that it was a fun place to play in the waves. Two youngsters had their boogie boards and were doing just that when a Gray Whale appeared very close to shore. Perhaps the whale heard the laughter of the children and came close to join in the fun.

A wonderful memory for these children to tuck away into their hearts and minds.

Thanks to Gail Thompson for allowing me to share these photos with you here.

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You have to look closely at Adrian's photo. The Gray Whale's back looks like a small rock out in the Pacific Ocean.

As you can see from Adrian's photograph, the grasses are lush now, with plenty of feed for our wildlife.

And here's a closer look at two Gray Whales seen off of The Sea Ranch several weeks ago and photographed by John Batchelder.

Thanks to Adrian and John for allowing me to share their photos with you here.

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John Batchelder was watching a pod of Gray Whales migrating northward recently. He saw tails and backs and  a lot of spouts. He also saw several breaches. And he got a photograph of one spyhopping and has kindly allowed me to share his great photo with you here.

We've had a lot of wind lately that has made spotting whales very difficult. Hopefully conditions will get better. That would also be good news for abalone divers. There are minus tides early in the morning this Easter weekend, which is what divers look for. I'm keeping my fingers crossed - for good luck - for those of you who hunt for red treasure!