NINETEEN GRAYS: BREAKS 30-YEAR DECEMBER RECORD! ACS/LA Gray Whale Census Update, 25 DEC (Pt. Vicente):Sighting conditions were ideal again with great visibility; a good thing, since two sightings never approached within three miles offshore. One GRAY WHALE foursome was moving very fast when we first saw them; they milled and we lost track of them in the haze, but they showed up again later. Grays in one sighting separated; then the lead whale turned around and reconnected with the other whale. One gray fluked frequently (after nearly every blow), and another whale raised its head high up into the air. On two occasions, small boats interfered with the gray whales: one was bothered by two jet skiers, while the other reacted to a sailboat that passed it very closely by rolling and surfacing further offshore and behind the boat. Gray whales in all twelve sightings fluked. We also tracked at least two FIN WHALES; lots of heat waves on the ocean’s surface made it difficult to positively identify these whales. We also watched spotted COMMON DOLPHIN everywhere throughout the day, with lots of large groups moving back and forth; at one point we could actually see their blows! We also tracked nearshore BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN. -Alisa
Please check out our counts: http://www.acs-la.org/
Today: Southbound gray whales: 19
Northbound gray whales: 0
Total gray whales: 19
Running Totals: 208 southbound (including 1 calf), 2 northbound!
