April 10th, 2023 Tuesday

6 North Bound 3 Calf 0 South Bound 2.5 hrs 2 REW

Heavy marine layer all day with poor visibility. Less than 100 yards at times.

At 5:25 pm the 3rd cow/calf pair of the season popped up under the fog rolling and splashing. One of the whales were back floating. The pair were both long and lean (seen on drone footage). The 4th c/c pair traveled through quickly side by side, the calf alternated left to right with each surfacing, unfortunately the lighting was too poor for any ID shots and the fog too thick for drones to fly. One hour later the 5th cow calf pair came in close with enough light to be seen and documented. Another 2-3 whales were seen by beachgoers further out under the fog layer and traveled through too fast to see or ID or confirm size or ages. The sun set tonight behind the marine layer with no visibility and the fog crept up into the canyons with less than 15 feet of visibility.

The low marine layer brought some interesting views of shore birds including a gulp of cormorants and a raft of surf scoter. The surf scoter males have a bright orange patch on the beaks which stood out brilliantly in the gray foggy conditions.

***REW observed 2 solo whales. The first traveled through quickly without stopping. The second single sighting came in along the shore for few minutes then left and out under the fog.

**** REW ( Reliable Eye Witness ) counts are not included in the daily or weekly tally: they are counted and kept separately as a record of the whales observed at Point Dume. The REW counts are extremely helpful and provide important data to keep track of the seasonal and daily changes of the migration. The total gray whale population has declined 38% due to the ongoing UME (Unusual Mortality Event) from 2019-2023.