I'll let Shari tell the story. She wrote, “On Monday [of last week], Scott Mercer, of Mendonoma Whale and Seal Study, told me that during his survey he had seen two Gray Whales foraging near the Point Arena Lighthouse, and they were there when he left just 30 minutes before. I drove to the Lighthouse, watched, and saw a blow.  A whale was still there."

“The whale was close enough that, though I had to crop my photos heavily to increase the size, they were sharp enough to see detail, so I texted them to Scott. I was surprised when he texted back that he had sent them to a researcher in Washington, who replied immediately.  The whale is somebody!  It’s CRC-6, first photographed in the Straits of Juan De Fuca in 1986.

“That makes it older than 34 years old [they can live 40-60 years]; it escaped a boat collision, but sustained boat propeller injuries on its left side, and has rope scars on its right side where it escaped entanglement in fishing gear.  It apparently has not migrated, since most Gray Whales should be in Alaskan waters feeding and storing resources for the winter migration to Mexican lagoons.  CRC-6 may be a ‘resident,’ a local Gray Whale, at least for a while.”

Scott later learned this whale is a female. She's been seen with a calf in the past. What stories she could tell us if we only knew her language!

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

The morning fog quickly gave way to a sunny, mild day.