News
from Observation Post #5 Here's the news from Staci Shaut, Naturalist at the Birch Aquarium, Scripps Institution of Oceanography: April
15: We are done with whale watching. It was a
great season! On our very last trip on March 31st we saw
our first
mom and
calf pair just about a mile offshore. The
gray whales were plentiful and we even had some unexpected visitors
show
up: humpback, fin, and minke whales! Overall, we saw over
550 whales this year! This included nearly 30 fin whales,
20 humpback
whales, and about 5 minke whales! What we did not count were
the thousands
of Pacific White sided dolphins. Risso dolphins, and Common
dolphins that cruised past our boat throughout the season.
One
of my naturalists came back from Baja on March 29th and said
that there
were still lots of moms and calves in both San Ignacio lagoon
and Ojo de Liebre (Scammons lagoon). I predict that they
are making their way North about now. We wish
all the gray whales good luck on the northbound migration.
We cannot wait to see them again in December! Feb. 15-21: It appears that the gray whales have officially begun their migration North. This week marked the most consistent sightings of northbound gray whales. While the typical behavior continued, other behaviors observed included one gray whale breaching, a group of gray whales rolling over each other, and a humpback whale slapping its pectoral fins and breaching! The majority of whales observed this week were headed North. February 8, 2009: First northbound whale of the season! It appears that the gray whales are making their transition from the southbound migration to the northbound migration. While we are still seeing the tail end of the southbound migration, February 8th marked the first northbound whale that we have spotted this season. In the next few weeks we should begin to see more northbound whales as they make their long journey back to the Arctic. February 7, 2009: Still waiting for the northbound migration, but between Feb. 1-7 we saw 40 whales — ALL HEADED SOUTH. They included two gray whale mom/calf pairs! Two gray whales put on a show by breaching for over an hour! Other behaviors we saw included rolling, chin slapping, and one whale opening its mouth to give guests a good view of its baleen! January 28, 2009: Staci Shaut sent exciting news: "One of the naturalists saw the first northbound whale!" BUT WAIT, there's more: "However, we think that it may have been a juvenile or immature adult. During migration season, juveniles and adults not ready to mate will follow the breeding adults south. Sometimes they make it all the way to the lagoons, but sometimes they will turn around and head north again, or just hang around a certain area. The whale spotted today appeared to be larger than a juvenile and was moving very quickly! I do not believe that this is the leading edge of the northbound migration, as we are still consistently seeing gray whales head south. We will definitely let you know when we are sure that we are seeing the grays head north."
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