[CINC] grays at the beach - another question

[Lisa Angle]

What I want to know is about the gray whales we occasionally see this time of year heading north. Marilyn Dannehower saw one earlier this month and I saw one a couple years ago. Are they really going back to Alaska? Or could it be that these juveniles, not yet interested in the mating deal, are sort of sight seeing along the coast and going up and down waiting for the water in Alaska to warm up so they can go back and gorge? 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: ThusOne at aol.com 
  To: channel_islands_naturalist_corps at rain.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 6:48 PM
  Subject: [CINC] grays at the beach


  The below is offered by Michael.  Very interesting!
  The whales i saw did seem on the small side.  I think this explanation makes a lot of sense.

  Shirley




    In a message dated 1/19/2009 7:59:58 PM Pacific Standard Time, grays-n-blues at cox.net writes:




      You may remember that in February 2006 a young southbounder breached outside Santa Barbara Harbor and landed on a boat! 

      The gray whales migrating south now through the nearshore of the Santa Barbara Channel are mostly juveniles <1 to 4 years old. Yes, 3 and 4 year olds can be pretty big animals. These whales are following the route in reverse that momma taught 'em. Until they hook up with a mature whale that shows them it is faster and easier to ride the California Current toward the islands, these whales, juvenile and mostly solitary, will follow the coast through the Channel.


      It's a wonderful sight.


      My best,
      Michael


      michael h smith, 
      project coordinator


      gray whales count  
      211 w gutierrez st    
      studio  8
      santa barbara, ca 93101




















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