Gray Whales (Eschrichtius gibbosus; aka Eschrichtius robustus)  usually feed around Alaska (Bering and Chuckchi Seas) for the summer.  In December they begin the long migration to the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico.  There they give birth and mate. 

Numbers of whales off the northern California coast peak around the first week in January.  In February, the males and calf-less females begin going back to Alaska.  This first wave peaks off California in March.  The second wave of the northern migration consists of females with calves, which lasts throughout May.  (I operate the Whale Watching Spoken Here station in Crescent City, CA during Christmas week each year to see the southern migration, as well as at the end of March for the northern migration.)  Normally, there is very little or no feeding from the time they leave Alaska until they return.  They scoop mud form the bottom and filter out tiny crustaceans called amphipods.

In May the ocean conditions in northern California change, when winds blow the top layers of water west, being replaced by an upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water from below.  The ocean here thus becomes one of the richest seas in the world. 

When the migrating whales get here in May (mostly mothers with calves) they discover that there is a lot to eat.  Having expended a lot of energy giving birth and nursing the calf, they stop to feed.  Some stay for the summer.  So we often have many summer residents.  In early May of this year I saw 4-5 mother-calf pairs (MC) on one day, feeding outside the mouth of the Klamath River.  Apparently the upwelling plus the river nutrients attract not just the whales, but there is a feeding frenzy out there for Harbor Seals, California and Steller Sea Lions, raptors (Osprey, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Golden Eagles), Brown Pelicans, gulls, terns, cormorants, and various sea ducks, plus fish and fishermen.)

The mother, Backslash, and her calf, Barnacle Billy, probably stopped here in May (my names for them, not official.  The mother has a distinctive backslash [“\”] scar on her left side, and the calf has more barnacles than I would expect for one so young.  I saw calves in the area in May with virtually no barnacles).  I first identified them (based on distinctive markings) on June 23, 2011, feeding outside the mouth of the Klamath River (observed from the Klamath Overlook, on the north side of the mouth, out Requa Road).  I also observed that 3-4 whales would lie side-by side and turn on their sides.  This is presumed mating behavior, which does sometimes continue during the northern migration.  I was surprised to see that it would occur with a female with calf,  but I have learned that it is possible.  This went on for about 4 hours that day, plus another hour or 2 on the 24^th.  I did observe a whale turning on its back on occasion, which could indicate a female attempting to avoid mating (“I have a headache”).  I also observed this MC going into the mouth, but not up into the river.  On the 26^th, I saw the MC feeding at the mouth again.  I walked out on the south spit for closer observation.  I watched (and photographed) them for a few hours.  They then went into the mouth, and continued on into the river!  (My first photo of a whale in the river was 1:41 PM, 6/26/11).   During the next few hours, they did not go more than a few hundred yards into the river. 

There is a published report (Avery et al., 1992) of 2 whales in the river in 1989, plus numerous anecdotal reports of another in about 2004.  Whales have also been observed on rare occasions in the Sacramento River.  (I have photographed them in the southern part of San Francisco Bay.)  Theories on why they came into the Klamath include: 1) Why not? There’s plenty to eat (1992 report), at least near the mouth, 2) escape from ocean predators (Orcas), and 3) escape from the unwanted mating attempts of males with a female who still has her calf (my own unsubstantiated theory).

The following afternoon (6/27) I saw them about 3 miles upriver.  They were north of the old Hwy 101 bridge (washed out in the flood of 1964), at what is now Alder Camp Road.  They would feed by heading upriver near the south bank for a couple of hundred yards (to well west of the Klamath River RV Park), then turn around and go downriver a ways out from the bank.  The next day they were slightly farther upstream.  Their forays seemed to center on the landslide area of a couple of years ago.  It afforded an excellent viewpoint.  They would also go upriver to near the KRRVP.  For about 3 weeks they were feeding in this general area.  They had been observed for just 1 day up by the Hwy 101 bridge, but not down to the old bridge.

Then on July 20, they were at the Hwy 101 bridge, and stayed in that area for many days.  At one point the calf got stranded on a sandbar (this part of the river is tidal), and was pushed off by a local marine mammal scientist from Humboldt State University (Dawn Goley) with support from local agents.  Their presence around the bridge created a traffic nightmare, as hundreds of people driving by would stop and walk out on the bridge for a spectacular view of whales (who can blame them?).  But when the whales swam under the bridge, crowds of a few dozen would run across the highway to watch them come out the other side.   The “sidewalk” is only about half normal width, and the highway is a 55 mph zone.  The state police and Yurok Tribal police had their hands full trying to keep idiots from killing themselves (successfully, so far). 

Dr. Goley is monitoring the situation with her students 24 hours a day.  They are determining if health issues of the whales are serious enough to warrant chasing them out to the sea for their own good.   There are concerns about the effects of fresh water and low water levels.  The calf seems smaller than it should be, but the mother appears healthy. 

7/23 - The calf went into the ocean, and has not returned.  The mother is still by the 101 bridge.  The calf is probably about 6-7 months old, which is about the time they normally leave the mother. 

8/16/11 - Backslash died today.  A very sad day for the North Coast.  Autopsy revealed that the prolonged exposure to fresh water had harmful effects on her skin, allowing an infection to set in.