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Gray Whale Migration Update: April 16, 2003

Today's Report Includes:

Whales Reach Kodiak! Migration Highlights Along the Coast
gwhale_KJ02_072

Baby Gray, March 3, 2003.
Keith Jones.

Whales are on the move. They?ve arrived in Kodiak, Alaska! Many more moms and babies have started the long migration home to the feeding grounds. At his census location near San Diego, Wayne Perryman has this exciting news: "Last week was steady, with a big day on the 8th of 14 c/c pairs. So far we are up to 45 pairs, which is the third- highest count for the 10 years of survey effort. So they are early, there are lots, or maybe both." Go, whales!

Mike and Winston at the ACS/LA census said, "April 13 was a great day for cow/calf pairs! We just surged ahead and now have more cow/calf pairs going north than 4 of the last 19 seasons. And there are reports that there are still a lot of cow/calf pairs in Laguna Ojo de Liebre." A little farther north in the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara, folks say the migration has slowed, with several days having no whales. It?s the same as we go north up the coast, but that will soon change with moms and calves heading north. Hear Capt. Geoff?s tale about the young gray whale they call Cashflow, and find out what?s happening all along the migration trail in our full report, here:

People Aren?t the Only Ones Waiting for Whales

Gray Whale Migration Route
(Click on face of map)

Excited whale watchers are awaiting the near-shore migrants all along the whale trail from Mexico to the Bering Sea. But caring people aren?t the only ones waiting for the whales. Nature?s cycles are at work, including the predator/prey cycle. What?s Gray Whale Enemy Number One? Killer whales.

Marine Biologist Caitlyn Toropova told Journey North this about the connection between gray whales and killer whales: "Although killer whales can and do eat gray whales occasionally, there is a lot more to it than that. Killer whales are amazingly good and adaptable hunters. When killer whales do attack a gray whale, several things happen. Find out what they are, and listen to live recordings of killer whale sounds here:

Try This! Whale Journey Literature Link
Whale Journey
by Vivian French
In her 50 years, Old Gray swam a distance equal to traveling to the moon and home again. What's in store for her baby, about to make his first migration? Whale Journey by Vivian French (1998, Zero to Ten Limited) is a richly detailed picture book that all ages will enjoy. Join three generations of whales on their travels. Then try a point-of-view writing experience along with other fun extensions built on this literature link to the study of gray whales. See:

Mystery Photo Identified: "Kodiak Killers"

Photo Mike & Winston

Gray whales aren?t the only prey of killer whales (KWs). How do KWs prey upon Stellar?s sea lions? How do members of both these species help one another? Fisheries biologist Lori Mazzuca from False Pass, Alaska shares her own eye-witness account:

Then come back and answer:

Challenge Question #12:
"What are two differences between transient killer whales and resident KWs?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Mom and Baby Close to Shore
"At 12:17 we picked up the whales near the Santa Barbara Lighthouse in 46 feet of water,"
Blow
Whale
All photos credit Tom Kotzebu
2 whales
writes Tom Kotzebue on a recent day, and he shares these photos with us. Note how close to shore the whales are. No wonder they draw crowds of whale watchers! "We followed them on a westerly course for an hour. The distance from there to the lighthouse is 3.2 miles. They traveled a zig-zag course. The young one presented more fluke when diving. I was left with the impression of a young child that scurries to keep pace with the longer legged adult."

Mile and a half from
shore. This is the middle lane the whales take in the Channel.

Watching near Santa Barbara, CA (34.42,-119.7) on another day, Tom commented: "The mothers and calves travel very close to shore, away from predators for easier hiding in the kelp beds. This photo was in 30 feet of water, about a mile and a half from shore. The white column on the cliff in the right of the photo is the Santa Barbara lighthouse."

 

Kids Count Whales in Oregon!
The spring watch week for Whale Watching Spoken Here (44.96,-123.85) is an annual official event for Ms. Silen?s class from Taft Middle School in Lincoln City, Oregon. Ms. Silen reported: " Several members of my class assisted as volunteers to help the tourists learn more about our Gray Whales." We invited the students to share photos and tales with you, so stay tuned!

Want to Watch Whales in Baja? Here?s YOUR Chance!
Keith Jones reminds us, "Next year we want to provide the funding for a group of between 9 and 14 high school seniors/juniors and their chaperones to experience the Baja Jones Adventure to the gray whales." Is your school interested? If so, contact Keith Jones: keith@greywhale.com with a letter of interest by June 15th.
(An email query is acceptable to begin.)

Spring Training: Discussion of Challenge Question #10
Last time we asked: "If 1 knot is 1 nautical mile per hour and a nautical mile is 1.15 statute miles, how fast is the tidal current in San Ignacio?"

Jack wrote, "My answer to challenge question number 10 is that the tidal current in San Ignacio is 2.875 statue mile. Even if that's wrong, here's how I got it. Since Linda Lewis says the tidal current in San Ignacio is 2-3 knots, I rounded that to 2.5 knots. That's also 2.5 nautical mile. Finally I multiplied 2.5 and 1.15. Why did I multiply, some of you confused people ask. Well a nautical mile is 1.15 statue miles. You multiply to find out how many statue miles is 2.5 nautical miles. If you follow all of the steps above you should get 2.875."

Nga Vo, a Challenger Middle School Student says, "I think it is about 2.3 to 3.45 statute miles per hour. For instance:

"If 1 knot is 1 nautical mile per hour then that means 2-3 knots are 2 to 3 nautical miles. Then if a nautical mile is 1.15 statute miles, 2 to 3 nautical miles are 2.3 to 3.45 statute miles per hour.

You may not think that sounds like such a strong current, but try swimming against it day after day and you'll build muscles! That's what the baby whales do in "spring training."

Click on photo to enlarge.
Photo Mike & Winston

How Far Offshore? Discussion of Challenge Question #11
Last time we asked you to look through Mike and Winston's binoculars and answer:
"Pretend you're the whale watcher and fill in these blanks for the whale spout you see in the binoculars view: BLOW! ____ degrees at ___ mil. The whale is ___ miles (____ kilometers) offshore."

The answer: "BLOW! 287 degrees at 30 mil. The whale is .48 miles (.70 kilometers) offshore."
How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:

IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-gwhale@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #12.
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 30.

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