| Please Report Your Sightings! |
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This Week's Update Includes:
- News: Rush Hour for Moms and Babies?
- Ask the Expert: Answers Are In!
- Tracking the Migration: Daily Data
- Annual Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts!
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| Image:: Stacey Studebaker |
| Celebrating Whales |
Whales Passing California
"We are at our highest northbound cow/calf count (to date) in 15 seasons," reports director Alisa Shulman-Janiger at Post 6. Their biggest calf day was on April 24 with 15 northbound calves! "We rarely see as many as 15 cow/calf pairs in one day; we have exceeded that number in only four of our 30 census seasons, including 20 pairs seen on May 1 last season!" See Alisa's field notes for observations that made her exclaim, "What a terrific day for cow/calf pairs!"
At Post 7, Michael Smith reported daily surprises, including 22 whales on April 28; a stand-up paddler following two cow/calf pairs a distance of perhaps 1-1/4 miles on April 27; and a message from the whale-watching boat Condor that 18 gray whales, including nine delightful calves with all the right moves, would pass Counter Point after dark—too late to be seen and recorded in the totals. More in photos and field notes!
At Post 8, a scientific study site, numbers are rising! Wayne Perryman reported 82 cow/calf pairs last week. "We have seen a lot of pairs rolling through over the week end. Next week should be a good one!" Wayne tells us how observers can tell the difference between babies and year-old gray whales.
"Gray Whales are still trickling through Monterey Bay (9) in low numbers in the lull between the March peak of the adult migration and the anticipated peak of the cow and calf migration," reports Katie. No cow/calf pairs yet!
Any Whales in Mexico?
"This weekend more or less marks the end of Baja gray whale watching for this year," wrote Keith Jones on April 21. "There are still perhaps 100 whales inside Laguna Ojo de Liebre, but the tourists have stopped coming and all the whale watching boats are being stored away until next year." We'll be there!
Looking Ahead
"Although the peak of the northbound gray whale cow/calf migration phase likely passed our census site at Pt. Vicente this week, we should be seeing more northbound cow/calf pairs over the next two weeks," states Alisa at Post 6. When will we see the peak of the migration of cow/calf pairs at other posts?
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| Video: Sharon Schlup |
| Back in Alaska! |
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| Image: T. Cross |
| Peaking at Tofino, BC |
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| Image:Michael H. Smith |
| Clues to Calves |
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| Image:Michael H. Smith |
| Tale of a Wayward Calf |
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| Map: Journey North |
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| Access Data |
Record Data |
- Please Help: Journey North Annual Evaluation
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