News
from Observation Post #16 News from the 2010 Season
"Many students venture down the road to watch for gray whales with their families," says Ms. Phillips. "The best whale watching sites are 40 miles from town, across a very winding, frost-heaved road near Narrow Cape. It's always an adventure." The fourth graders studied gray whales with Scientist Kate Wynne at the Ocean Science Discovery Lab in the Fisheries Tech Center (NOAA). See photos in the March 31 report and the April 14 report. May 12: Dr. Bree Witteveen flew a survey today to count whales around the Kodiak area. a total of 13 gray whales were spotted in the survey area. She reports: "It was pretty quiet out there! I'm not entirely sure why, though I can tell you that the portion of the flight over traditional gray whale territory was pretty windy, making sighting conditions less than perfect." Feeding plumes were seen for four whales. April 15: Dr. Brianna Witteveen of the University of Alaska Fairbanks reports :"We few a survey flight April 15 and saw 70 whales. They were traveling solo or in pairs, threes, fours, a couple groups of of fives and even a group of six. We saw feeding plumes on just three of the 30 sightings." April 14: "It's been pretty quiet around here. We are flying tomorrow, April 15 (weather permitting), and I should have news for you then," reports Dr. Brianna Witteveen of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. March 24: The gray whales are arriving at Kodiak, Alaska! Chris Fiala reported 30 to 40 gray whales traveling past buoys 3 and 4 in groups of 3 to7. Researchers Kate Wynne and Bree Witteveen flew a survey of the island that same day and saw a half dozen gray whales near Dangerous Cape, saying "We did not catch sight of the large group that can often be seen feeding from Narrow Cape. It doesn't mean they aren't there, though! That group often moves on and offshore and if you don't hit it right in the airplane, it's easy to miss them all together."
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