Gray
Whale Migration Update: April 6, 2005
Today's Report Includes:
Track
the Whales: Latest
Migration Data
Make your own graphs using the data at the links below, or print and anayze
our graphs. (For background and data collection/graphing materials, see
lesson:Tracking
Gray Whale Migration from California Observation Posts)
Analyze
the Data
- What is
the clearest change you notice at each observation post? Describe how
the graphs have changed in the two weeks since our March
23rd update.
- What
differences do you notice between the two observation posts? What
factors do you
think could account for the differences? (Remember to consider the
behavior of the whales, the weather, and the observers!)
- We're
still waiting for a large pulse of mother/calf pairs to pass on their
way north from the birthing lagoons in Mexico. At which site do you
expect mother/calf pairs to be seen in greatest numbers? Why?
- When
do you predict the largest pulse of mother/calf pairs to arrive
at each
site? (You may wish to review the order of migration.)
|
Gray
Whale Migration Route
(Click on face of map) |
Field Notes from Alaska: Gray Whales Arriving!
Up in Kodiak, Alaska, 3-4 gray whales were reported off "Surfers
Beach" out at Narrow Cape on the morning of 28 March! (The first
gray whales of the season were reported by Dave Kubiak of Mythos Expedition
on 15 March. On 17 March Dave spotted two more grays, apparently a
cow and calf, near Williams Reef, 2.7 miles NE Long Island.) In general
the
migrating grays will pass between Narrow Cape and Ugak Island on the
northbound migration. The excitement is just in time for Kodiak’s
Whale Fest celebration! But it’s still weeks until peak time
for cow/calf pairs arrivals, usually mid-May through early June. Susan
Payne from Kodiak, AK posts the week’s Whale Alerts on the
Whale Fest site every Wednesday. Check it out at the link below!
You’ll
also find links to all the fabulous
events of Whale Fest
Kodiak, their
annual migration celebration:
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/journeynorth.org/images/graphics/tnail/u-z/walrus.jpg) |
Walrus
on rocks in Seward, AK. Photo Linda Lasota |
In
Seward, AK, Jena Kalli of Kenai
Fjords Tours' Explorer Programs reports gray whales, too.
Jena said, “As far as I know there haven't been
any cow/calf pairs. They only unusual thing was a Walrus that was
spotted in the bay on Saturday, March 26th. Definitely not a common
sight!”
Field Notes from Channel Islands Observation Post
“Most, if not all of the juvenile whales we have seen are single whales,” reports
Michael H. Smith from the ACS observation Post near Santa Barbara, CA.
Photos
Michael H. Smith, taken at the site of
the ACS-CI Gray Whale Census. Location: Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve
in Goleta, California.
“Many
adults seem to be traveling (at least past our position)
in pairs, or part or a small group of three or four or five. I say ‘past
our position’ because a bit ago, I saw a cow/calf pair that was
with but did not seem a part of the whale in front and behind. It is
more
likely that the whales just happened to be in the
same place and for some period of time swam along together. Another
thing that you have
to realize is that when we say ‘two whales,’ what
we really mean is "at least two whales confirmed
in that position." There
have been many situations when we thought we were
tracking a single whale that somehow turned into
three! And,
it is very difficult sometimes
to
distinguish a calf. It often appears to be one whale,
and all of a sudden (with the help of a 20-power
scope), we see
that
the little
guy is tucked
in there alongside of mom.” But it’s
been a strange two weeks of whale watching:
- March
24: “Very strange day: no rain; no fog;
no wind; no waves; few whales; and no excuses.
We had good
visibility
all day. We observed
one pair at mid-day, and then, finally at the
very end of the day, two groups, widely separated, of
five more
whales.”
- April
2: “No whales. In
three days, three whales have been seen passing
the Point. Good visibility,
for the most
part, especially in
the near-shore area. I have no idea what
is going on out there. The last two days, with
the weather
and
sea condition,
I would
have expected
at
least 30 whales, and we tallied 3?”
