Today's Report Includes:
- Whale Watching: News from Observation Posts ≥≥
- Journal Question: How Far Offshore? ≥≥
- Scientists at Work: Which Whale Was That? ≥≥
- Tracking the Migration: Using Daily Data ≥≥
-
Links: This Week's Gray Whale Resources ≥≥
What
are those marks on this gray whale? Find out! >>
Photo
Adrienne Deliso
 |
"The northbound parade of cows and calves is starting right on time," reports Wayne Perryman. On April 4 he counted the first cow/calf pairs (two!) past the government's official counting station at Pt. Piedras Blancas, California (#8). At Los Angeles (#6), playful sea lions led a cow/calf pair past the counting point. The babies can be hard to see: "We saw the little blows next to the large whale and the path the whales took was a cow/calf route, but we never saw the little whale," commented Michael H. Smith at Coal Oil Point (#7). We have more sightings to celebrate: on April 8 the first gray whales reached Kodiak, Alaska (#16)! Amazingly, one southbounder was among recent sights past Los Angeles. Read the news! >> |
Whale watchers know the first sign of the gray whale will probably be its spout or “blow”—a bushy tower of spray. A blow may be visible for miles on calm days. It can be 15 feet tall! The explosive “whoosh” of the whale's exhalation might be heard a half mile away. But how can whale watchers tell how close or far that whale is? How do they call out the sighting so others can see it too? Mike shows you how. Answer the journal question after your lesson with Mike:
Whale Watcher's Lingo: How Far Offshore? >>
- If you hear a fellow whale-watcher call "BLOW, 300 degrees at 45 mil," how far offshore is that whale?
Write responses in your Gray Whale Journal. >>
Photo Mike Hawe
When
a gray whale surfaces, it exhales, emptying lungs the
size of a VW in a fraction of a second. The warm
air is exhaled under such great pressure that the spouts
can be 15 feet high! So you se the spout?
With the help of whale watchers and a big set of photos, Cascadia Research in Olympia, Washington has confirmed several different gray whales in the Whidbey Island area this season. One whales was #21, first seen this year on April 1. Amazingly, this whale was first identified in 1990, and has been sighted in this area for 14 years! How can they tell?
We wondered how scientists can be sure which whale they are seeing. Dr. William Megill shows us just what scientists look for in matching whale photos until they're certain of a positive ID. He explains how the information is used.
What do
you see?
Photo CERF
Today, let's look at the day-to-day migration patterns suggested by the data. Follow the data links to fill in the blanks below. According to data collected during the past two weeks:
- At the LA post, as many as ___ whales were seen in a day, and as few as ___ whales were seen in a day.
- At the CI post, as many as ___ whales were seen in a day, and as few as ___ whales were seen in a day.
- Do you think gray whale migration is as different from day to day as the data suggest? Why or why not?
- Graphing gray whale data through the whole season? Add the latest data. >>
- Ask the Expert: Send Questions Now Through April 18, 2008! >>
- Migration Celebration! Whale Fest Kodiak, April 18-30 >>
- Media Link: World on the Move: British Broadcasting Company (BBC) Tracks Gray Whales >> (Hear interviews With Michael H. Smith of Gray Whales Count, our Observation Post in California's Channel Islands!)
- Discover: Gray Whale Enemy Number One >>
- Hear About Whale Conservation: Back to Endangered Status? >>
Literature
Link: Whale Journey >>
The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 23, 2008.
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