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| Photo of whale watchers at Depoe Bay, by Emily Leiper. |
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1,100 whales spotted in first few days of 2009
Spring Whale Watch Week
Gray whales begin their northward migration past Oregon’s coast
[Posted March 25, 2009]
O.K., so the weather hasn’t been perfect and the economy is still in the toilet. Still, things are looking up for your spring break. If you doubt that, simply look west.
According to Morris Grover at the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay, the 2009 spring gray whale migration is going “extremely well.”
The spring whale watch week began last Saturday and runs through March 28. During the week, visitors to 26 “Whale Watching Spoken Here” sites along the Oregon coast can find expert help in spotting whales.
More than 400 trained volunteers will be at the selected sites from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. during Oregon State Parks’ annual event. They will be there to answer questions and give advice about spotting some of the 18,000-plus gray whales cruising north to their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic.
“We’re seeing 50 to 60 whales a day,” Grover told the TODAY on Tuesday, March 24. “So far, Whale Watching Spoken Here sites have spotted more than 1,100 whales.”
Grover said that more than 7,000 visitors have checked in at the 26 sites in the first part of the week, and his center was hosting more than 600 guests a day at its Depoe Bay sea wall location.
The traffic is not limited to gray whales, Grover added. More than 1,000 humpback whales join the migration.
He says that morning is the best time to watch. That’s when the ocean is generally calmest, and the sun is at your back.
Visitors will find information and viewing help from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. each day of the spring whale watching week at the Depoe Bay center. The Whale Watching Center, just north of the bridge and perched over the waves, offers binoculars, maps and hands-on displays of whale bones, baleen and more. Admission is free.
In Newport, the Oregon State University/Sea Grant Hatfield Marine Science Center is offering special programs throughout the week. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and will show a marine mammal presentation at 1:30 p.m. each afternoon in the Hennings Auditorium. Admission is by donation.
Maps of the “Whale Watching Spoken Here” viewpoints, information on charter boat and airplane tours, whale watching tips, and daily sighting counts are online at www.whalespoken.org.
OPRD coordinates the whale watch weeks with support from the Hatfield Marine Science Center, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in Charleston, Washington State Parks, and U.S. Cellular. For details, ring 541-765-3407.
The week is coordinated by OPRD with support from the HMSC, the BLM at Yaquina Head and the U.S. Forest Service. More information about “Whale Watching Spoken Here” sites, exhibits and related products and services is online (link below).
Maps of the “Whale Watching Spoken Here” viewpoints, information on charter boat and airplane tours, and tips are online at whalespoken.org.
• Whale Research Excursions, 541-912-6734 and whaleresearchexcursions.com
• Dockside Charters, 541-765-2545 or docksidedepoebay.com
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| Capt. Tate, of Dockside Charters, piloting his Zodiac into Whale Cove, south of Depoe Bay. |
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