It's April, and mothers with babies are starting the journey north to the Arctic feeding grounds.
Alisa Schulman-Janiger

The lull that follows the migration peak of non-calf whales is giving way to the moms-with-babies parade. Gray whale babies migrate more than 5,000 miles when just a few months old. No wonder observers all along the migration route are eager to see them pass by with their moms! Meanwhile, we're cheering the whales in the lead, who have reached Alaska! Windy or foggy days sometimes hamper counting but, whether seen or unseen, the whales are plowing north to their feeding waters in earnest.

California: Three Scientific Survey Sites Report

From the field station at Pt. Piedras Blancas, CA (35.66N, -121.28W) comes news from Dr. Dave Weller. He and his team are conducting the 24th consecutive year (1994-2017) of the government's survey to estimate the annual calf production of eastern North Pacific gray whales.

"This year's survey runs from March 27 to May 26. The first week brought mostly adult whales as singles and pairs, traveling along the offshore corridor. Despite high winds, we were on watch 45.5 hours the first week, recording 220 whales and 3 mother-calf pairs. We expect the offshore component of the migration to gradually diminish while the frequency of mother-calf pairs begins to increase."

At Los Angeles 33.74N, -118.41W), the Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project had fogged-in days on March 12-14, with no visibility to see whales. Director Alisa Schulman-Janiger sums up the season so far:

"Our counts are now at 1255 southbound grays (including 68 newborns) and 1508 northbound grays (including 25 northbound calves). This compares to counts last season of 1428 southbound grays (including 33 newborns) and 1879 northbound grays (including 33 calves) at this time.

"Our peak northbound week ("main migration pulse") of the non-cow/calf pairs (or "Phase A") gray whales was from 18-24 March, with 510 northbound gray whales and 12 southbound gray whales. Last season, our peak count of 531 gray whales occurred between 28 Feb. and 5 March. The peak northbound days this season occurred on 18 March (105 northbound and 5 southbound), and on 20 March (107 northbound and 2 southbound) — our highest peak counts in 29 seasons. Our highest calf count so far this season was on 7 April with five cow/calf pairs."

At Gray Whales Count (34.40N, -119.69W), the volunteer Counters saw only moms with babies on April 8. Director Michael H. Smith shares:

"It does seem like the parade has started. April 8 was the first day of our survey in which all the gray whale sightings were mother/calf pairs. (See data.) They bounced by in the 5-going-on-6-Beaufort breeze. We heard from whale-watching boats that several more pairs were headed in our direction, but increasing high winds prevented us from finishing the day and including them in our count."

North to Alaska!
In Seward Alaska (59.8N, 149.5W), the eagerly awaited first sighting of returning whales came on April 8:

"We had a beautiful sighting of a mother/calf pair just outside of Resurrection Bay. There was also another adult/escort with the pair." — Emma

Moms with babies travel more slowly than other adult whales because they stop to rest and nurse. Still, it's possible that the early mother/calf pair seen March 6 by The Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project has reached Alaska!