Gray
Whale Migration Update: May 3, 2006
Today's Report Includes:
- Gray Whale Migration Off the California Coast: Latest Data and Graphs
- First Mom/Baby Pair Report from Tofino, BC!
- Counting the Calves: Field Notes From Wayne Perryman
- How Many This Year? Challenge Question #8
- Field Notes from California’s Channel Islands: Glad News, Sad News
- NEW LESSON! Orcas and Gray Whales: Feeding and Survival
- Field Notes from ACS/Los Angeles: Good Numbers
- Whale-Sized Babies: Discussion of Challenge Question #7
- Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts!
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Gray
Whale Migration Route |
Gray
Whale Migration Off the California Coast: Latest Migration Data and
Graphs
Is the cow/calf migration nearing its peak?
This week's numbers show where the action is, for observers watching whales along
the California coast. When you look at the latest data and graphs, stop
to think about this:
For the
past 89 days, from February 1st to May 1st, volunteers watched for
whales and sent us the numbers. In total,
they saw 1,492 northbound whales (888 whales from the Los Angeles
Post and 602
whales
from the Channel
Islands
post). Volunteers at Los Angeles watched during daylight hours, 7
days a week. At the Channel Islands, they watched and counted
8 hours a day.
Much of the time these dedicated observers saw nothing at all! But they showed a
lot of patience.
As this week's entry in your gray whale migration journal, write about
the importance of patience in science. Consider questions like these:
First Mom/Baby Pair Report from Tofino, BC!
It's been a quiet week for reports farther north along the migration trail. Do you suppose the adult and juvenile migration is nearing the end, while the cows and calves are coming in great numbers now? This week's only northern report came from folks in Tofino, BC. They were excited to report their first cow/calf pair, "right on time!" We heard from Katie at Remote Passages Marine Excursions, who said the first cow/calf pair traveling north was confirmed by a number of boats in their whale watch fleet on April 27 at 45.05 N, 125.5 W. The next day a cow/calf pair was seen a little farther north, with Baby rolling on Mother's back. Were they the same pair?
As you learned last time, gray whales can be identified by their markings. Whale photos taken over the years are kept in a special whale ID catalog, and the same whales are seen year after year. In fact, Katie says they are now watching for "Two Dot Star." This whale usually arrives in the Tofino area by the third week of April, but no sign of it yet. Two Dot Star, where are you? How will they know Two Dot Star?
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Example of markings that help identify
individual gray whales.
Photo CERF. |
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Watching
for whales!
Photo Keith Jones |
It’s all good news from Pt. Piedras Blancas, CA. That’s where Wayne Perryman counts the calves passing by. Wayne said they recently saw 20 cow/calf pairs on 3 days in a row! “We were not on watch over the weekend, but they were streaming by on Sunday. We are in the running with the last three "good years" as far as number of calves by this time of year.”
Susan sent the latest news yesterday: “We recorded 92 cow-calf pairs traveling north past Piedras Blancas, which brings our total count to 229 pairs. We only saw a handful of adults this week passing by offshore. I don't know if we've seen the peak yet, but we might have.” Look for more in our final report on May 17!
How Many This Year? Challenge Question #8
A week ago, when they had counted 136 calves, Wayne said, “This should be about the median date for the migration. This week is an important one for us and I hope that the weather holds.” That brings us to ask:
Challenge Question #8:
“What is the meaning of “median” as used by Wayne Perryman? If they had counted 136 calves at the median date of the census, how many calves might they expect to count for the whole season?”
- To respond to this question, please follow these instructions.
Field Notes from California's Channel Islands: Glad News, Sad News
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Photo Michael H. Smith |
Photo Leon Scott |
Photo Michael H. Smith |
From Michael Smith at the Channel Islands census station (Gray Whales Count) comes both sad news and glad news. On April 26 they saw a calf tucked along momma's side as they cruised past. This was the 100th calf they've counted! It was a great feeling—especially after the events of April 19. Michael tells what happened:
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Photo Michael H. Smith |
“Education
is an important part of our census. We enjoy explaining what we are
doing. We often point to whales we are tracking. Many
remark at how close the whales, especially mothers and calves, are to the shore.
We talk about the possible reasons, and heading the list is avoidance of killer
whales.
“Today, unfortunately, that became all too real. At about 11 this morning,
Mat
Curto, captain of the Condor Express, reported witnessing five orcas attacking
a gray whale cow/calf pair about eight miles offshore between
Santa Cruz Island and the mainland. The calf was killed."
It was a very tough day for Michael and the others, who celebrate every baby
whale
they count. "We
are
well
aware
of
the
multitude
of
dangers they
face, and we smile and appreciate the new life, while today, with sadness,
acknowledging a death.”
NEW LESSON! Orcas and Gray Whales: Feeding and Survival
Capt. Scott Leon shares his eyewitness story of the orca attack. Our graphic organizer and fact sheet help you explore these questions: Why do you think Captain Mat doesn't want to use the boat to help block the orca attack? Do you think humans should interfere with events like this? Why or why not? What behaviors and body parts do you think help gray whales and orcas—and their young—get food and survive? It's all here:
Field Notes from ACS/Los Angeles: Good Numbers
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How
does this migration compare to last year’s numbers at
this time? |
At the census station near Los Angeles, watchers saw a cow/calf pair that was “escorted” by a sea lion. One day they saw a baby whale riding on its mom’s flukes. Another day two cow/calf pairs played and romped so much that the water looked like whale soup! Sadly, boats killed a couple of gray whales, and orca whales attacked several calves.
Volunteer Mike sums up the season: “The gray whale migration is winding down. The whales were late arriving at the breeding lagoons, which had a lot of people worried. (A look at the number of southbound calves (38) tells you the whales were running late.) But we have already surpassed last year’s total northbound numbers. With only 2 weeks left in this year’s census, I doubt very much if we will break any record, but on the whole it was a good year.”
Whale-sized
Babies: Discussion of Challenge Question #7
Last time you learned about calf behavior. We asked: “Find
out how much you weighed when you were born. You can round up or
down to
the nearest pound. Imagine you gained 20% of your original birth
weight each day for the first 3 months (90 days) of your life,
like a baby
gray whale does. How much would you have weighed when you were 3
months old? Why do you think whale calves put on so much weight
so quickly?”
We’re cheering for Iselin Middle School seventh graders Louis,
Ronny, Brian, Rizwan and Ramandeep. They weighed in with this
fantastic answer. WELL DONE, students!
“Our group estimated that we were about 8 pounds at birth. If we gained
20% of our weight, or 2 pounds a day, we would weigh 188 pounds after
3 months. Whale calves put on so much weight so quickly because they
need a lot of food for energy to survive the migration. They need
to add blubber to stay warm. Also, they need a lot of food just to get
through the day.”
| Year-End Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! | |
| Please take a few minutes to share your suggestions and comments in our Year-End Evaluation. The information you provide is critical for planning new initiatives and for improving Journey North. Also, as a free program supported by a generous grant from Annenberg Media, we want to be able to document Journey North's reach, impact and value. THANK YOU! | |
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The FINAL Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 17, 2006.
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