To: Journey North
From: Laura Gorodezky
Channel
Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Here are the most recent sightings from the whale corps naturalists aboard the Condor. Thanks to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Ms. Miller's fifth grade students at Peabody School are compiling gray whale information sightings as well as artwork and background information about gray whale migration. Soon, they will have this information available to share with you.
Gray whales are usually located by their low, bushy blow. On calm days it may appear heart-shaped and can be seen from several miles away. Gray whales have a fairly predictible respiratory pattern of 3 to 5 blows at about 30 second intervals before lifting their flukes and submerging for 3-5 minutes. The cycle is then repeated.
When you look at the whale data below, notice the direction the whales were travelling at the time they were sighted. (The letter "H" stands for "heading". In some cases we have included the compass bearing as a number.) These whales were all seen along the California coastline near Santa Barbara. Using a map of California, see if you can answer Challenge Question #35
"In which direction were most of the whales heading as they passed Santa Barbara? How would you explain this?"
In my last report I asked why gray whales tend to hug the coastline more on their northbound trip through the Santa Barbara region than on the southbound portion of their journey. Emily Carpenter of Madison, Wisconsin was one of the students who responded. She had just visited Calfornia and gone whale watching on the Condor herself! You can read her message below as well as those from other students who answered Challenge Question #13.
So, why do the whales travel as they do? We don't really know for sure, but during the southward migration, whales may be taking the quickest route to move down to the calving lagoons in Baja. In contrast, northbound mothers with calves may be staying closer to the coast for reasons of protection from predators such as killer whales.
Students' Responses to Challenge Question #13
"Hi. My name is Emily Carpenter, and I was on the first whale watching trip on the Condor with my family on February 10. We saw 2 whales, one southbound and one northbound. We also saw dolphins and harbor seals and seal lions.
"I think that grey whales hug the coast when they go north because some of them have babies with them, and in shallower water, the baby can dive down with them. There will be more food (kelp beds) closer to shore, and they have to travel slower because of the babies. When they are going south, they don't need to stay close to shore, because they have a store of fat from feeding along the Alaskan coast. On the way north, they don't have a layer of fat, and the babies don't either, so they need to feed." Emily Carpenter, Madison, Wisconsin scarpen1@students.wisc.edu
"This is Rachel and Tina from Mrs. Berger's class. We think that the gray whales might travel between the Channel Islands on their southbound migration and hug the California coast on their spring migration because they might be going WITH the current going south and against it going north. THey stay close to the coast when going against it so as to help them stay on path as they fight agaisnt the current. Also if they are going against a current from the north, that current would be colder and maybe the water nearer the coast is a warmer temperature than the path of the current." K12robzj@hofstra. edu or jberger@dorsai.org
"We are a multi age class of 29, 5/6 students at Weber Elementary School in Iowa City, Iowa. We have be doing some research on many types of sea mammals. Even though we live on the prairie, we are interested in whales and other sea mammals. After a class discussion,we think the whales hug the coast on their spring migration because the costal waters might be warmer for the whales. " Mrs. Kurtz's Class, Iowa City, IA kurtz@MailShare.aea10.k12.ia.us
How to Respond to Challenge Question #35
1. Send an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line write: Challenge Question #35
3. In the Body of your message, give the answer. Please include your school name and state or province so other students will know how to reach you.
"In which direction were most of the whales heading as they passed Santa Barbara? How would you explain this?"
Gray Whale Sightings, Santa Barbara, California
12 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
3 Gray Whale-1200hrs H = West 2 adults, 1 young
20-25 Dall's Porpoise-1322 hrs 8 then 10 more seen until 1330hrs
13 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise - Peabody School (Los Marineros Students)
50 Common Dolphins Seen off UCSB H = Northeast
500-600 Common Dolphins 2 miles off Hope Beach
14 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
21+ Orca orcinus H = East Spread over large area - Female
lobtailing observed
3 Gray Whale-1054hrs H = 270, then 180, then 270
17 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
2 Gray Whale-1628 H = 093 Young animals (~25ft)
18 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
10-12 Bottlenose Dolphins-0924hrs One juv. seen in group
1 Gray Whale-1011hrs H = 220 ~30 ft animal
1 Gray Whale-1230hrs H = East
4 Bottlenose Dolphins-1413hrs Rode bow for short distance
20 Bottlenose Dolphins-1539hrs
2 Gray Whale-1608 H = 070
19 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
1 Gray Whale-0918hrs H = 270 ~25ft long
1 Gray Whale-1002hrs H = 090 ~25-30ft long
3 Gray Whale-1401hrs H = 274 One large female, 2 smaller males
23 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
10-20 Common Dolphin-1033hrs H = 212
1-2 Gray Whale-1245hrs H = ? 3 miles S Arroyo Beach
1 Gray Whale-1340hrs H = East Seen from Hendry's Beach
24 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
3 Gray Whale-0950hrs H = West
4-6 Gray Whale-1010hrs H = West
15-20 Delphinus H = NE
25 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
4 Gray Whale-0945hrs H = 330 3 miles offshore More Mesa
2+ Gray Whale-1055hrs H = ? 4 miles offshore along 46 fathoms
1200 cruise - Headed out 4.5 miles to search for whales seen on first cruise. Blows seen in distance, weather too rough to get any further out. 1 Gray seen breaching in distance- no coords established. Headed back early.
1500 cruise - 1645hrs, whales seen in distance but weather too rough to enter the channel.
26 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
15-20 Dall's Porpoise- 0954hrs Riding on bow
27 Feb 1996: Condor Cruise
3 Gray Whale-1006hrs H = 270, 310 Adults
3 Gray Whale-1036hrs H = 323
6-12 Gray Whale-1250hrs H = 290
*2 pods-Adults exposing their fins, close with us on both sides and bow of boat. Easy to see barnacles and knuckles. They were everywhere, hazard to navigation.
01 Mar 1996: Condor Cruise
2 Gray Whale-1037hrs H = 257 young animals
1 Gray Whale-1247hrs H = 270 Medium sized, juvenile.
1 Gray Whale-1424hrs H = 265 Prob juvenile male
1 Gray Whale-1545hrs H = 270 Mature animal
6 Bottlenose Dolphins milling about 1/2mi off Arroyo Burro Beach
02 Mar 1996: Condor Cruise
1 Gray Whale-1035hrs H = 300
2 Gray Whale-1355hrs H = 257 2 juveniles
2 Gray Whale-1425hrs H = West 3 miles off More Mesa
2 Gray Whale-1600hrs H = West 8 miles off Storke Tower
2 Gray Whale-1044 H = 294 4 miles offshore, SW of S.B. Point
That is all for now.
Laura Gorodezky
Education Coordinator
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
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