Tag Archives: Gray Whale

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It's always exciting to spot a Gray Whale. They are migrating northward now. Ken Bailey photographed the distinctive tail.

And a barnacle-encrusted head.

The mother/calf pairs aren't too far behind. In the weeks to come, we should be seeing them off our coast. The calves have to get strong enough while in the lagoons off of Baja before they begin their 5,000 mile journey with their mother.

Thanks to Ken for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Ken's nature photography, especially his beautiful underwater photography, here is his website: http://www.seadreams.org/

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There were some 1,500 Gray whale calves born this year off of Baja California. The mother/calf pairs are passing by now, and will continue well into June. Gail Eddy was ready with her camera when a Gray Whale calf breached.

Gray Whale calf breaching by Gail EddyA Gray Whale mother will only have one calf per year. They are swimming northward now, heading to their feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. To see them brings many of us great joy.

Thanks to Gail for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

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Some of the "boys" were in an amorous mood but the lone female Gray Whale wasn't interested. To get away from the males, she did a maneuver that looks like she's standing on her head. Barry Weiss and Craig Tooley each got photos of this. The first photo is Barry's.

Female Gray Whale head down by Barry Weiss Female Gray Whale trying to avoid amorous males by Craig Tooley

This isn't the right time of year for females to be impregnated. But tell that to the fellas.

Thanks to Barry and Craig for allowing me to share their photos with you here. To see much more of Craig's nature photography, here is his website: www.ruffimage.com

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Spy hopping is when a whale pokes its head out of the ocean and appears to take a good look around. Ron LeValley photographed several Gray Whales doing just that.

In the photo below you can see the Gray Whale's eye just above the water line if you look closely.

The other theory regarding spy hopping is that the whale is listening for the wave break so it can best align itself on its long migration.

I was on the bluffs at the southern end of The Sea Ranch on a wildflower hike several years ago. There were six of us, including my husband, Rick. I happened to glance out at the ocean and saw a Gray Whale spy hop. I almost couldn't believe what I saw. No one else saw it and when I looked again it was gone. A sweet memory for me.

Lucky for us all that Ron had his camera at the ready. I thank him for allowing me to share his photos with you here. To see much more of Ron's photography, here is his website: http://www.levalleyphoto.com/home/

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Really, the return of Al, the Laysan Albatross, to the waters off the Point Arena Pier was exciting enough. But the excitement levels rose when two juvenile Gray Whales swam in close to the pier on New Year's Day. Deborah Heatherstone was there to witness the event.

You can see a buoy in the second photo. This whale was very close in. Tomorrow I will share a photo of a surfer and one of these whales. And I will tell you more about this group of Gray Whales that didn't migrate. It's a fascinating new phenomenon.

Thanks to Deborah for allowing me to share her photos with you here.