I parked near Campbell Cove and watched. The fog was very dense, so not much of the water was visible. I was about to give up when I heard a very loud blow — a sign that the whale was fairly close by.
I kept watching, and a small Gray Whale eventually swam by, heading further into the harbor. I took pictures, and watched it disappear into the fog north of channel marker #7 (towards the Coast Guard Station). The whale wasn't visible or audible for a little while, but then it reappeared, swimming back towards the inlet.
The spout (the back and tail are also visible below the surface):
The head:
The back:
Another view of the rake-like markings on the back. What do you think — are they from scraping the bottom? From a shark? From an Orca?
And one last view of the whale swimming away:
I'm not sure why the whale ventured into Bodega Harbor, but it was a special opportunity to see and hear a whale close to shore.
P.S. David got a few nice pictures of the other side of the whale as it swam towards the ocean — click here to see one.
2 comments:
Great shots! Any more sightings of the whale?
Hi, Sherry! I haven't heard of additional sightings. If I do, I'll post the information.
:) Jackie
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