Gray Whale Season Yields 6 Humpback Whales Today
It rained last night !! It will rain again tonight !! Yet somehow the march of the Pacific gray whales has put the Condor Express upon a magnificent number of humpback whales in the Santa Barbara Channel today. First we watched a group of 3 humpback whales lunge feeding on the surface and devouring tons and tons of northern anchovies. At least 2,000 common dolphins also joined in the fun and watching all this in the clear blue water was fantastic. Next we found a pair of humpbacks and finally a single whale…all together a total of 6 humpback whales. Seriously, even though it is technically “gray whale season,” there is always a short decline in gray whale sightings as the population shifts from southbound gray whales to northbound grays along our coastline. This is such a wonderful year for high numbers of gray whale sightings, today’s lack of gray whales might just as well be explained by random chance. After all, they migrate 24/7, and come in groups or clusters (pods). So when you go out on one trip for 2 – 3 hours, you might not hit the jackpot every time, at this time of the season. But we sure did hit the jackpot for early humpback sightings. Thanks to Captain Eric and his crew for a fine job and and excellent trip today.
You never know what Mother Nature has in store. Bob Perry Condor Express