72 Microseasons of the Pacific Northwest

Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) trace one of the longest migrations of any mammal on earth — from calving lagoons in Baja California, Mexico, to summer feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi seas — passing the Oregon and Washington coast in a procession that lasts from late March through May. By late April, more than 20,000 gray whales have been counted off the Oregon coast; on peak days six whales per hour pass a given headland. The animals swim within two to five miles of the Oregon shoreline, close enough to spot their V-shaped spouts and surfacing backs with the naked eye from elevated lookout points. The best shore-based viewing points on the Oregon coast include Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach, Cape Lookout State Park in Tillamook County (a narrow peninsula extending into the Pacific, superb for spout-watching), Boiler Bay near Depoe Bay (a favorite of Oregon State Parks' Whale Watch naturalists), Cape Perpetua near Yachats, and Shore Acres State Park south of Coos Bay. On the Washington coast, Westport Light State Park on the North Beach Peninsula is a reliable overlook, and Cape Flattery at the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula offers dramatic views directly into the Pacific. Whales can be distinguished from other cetaceans by their mottled gray coloring, lack of a dorsal fin (replaced by a series of low humps), and habit of lifting their flukes before a deep dive. Mothers with calves from the winter's birthing season are particularly memorable — the calf surfaces just beside the mother, rolling in her pressure wave. Binoculars are helpful; a spotting scope transforms a good session into a great one.