Michael continued: “It was zero Beaufort (like
glass) and we certainly should have seen the backs
of whales even
if they did not
blow. When
one of the groups apparently did get by our position,
we caught sight of blows in the sunlight, well past
our position.
I'm
pretty good at
spotting whales, but these got by. And, if these
got by, think of how many might have gotten by in
choppy,
windblown
seas.
“It is surprisingly difficult to do this. I thought it would be much easier;
but it’s difficult to distinguish animals two and three
miles away, and even animals a quarter of a mile away, that
are underwater
most of the time.
It's a challenge, and we do what we can.”
We are grateful to Michael and all the volunteer observers
who are out there every day that we might have migration
news and a
better understanding
of
this mysterious wonder!
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/journeynorth.org/images/graphics/tnail/u-z/gwhale_PerrymanStudysite.jpg) |
Aerial view of Pt. Piedras Blancas, CA |
Field
Notes from Pt. Piedras Blancas, CA
NOAA biologist Wayne Perryman is the government’s leading expert on gray
whale cows and calves. He reports from his observation post on Pt. Piedras Blancas
(see map) as he conducts his annual cow/calf census: “We
started watches on March 21 and we are seeing about
60 adults and juveniles
a day, when it
isn't raining. We saw our first cow/calf pair on
March 24. We are seeing more juveniles
now as the adult phase of the migration begins to
wind down.
“Last week we saw 9 c/c pairs, which gives us 12 for the season when you
combine them with week #1. Our year is starting out like a ‘normal’ year,
whatever that is. We are predicting a high calf count
this season, based on seasonal ice last spring. We
had such a
spectacular count last year that it
will be interesting
to see how many adult females are left to calve this
season.”
Wayne was surprised at the early pulse of cows/calves
reported passing the ACS/Channel Islands station. "But these are animals after all,” said Wayne, “and
they don't know what the rules are.” YOU might be surprised at Wayne’s
prediction of a high calf count this season, based on seasonal ice last spring.
What’s the connection?
Ice and Baby Whales: Challenge Question #6
When biologist Wayne Perryman saw interesting fluctuations
in numbers of calves born each year, he knew
it was a RESULT. He noted other
significant events:
- High
numbers of whales died in strandings in 1999 and 2000, and many whales
were thin and
undernourished.
- Calf
births hit an alarming low in 2000 and 2001.
- Scientists
had not seen a large number of dead calves in the lagoons or along
the
beaches, as they would if
the babies were
being born and
then died
for some
other reason.
- In 1999
and 2000, some whales appeared skinnier than normal.
- The Bering
and Chukchi seas had seen abnormally heavy seasonal
ice in years just before 2002.
As a scientist, what would YOU make of all this?
How would you investigate? Scientists
look for correlations
between
variables.
See some of Wayne's
research and look
at some of his fascinating outcomes in
this lesson:
Challenge Question #6:
"Do you ever see a year with a long feeding season and a low of number
of calves? Do you see a short feeding
season followed by a high number of calves? State
a hypothesis."
(To respond to this question, please
follow the instructions below.)
Don’t
the Male Whales Count?
All the concern about cows and calves
because whenever studying a population,
knowing
the number of males
vs. females is
important. We asked Wayne
if he considers males in regard
to the calf counts and projections.
He said, "With
gray whales, we can identify
adult females if they are pregnant
or
with a calf. Males
aren't so easily identified.
In general, no one pays all that
much
attention to males in studies
of mammal
populations
where
males mate
with several females.
Unless the population is so small
that there are
problems of adults locating each other to mate,
there are enough males to go
around."
