Winter Wildlife Docent Day 4
Visibility was outstanding in Point Reyes on Thursday March 14 so I eagerly raised my hand to be posted at the Lighthouse as a Winter Wildlife docent for the day. When I arrived, it felt like stepping into a wind tunnel. I briefly questioned my location decision but the brilliant panoramic views made up for the relentless wind.
Though the docents had spotted 20 whales the day before, we only spotted two spouts and one whale. That one whale was a baby gray whale swimming close to the cliffs and easily seen with the naked eye. It was the highlight of the day! We didn’t spot the baby’s mother but the cliffs created many blind spots.
Other highlights of the day: We spotted the pair of Peregrine falcons who nest on the south side of the cliffs. A pair of Great Horned Owls were nesting in the north cliffs - the many sticks of their nest exposed on the bare rock while they huddled together in the concave area of the cliff. Visitors enjoyed viewing the thousands of Murre on the rocks at the bottom of the cliffs through the scope and then looking down with the naked eye at the black specks of birds that looked more like mussels than Murres.
When I returned to headquarters at Drakes Beach, I stayed for a while and watched the elephant seals on the beach - a few large males and many weaned pups. I was lucky to see a pup venturing into the surf. It’s joyful to watch their early forays into the ocean building their swimming skills.
