Page 52 - MSN_363_FebruaryMarch

PAGE 52 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS • FEBRUARY / MARCH 2020
Recreation

SPORTS•ACTIVITIES•FISHING•HUNTING•CAMPING

March is Whale Watching Time

or bird watching off-shore trips. These
BY HOLLY ENDERSBY are the most endangered of all whales.

Minke whales are one of the smallest
Oregon is blessed with a parade of baleen whales. They typically top out at
whales twice a year. In fall, gray whales 35 feet. While feeding along the coast,
migrate from northern waters, usually these black or dark gray whales with a
off the coast of Alaska in the Bering and white underbelly surface with their snout
Chuckchi Seas to their calving grounds first and are more active on the surface
in the coastal waters of Baja California, than other species.
Mexico. In March, visitors can see the They breach frequently and have
return parade heading north again to a small, busy blow 6 to 10 feet high.
essential feeding grounds. Although Humpback whales stay between 5 and
there are around 200 resident whales 15 miles off shore so are most often seen
that live off the central Oregon coast all by anglers. They eat up to 3 thousand
year, the official spring whale watching pounds of food a day, mostly krill and
time for the gray whale migration this In March, gray whales migrate from their calving grounds small fish.
year is March 21-29. During this week, in the coastal waters of Baja California, Mexico northern These are the whales that breach spec-
volunteers are available at 24 “Whale waters, usually off the coast of Alaska in the Bering and tacularly, often slapping their tales on the
Watching Spoken Here” sites sponsored Chuckchi Seas. Visitors can see the return parade heading water as they explode from the ocean.
north again to essential feeding grounds. © MikeLaptev,
by the Oregon State Park system. Bigstock.com Sperm whales are another off-shore
During the busiest weeks, thousands traveler along the Oregon coast. They are
of whales swim by the Oregon coast with Gray whales are baleen whales with the largest of the toothed whales, and it’s
their young, which were born in the warm about 300 plates of baleen hanging from mostly off-shore anglers and birders who
waters off Mexico. Nonbreeding males and their upper jaw. To eat, baleen whales roll see them.
females begin the trek first, followed by on their sides and slurp sediment off the Orcas are most often seen between Depoe
mothers with newborn calves later in the ocean floor into their mouth. They then Bay and Newport right around mid-April as
spring. push water through the baleen to filter the they wait for newborn gray whales to eat if
Gray whales have no dorsal fins but food they’ve “Hoovered” up. they can. Orcas eat mostly salmon but will
have distinctive and visible tail flukes. They Amphipods, small creatures related to also go for seals and other fish.
usually travel in small groups, called pods. shrimp that live on the ocean floor, are the A special Whale Watching Center is
Scientists estimate that around 20 thou- major food source. Gray whales have no located at charming Depoe Bay, about mid-
sand whales migrate along this route. dorsal fins but have distinctive and visible way along the coast. The center is open all
Gray whales make the longest round-trip tail flukes. year, Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to
migration of any mammal, traveling from 10 Rather than a straight column of air, 4 p.m. Even during off-migration times, the
thousand to 12 thousand miles. Adult gray when gray whales blow, viewers will usually center is a great place to learn about whales,
whales are between 45 and 50 feet in length, see a spray of fine mist as they exhale. Gray and, usually, visitors have a good chance of
with females larger than males and tipping whales dive between three to six minutes at spotting whales.
the scales at 80 thousand pounds. a time, then surface with a series of three Peak times often see thirty whales
Their bodies are gray with obvious white to five blows in a row. an hour cruising by. Several companies
patches, which are actually spots where Other whale species may be seen along also offer whale-watching tours out of
barnacles and lice have attached to the whale. the Oregon coast as well. Occasionally blue diminutive Depoe Bay, as well as several in
An adult gray whale can carry up to 400 whales have been sighted by folks on fishing Newport, some with credentialed biologists.
pounds of barnacles and lice on its body. Before you leave Depoe Bay, be sure to
check out the Whale, Sea Life, and Shark
NAPA Auto Parts Great Falls Museum, a small education center jam-
packed with information.
601 6th ST SW Unit 1 • Great Falls Gray whales are a conservation success
406-453-6517 story. In the early 1900s hunting for whales

KEEP YOUR CAR had reduced the population to around 2
thousand animals. In 1946, an international
RUNNING SMOOTH! agreement was crafted to end the hunting
of gray whales.
With that reprieve, whales rebounded
and, by 1994, where taken off the Endangered
Nationally Known, Locally Owned Species List. Gray whales are found only in
www.napaonline.com | Shelby • Stanford the Pacific Ocean.
M–F • 7am–7pm | Sat • 8am–7pm | Sun • 10am–5pm Before you visit, go on line to Whale.
[email protected] for an easy-to-read
Brian Kjensmo map of all the whale watching spots with

Specializing in Estate Liquidation volunteers available to answer questions.
& Firearm Appraisals You can also call the state park division at
• Firearm Collections 541-756-3304. State Park staff can be found
• Coin Collections Erik & Jolene Stenberg along the sea wall in Depoe Bay during that
• Decoys HIGHEST special week as well.
PRICES
• Sporting Art PAID 215 Anderson Street, Big Timber Pick a calm day for whale watching, and
(406) 633-2206 406-932-4687
PO Box 633, Park City, MT 59063 • [email protected] stenbergfuneralhome.com don’t forget to pack your binoculars! MSN