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/journeynorth.org/images/graphics/tnail/u-z/gwhale_eyemouth.jpg) |
Photo Keith Jones |
Final Field Notes and Video Clip from Laguna Ojo de Liebra,
BCS Mexico
At Laguna Ojo de Liebra, whale-watching
tour leader Keith Jones has ended
his whale watching
tours
for the 2005
season. Most of
the whales and
tourists are
gone. Back now in the U.S., Keith
shares field notes from his final
3 days of
whale watching
in the warm lagoons:
March 30: The
wind was blowing fiercely
and it was very difficult
to spot
whales. We
used a
technique I refer
to as "trolling for whales:" we
motor slowly in the areas we
know the whales normally hang
out. With
luck, our motor
is heard
by one of those whales who
enjoys contact and they come
and find
us. It worked! Our
group
had several
very close encounters
with
a two-year-old
juvenile female
who tried to stay close to
us, but had difficulty because
of
our wind drift.
March 31: We
went out to the same observation
area, which is about
5 to 10 miles
from the entrance to the
bay somewhat in the center
of the
lagoon.
With no wind,
the water was flat and almost
like
a
mirror. We
searched for several hours,
but it became clear that
overnight
whales had moved from
the inside area
of the lagoon
to be near the entrance.
April 1: We
went to the observation
area that includes the entrance
to
the lagoon.
I counted
between 15
and 20 whales in the
small
area we traversed.
I guess that
there were probably another
20 to 50 whales in the
area, but out of
my view.
These are all that remain
at Laguna Ojo de Liebre
right now. That day was
very exciting with one mother
and baby
pair continually
returning
to our
boat. The
baby enjoyed human contact.
He seemed to get a real
thrill
from our screams
as he exhaled
and
blew water all over
us. His mother
stayed close, but
only approached
close enough to touch
for moments at time. We enjoyed
their company
for
a very exciting 45
minutes. It
was a great
way to end my 11
weeks of
continuous whale
watching.
Keith
adds, “I
hope every one of you
will someday get
the chance to experience
this thrill. I'm home
in the USA,
but already
thinking
about next January and
joining the whales once
again.”
Keith Jones
Baja Jones Adventures, Laguna
Ojo de Liebre, Baja California
Sur, Mexico
Journey North thanks Keith
for his field reports
from the lagoons!
And
now, jump
into the panga (low motorboat)
again
to watch
Keith’s
video of a young whale breaching
in the lagoon:
Size Wise: Try This!
In the lagoons, the calves
grow rapidly. They
can put on up to 100 pounds
a day while
nursing on
rich mother’s
milk. It is believed
that the calves nurse
for about
7 months.
By about
one year of age,
the gray whale can
reach a length
of 28-30 feet. The
growth rate slows in
the second
year, but
the
whales will continue
to grow for about
30 years!
How big
do they
get to be?
Read on:
Try This! Draw a Life-size Whale
What if your heart weighed
285 pounds (130 kilograms)?
What if your eyeball
was the size of a
baseball? You might be a gray whale!
Use our verbal
clues to draw
a life-size gray
whale and you'll find out just how
BIG these creatures
are!
For directions and
more, see:
Journaling Question:
What advantages do you think
their huge size provides
to whales?
![](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/journeynorth.org/images/graphics/tnail/u-z/gwhale_KJ02_015.jpg) |
Humpback
or Gray? Photo Keith Jones
|
Humpback
or Gray? Discussion of C.Q. #5
Last time your challenge question came from researcher Michael H.
Smith, who asked: “At 2 to 4 miles in the distance, what
is an observer looking for to be certain he or she is tracking
a gray whale and not
a humpback whale?”
Michael explains that the observer is actually looking for what is
NOT there: a dorsal fin. “If there is a dorsal fin, it is not a gray
whale. Gray whales have a series of low ridges, while a humpback whale
has a dorsal fin.” It’s not as easy as it sounds: “The
first thing an observer usually sees is the blow of a whale, and both
gray whales and humpbacks have a bushy blow of similar height that
is propelled through two blow holes. Both species are known to breach
(leap
out of the water). Their size is similar and coloration is sometimes
difficult to distinguish at a distance. The telltale is the dorsal
fin, or, in the case of the gray whale, the absence of one.”
How
to Respond to Today's Challenge Question:
IMPORTANT:
Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.
1. Address
an email message to: jn-challenge-gwhale@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge
Question #6.
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions
above.
The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 20, 2005.
Copyright
2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
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