It was just a lone gray whale, spotted multiple times Wednesday off the Los Angeles area as it swam in a southerly direction. But this particular mammal appears to have heralded the start of the 2012-13 whale-watching season (although many landings won't begin sending out boats until late December).
"Let Gray Whale season begin!" Capt. Carl Mayhugh of the vessel Christopher, which runs out of Long Beach, proclaimed on his blog, after his passengers spent 40 minutes watching the large juvenile or young adult whale off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
This is not the first gray whale that has appeared off Southern California this fall. There have been random sightings in recent weeks, some of which could have been of the same mammal.
But this was the first sighting of a gray whale that is in definite migration mode, headed south from the Arctic region toward Baja California's lagoons. It's among about 20,000 gray whales that will complete the 10,000-14,000 mile round-trip voyage throughout the course of the season.
1) The whale, which has a large whitish area near its head (see photo), was first spotted off of Manhattan Beach pier at 8:30 a.m., by Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium Co-Director Val Hill.
2) It was next sighted off Topaz Ave. in Redondo Beach, at 9:40 a.m., by ACS/LA Gray Whale Census Volunteer Natalie Massey.
3) Massey spotted the same whale at 10:15, off nearby Bluff Cove to the south.
4) The whale appeared west of Point Vicente by ACS/LA Gray Whale Census Volunteer Sheila Parker, and was watched from 11:05-11:15.
5) Capt. Carl Mayhugh and passengers aboard the Christopher watched the same whale from 2-2:40 p.m. off the Trump Golf Course on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Perhaps the whale will be spotted Thursday off Orange County or San Diego, or later in the season in one of Baja's nursing and calving lagoons.
Note: The ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project kicks off its 30th season Saturday. Volunteers are needed to help spot whales and other mammals, and document their behavior. The site is the Point Vicente Interpretive Center. All participants use binoculars; several use spotting scopes to confirm and detail sightings. Weather data also is recorded. Those interested in volunteering can contact Alisa Schulman-Janiger via email at [email protected]
--Image is courtesy of Capt. Carl Mayhugh
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