Tag Archives: close to shore

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The largest animal on Earth, a Blue Whale, cruised up the Mendonoma Coast Monday morning.  Shari was one of several of us notified about this whale. She went out to several choice locations and managed to get these long-distance photos.

Shari estimates the whale was about 1/2 mile out. It is rare for a Blue Whale to be so close to shore. You can read the details of this sighting in tomorrow's Independent Coast Observer. What? You don't subscribe? You can easily fix that at https://mendonoma.com/memberships.html

Thanks to Shari for allowing me to share her photos with you here!

Sunny and mild here in Anchor Bay. But there is a big fog bank lurking and keeping the temps mild.

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Tim wrote, "This young Gray Whale was seen Saturday morning 2/8 near the mouth of the Gualala River, bobbing up and down in the surf.  He later worked his way south along the bar, coming as close as 30-40 feet from the beach, giving onlookers a memorable show."

Others saw this whale too. He/she didn't appear to be foraging for food; he/she appeared to be frolicking! Oh, I wish I had been there to see this wonderful visit.

Thanks to Tim for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

It's cloudy today, and we have some rain coming in later tonight. The storms on Feb. 12 and 13 brought us 2.07 inches of rain. The season to date is 52.31 inches!  A nice wet winter is usually around 50 inches at our place in Anchor Bay, so we are doing great this year.

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Eric Zetterholm saw this  young Gray Whale very close in. He went to the Gualala Bluff Trail to photograph it. A couple was on the beach with a dog and they had quite a wonderful show! First Eric photographs the whale spyhopping. Look how close this whale is to the sandbar of the Gualala River!

Here's the whale surfaces while a [lucky] person with their dog watches.

And here's a photo of the Gray Whale's tail.

What a wonderful experience for the people on the beach...and for Eric! Thanks to Eric for allowing me to share his photos with you here. Another great photo, of a man watching while this whale spyhops, will be in tomorrow's Independent Coast Observer.

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Two Gray Whales decided to swim close to shore near the mouth of the Gualala River. Photographers Tom Eckles and Ron Bolander were on the Gualala Bluff Trail with their cameras in hand. The first two photos are Tom's. You can see a fellow on the sandbar was having an up close and personal experience that day!

Gray Whale just off the mouth of the Gualala River by Tom EcklesPectoral fin of a Gray Whale by Tom Eckles

These next three are Ron's photos:

Gray Whale spouts by Ron BolanderGray Whale by Ron BolanderBarnacles cover much of the head of a Gray Whale by Ron BolanderIn this last photo you can see the head of this  Gray Whale is encrusted with barnacles. That means it is an adult. It is spy hopping - taking a good look around.

I wish I had been on the Gualala Bluff Trail while these two Gray Whales were making a personal appearance!

Thanks to Tom and Ron for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Tom's nature photography, here is the link to his website: www.tomeckles.com

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An adult Gray Whale and her juvenile - a calf born earlier this year - have been seen for a week now. It is thought that these whales did not migrate to the Arctic Circle. This is an exciting development for the Grays. They are considered  part of the new Pacific Aggregate Coastal Gray Whales.

Jim Garlock took the photo above. You can see a blow drifting above the Gray Whale. These whales are actually "rock picking," sucking up anthropods and other tasty treats from the rocks, rather than moving mud around as they do in the Arctic.

These two whales have been seen very close to shore, as Robert Scarola's photo will attest. It's very exciting to have them here during summer. Perhaps this will become a regular occurrence.

Thanks to Jim and Robert for allowing me to share their photos with you here.