Oregon Coast Whale Numbers for January

Published 02/12/2013

(Depoe Bay, Oregon) – If you weren't on the coast in the last two months – you missed it. Lots of whales were reported by the Whale Watch Center in Depoe Bay since late December, and some fascinating sightings were reported on the southern Oregon coast as well. (Whale photo above by Seaside Aquarium)

Sighting numbers at the Whale Watch Center also include the Whale Watch Week, starting in late December.

December 23 saw a massive 46 whales. After two days of being closed, the center spotted 27 whales on December 26 (starting off the Whale Week), 32 on December 27, and 25 whales on December 28, Saturday, December 29 had 13 whale sightings and the 30th saw 27 sauntering by.

Starting up again in January, whale numbers started to drop off intermittently. 21 were seen on January 2, four were seen January 3, and 26 were spotted on January 4. January 4 had a decent 14.

Then, numbers at the center started to seriously trail off for a while, but picked back up. Seven were spotted on January 6, None were spotted again for a few days, which also included two days of closure, until January 9 when five were seen.

None were spotted the next day, but January 11 had a whopping 41 whales. This included a group of them about a mile out in the ocean, in the middle of mating behaviors which lasted for one hour.

January 12 had a huge 55 whales, while the 13th had 21.

With the center back open again, January 16 – 19 had a highlight of 23 whales on one day and a low of seven on another, with healthy numbers in the teens in between. January 20 had 17 whales.

None were seen on January 23, but the next few days saw numbers like five to nine a day, although another day of no-shows happened on January 27.

On January 30, there were seven seen, and six on the last day of the month.

February 1 had a nice, hefty 14 sightings, while the 2nd only two.

Down on the southern Oregon coast, Mary J. Koreiva of the Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum in Winchester Bay, said a resident southern Orca was being tracked by a tag/satellite technology heading up and down the Oregon coast.

She also said a pod of gray whales were seen on January 17 off the mouth of the Umpqua River by Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum hosts Mike & Kathy Hayes.

Also, on Jan. 17, a pod of gray whales were spotted off the mouth of the Umpqua River by Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum hosts Mike and Kathy Hayes, and they noted some interesting behavior.

“The pod was headed south, in close off the North Jetty,” Koreiva said. “Started spouting as they hit the fresh water mix from the Umpqua River - moved farther out west, about three miles. Sighted 30-plus spouts within five minutes This usually happens when the whales start tasting the fresh water mix. They head out around it.”

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