American Cetacean Society - Los Angeles Chapter (ACS/LA)

4 hours ago

ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project Update, Pt. Vicente Interpretive Center, 21 Dec 2024 - message from our observers: we spotted a pair of southbound adult GRAY WHALES this afternoon. They passed close to shore; at first they were slow-moving, then sped up. They did not fluke. We tracked 2 solo FIN WHALES. We also spotted some COMMON DOLPHINS, and several groups of coastal BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS.
Photos today: a gray whale blows near Pt. Vicente cliff (by Census co-anchor Carla Gagne); Pt. Vicente Lighthouse with waves, and Census Sunset (by Census co-anchor Chad Sprouse).
Gray Whales Today:
Southbound: 2
Northbound: 0
Total: 2
Gray Whales to date (since 1 Dec)
Southbound: 22
Northbound: 2
Total: 24
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American Cetacean Society - Los Angeles Chapter (ACS/LA)

1 day ago

ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project Update, Pt. Vicente Interpretive Center, 20 Dec 2024 - message from our observers: thick fog hampered us for our first 3-4 hours. EXCITING DAY: we spotted 2 solo southbound GRAY WHALES - and one matched to a small BRITISH COLUMBIA sub-population! The first GRAY WHALE had a distinctive white marking, which helped match it to another Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) GRAY WHALE from Clayoquot Sound (west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia): this is the ~12th GRAY WHALE off southern CA matched this month to that small summer feeding population! This healthy-looking adult was swimming very close to shore and fluking, making 11-12 minute dives. As some coastal BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS passed closer to shore, the whale briefly turned away from shore and did a head lift (possibly kelping), then continued down the coast, passing a quarter mile away from us. Our second GRAY WHALE was also a healthy looking adult that fluked, with a white patch on its left side; it passed about half of a mile offshore close to sunset, and was difficult to track. We also spotted several other groups of coastal BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS, and some COMMON DOLPHINS. NOTE: it is so important to continue to try to get lateral view ID images of our GRAY WHALES, to learn more about individual migrants; if you get good images, please upload them to Happywhale.com! (Summary by Census Director Alisa Schulman-Janiger).
Photos today: Pacific Coast Feeding Group gray whale (2020GW58, aka CRC-1693), taken by Alisa Schulman-Janiger from shore off Point Vicente (PCFG gray whale (2020GW58, aka CRC-1693), by Census Director Alisa Schulman-Janiger; the same PCFG gray whale (2020GW58, aka CRC-1693), by Mark Sawyer, who matched these whales (Whales of Clayoquot & Barkley, 2023 July 9).
Gray Whales Today:
Southbound: 2
Northbound: 0
Total: 2
Gray Whales to date (since 1 Dec)
Southbound: 20
Northbound: 2
Total: 22
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American Cetacean Society - Los Angeles Chapter (ACS/LA)

2 days ago

ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project Update, Pt. Vicente Interpretive Center, 19 Dec 2024 - message from our observers: we were hampered by thick fog for almost the entire day, which blocked our views of the water and made it impossible to see cetaceans. We did spot 3 groups of coastal BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS. (Summary by Census Director Alisa Schulman-Janiger).
Photos today: Foggy Point Vicente (by observer Andrew Holmes); coastal bottlenose dolphins (by observer Jean Huber); Census Sunset #1 (by observer Kathy Hill); Census Sunset #2, with Kathy Hill (by observer Stacey Patterson).
Gray Whales Today:
Southbound: 0
Northbound: 0
Total: 0
Gray Whales to date (since 1 Dec)
Southbound: 18
Northbound: 2
Total: 20
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American Cetacean Society - Los Angeles Chapter (ACS/LA)

3 days ago

ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project Update, Pt. Vicente Interpretive Center, 18 Dec 2024 - message from our observers: a southbound single and pair of GRAY WHALES! A fast-moving. healthy-looking stealthy adult passed very close to shore; we first saw it when it popped up directly in front of us, and then only got to watch it for 9 minutes before it fluked and disappeared around Point Vicente cliff! Less than 2 hours later, we were alerted that another pair of GRAY WHALES were traveling through the kelp, headed down the coast toward us. We watched these healthy-looking adults for about 20 minutes; they passed a half mile offshore. We also watched a few groups of COMMON DOLPHINS, some offshore BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS, and several groups of coastal BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS.
Photos today: gray whale pair (by independent offsite drone operator Gavriel Berghouse), Census Sunrise with Census recorder Stacie Kortkamp, and Census observer Skip Eastman (by Census observer Kathy Beckman); binoculars wearing a Santa Hat (by Census observer Patty Farrell).
Gray Whales Today:
Southbound: 3
Northbound: 0
Total: 3
Gray Whales to date (since 1 Dec)
Southbound: 18
Northbound: 2
Total: 20
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