Field Notes 2013 Jeanne Jackson reports: May 7: Robert Scarola spotted 4 to 6 Gray Whales, one of which was a calf. (See Robert's photo, right.) May 6: Seven Gray Whales, two of which were calves, were seen VERY close in by Little River. April 4: Jodi Smith reported this sighting. "I was near Schooner Gulch and over two hours saw 19 grays that included three mother/calf pairs. All were headed north except one that was milling about just outside the kelp beds.” Schooner Gulch is north of Gualala. March 29: Just spotted a pod of five or six gray whales with one mom/juvenile or calf (?) pair. The fog pulled back and the ocean is very calm, allowing me to see the spouts, backs, and some beautiful tails! March 20: Quite a few Gray Whales are passing by our section of the coast! Someone called me to report over 50 blows counted today. We have clear weather for the next few days so I expect there will be more sightings. Exciting time! March 20: Storms clouds lifted late today and the Pacific Ocean was revealed. Soon I saw a pod of perhaps eight Gray Whales with two calves. Big spout quickly followed by a small spout—a wonderful sighing indeed. March 16: Gray Whale Just saw a pod of perhaps six Gray Whales with one mother/calf pair, headed north! March 9: Gray Whale (Mother/Calf Pair) Late yesterday afternoon Rick and I saw two pods pass by. The first had about six Gray Whales, with one mother/calf pair. The second pod passed by a half hour later but with the glare of the sun I couldn't see much but a cloud of blows. Today, Sunday, should be another good chance to see any whales migrating north. I will, of course, report what I see. February 28: Just saw a pod of perhaps six Gray Whales with a mother/young one in the middle. They were off of the hamlet of Anchor Bay. So wonderful to see! The calm, clear day helped us see it clearly. February 27: professional photographer Craig Tooley photographed a pod of Gray Whales migrating north as he flew in an airplane over the Mendocino Coast. The pod included two mother/young pairs and approximately eight accompanying adults. February 26: This morning gave us calm seas and the wonderful sighting of several groups of Gray Whales. The northward migration has officially started off the Mendocino Coast! January 18, 2013: I was having lunch at the Black Point Grill on The Sea Ranch Friday Jan. 18th when two southbound Gray Whales swam by very close. There were several groups of tourists there, along with groups of locals. Everyone was thrilled to see these two animals so close up. The heart-shaped spouts were clear to see. Then long backs were seen followed by a tail. |
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