Today's Report Includes:
- Whale Watching: News from Observation Posts >>
- In the Lagoon: Robust Babies and Skinnys Too >>
- Journal Topic: Listening to Whales>>
- Seeing Clues: How Old Is This Whale? >>
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Links: This Week's Gray Whale Resources ≥≥
Who's Watching Whales? (Slide Show) >>
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No baby whales yet, but the news is big! Numbers from our two California point-count sites are the season's highest. On March 8, Michael Smith (site #7 on the map at left) said, "We saw zero sea otters today. Perhaps they fled because of the rumble of whales going by." Whale vocalizations are now being heard at this site, too. "Unbelievable," says Mr. Smith. Excited observers welcomed their first northbounders at Whidby Island and other Washington state areas. Alisa Schulman-Janiger, director of the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project (#6 on the map), sums it up: "What a TERRIFIC northbound gray whale migration we are having — so much more action than in the past several years! Indeed, spring 2009 is shaping up as a whale of a migration. |
In the 2008 migration, the ACS/LA whale watchers had already counted their first northbound calf by now. This year they're later. The latest news from San Ignacio Lagoon includes observations about size and condition of whales. People have commented on skinny whales not only in the lagoons but also along the migration trail. Who are the "skinnys?" See what guide/naturalist Caroline Armon says. >> Then watch future reports for more comments about this from other whale scientists, including Wayne Perryman, the government's leading expert on gray whale cow/calf production.
Photo Adrienne DeLiso, BajaEcotours
Mom and baby breathing in San Ignacio
Lagoon: Big Blow, Little Blow
Last time you discovered a lot about behaviors observed in migrating gray whales. The latest excitement is about hearing them. A new study began March 12 at the point-count site of Gray Whales Count at Coal Oil Point, California!
Read Listening to Gray Whales: Acoustic Monitoring . Choose a question at the end and write responses in your Gray Whale Journal. >>
You are learning about whale watchers being good observers. Here's an observation to consider: "One whale appeared to be a juvenile, but it never showed its back much, so it was hard to tell." What could a whale's back tell observers about its age? What clues might they watch for?
Discover four clues that indicate a whale's age! >>
Photo Caroline Armon
"Last year, on March 22, we saw 41 whales, which was the most we had ever seen in a day from Coal Oil Point. It was certainly our Peak Day," said Michael Smith as he ponders this year's data.
"Volunteers with the ACS/LA at Point Vicente have counted 268 northbound and 13 southbound gray whales since March 1; ten of these days have varied from 16-23, with daily counts as high as 32 whales," points out Alisa Schulman-Janiger.
Do you think the migration has peaked yet? What do the data show?
- What is the main thing you notice about the recent numbers of whales at both Coal Oil Point>> and Los Angeles? >>
- What was the largest day for sightings at each of our California point-count sites?
- What changes do you predict you'll see when your next data comes in two weeks?
- Graphing gray whale data through the whole season at one or both California posts? Add the latest data. >>
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Questions About This Week's Data >>
Making headlines since March 3 is a young whale in Santa Barbara Harbor, which is off the whale trail. What connection might there be to the news of "skinnys" in the lagoon (see Caroline's report). Is the young whale lost? curious? sick? How do whales find their way along the migration trail anyway?
You may wish to do an Internet search to see if there's an update on this young whale. Meanwhile, think about why some whales might be so skinny. We'll bring you more on this topic in an upcoming report.
- Photo Slide Show: Touching the Whales: A Visit to A Nursery Lagoon >>
- Scientists at Work: Acoustic Monitoring >>
- Interview: Meet Lisa Munger, Marine Ecologist >>
- Photo Study: Young or Old? >>
- Reading Strategies: Reading With Experts : Navigating Difficult Passages >>
- Current Events: A Whale in the Harbor >>
- Media Link (from 2008): World on the Move: BBC Tracks Gray Whales >> (Interviews with Michael H. Smith of Gray Whales Count!)
- Teachers: Getting Started >>
Photo Caroline Armon
Spyhopping is an unusual behavior seen this spring at the Lagoon and at the ACS/LA Census site.
The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 1, 2009.
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