Gray whales return to Saratoga Passage

Resident Gray whales have returned, according to Orca Network’s whale sighting network, which has received reports of Gray whales in Saratoga Passage, Port Susan, Admiralty Inlet and Possession Sound.

Last year, some of the whales stayed in the area until early July, the latest they had ever been confirmed in the area.

Cascadia Research of Olympia has been studying this population of Puget Sound Gray whales for decades, and has identified a group of a dozen whales that visit this area each spring.

The whales are identified by the markings on the underside of their flukes, as well as by the patterns of barnacles, scars, and markings on their backs.

John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research said the “regulars” show up each spring to feed for about three months, along with a variable number of others.

“In greater Puget Sound, we see about 12 to 50 Grays per year, and along the Pacific Coast, a population of 250 Gray whales is known as the Pacific Northwest feeding aggregation.”

One whale, named Patch, or No. 49, was first identified by Cascadia in 1991 and is a favorite of many local whale watchers, as he is easily identifiable by the large white patch on his right side, back toward his flukes, as well as white patches on the underside of his flukes.

These whales can be found along the coast of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

The small group of resident Gray whales typically arrives in this region in early March and stays through the end of May or early June, feeding mostly on ghost shrimp along the sand and mud shores of Saratoga Passage and south Whidbey. They can be seen from the shorelines of Island County or from the Mukilteo/Clinton ferries. From the top of a bluff, it’s possible to get a great view of the entire whale as it feeds in the shallow intertidal area.

The whales often feed close to shore by turning on their sides and sucking up huge mouthfuls of sand filled with shrimp or other invertebrates, then straining the water and sand out through their baleen plates and swallowing the food, leaving plumes of mud trailing through the water. Their pectoral fins and fluke tips can often be seen waving about above the surface of the water while they are feeding.

Gray whale spouts can also often be seen while they are traveling or feeding in deeper waters, with their flukes exposed when they take a deep dive.

Orca Network’s Whale Sighting Network tracks the travels of Gray whales, orcas and other cetaceans in Washington and British Columbia waters.

If you see a whale, report it to Orca Network at 1-866-ORCANET or info@ orcanetwork.org.

Welcome the Whales Day

The annual Welcome the Whales Day with a parade April 24 is co-sponsored by Orca Network and the Langley Chamber of Commerce, and features children’s activities, costume-making, displays, music and presentations. This year’s event features a presentation by Dr. Eric Anderson of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC, on his studies of the interactions between gray whales and sea ducks feeding near Whidbey Island. Orca Network will present a slide show about a recent trip to Baja, Mexico to visit the friendly Gray whales in San Ignacio Lagoon. More information is available at www.visitlangley.com and www.whidbeycamanoislands. com.

For more information, visit orcanetwork.org/nathist/ graywhales or www. cascadiaresearch.org/graywhale.