Field Notes 2012 Spring Whale Watch Week 2012 is underway! It began March 24 and continues until March 31, 2012. Posted: Friday, March 30th, 2012 Record numbers of gray whales have been seen heading north on their annual migration up the Oregon coast all last week, when migrating gray whale numbers usually peak about the last week in March.
More than 200 trained volunteers have been manning posts along the coast at 24 Whale Watching Spoken Here sites, and will be on hand for the final day today, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers can answer questions and give advice about spotting some of the 18,000 gray whales cruising north from their breeding grounds on Mexico’s Baja coast to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. Visitors wishing to spot some of these passing giants should come bring binoculars and rain gear. This time of year most of the whales can be spotted about 1 to 3 miles off shore, but check in closer for the occasional whale searching for food or an early mother and calf. For the complete article see the 03-31-2012 issue. March 28: Kate Scopelleti, Oregon State Park Ranger, reported from the Whale Watch Center for the first three days of Spring Whale Watch Week (March 24-31, 2012) from just a few of the posts along the Oregon coast: Clear days with calm wind and seas make it easier to spot the whales. From the Whale Watch Center we had poor visibility on the first three days, resulting in low numbers: Saturday (2 whales), Sunday (1 whale) and Monday (12 whales): But but at Boiler Bay just north of the Center, volunteer spotters saw 17 on Saturday, 14 on Sunday and 14 on Monday because of better visibility. Spotters at Cape Ferrelo also had better visibility, and saw 22, 31, and 4 whales on those three days. Further north with better weather, Cape Disappointment spotters saw 76, 15, and 37 whales on the first three days! The whales are typically 4 or 5 miles out, farther out than we usually see them. (This time of year most of the whales can be spotted about one to three miles off shore.) During the spring migration, the whales are more spread out (fewer passing per hour) than during the fall migration, but they are closer to shore and sometimes stop to eat. Spring Whale Watch Week last year (March 19-26, 2011) tallied 1,082 gray whales! The Whale Watch Center's tally of southbound whales for Winter Whale Watch Week 2011 (December 26-31, 2011) was 590 gray whales. This compares to 1,700 gray whales sighted during the previous Winter Whale Watch Week (Dec. 26, 2010—Jan. 1, 2011). |
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