FIFTEEN More GRAY WHALES: lots of breaching and milling! ACS/LA Gray Whale Census Update, 28 DEC (Pt. Vicente): EIGHT BREACHES were right down in front of us, coming from groups of whales that were joining and then separating again. Another whale BREACHED twice, and was surrounded by COMMON DOLPHIN. Six breaches occurred more than four miles offshore and difficult to figure out which whale was breaching, as whales were switching places; one distant whale appeared to have a white belly and could have been a FIN WHALE, but could not be confirmed. Two sightings came close enough for us to hear their blows. We saw “rainblows” on two sightings, as the sun angle turned blows into rainbows. Three sightings milled. We lost one sighting into the sun line (while we were tracking three other sightings). Gray whales fluked on eleven of thirteen sightings. We also spotted FIN WHALES (on two occasions), COMMON DOLPHIN, and BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN. -Alisa
Please check out our counts for this record December: http://www.acs-la.org/
Today: Southbound gray whales: 15
Northbound gray whales: 0
Total gray whales: 15
RECORD* Season to Date (1-28 Dec)
Southbound ——— 263
Northbound ———- 3
Total —————– 266
Cow/calves South —- 2
