A Whale of a Time on Whidbey Island
Although the area is known for its resident Orca pods, thanks to amazing photographs of the striking killers, it is the silent, annual migration of the mammoth gray whales that really catches local attention. You could say it's the animal version of our friendly springtime crocuses.
They're just a bit bigger: 50 feet and 39 tons bigger.
The south end of Whidbey Island, just 25 miles north of Seattle, is possibly the best place in Washington state to watch the grays that hang out to eat in Saratoga Passage from early March through mid-June. Feasting along their way down from Arctic waters, gray whales are drawn to this area for the waters rich in ghost shrimp. They can be seen rolling in the mud flats to fill their bellies; large divots left behind until high tides erase their tracks.
Sometimes the whales are within 100 yards of the seawall in Langley, oblivious to the many eyes glued to their ritual. A Langley merchant once witnessed a whale feeding up against the seawall. It was so close to the wall she could only make out part of the body as the rest was hidden against the cement wall.
The residents and merchants of Langley, Whidbey's "Village by the Sea," embrace the return of the whales, so much so that they host the annual 'Welcome the Whales' celebration in conjunction with Orca Network each April. There hasn't been a year yet where the whales haven't happened through Saratoga Passage to the east and north of town on the day of the festivities.
One highlight of this year's event will be acknowledging a special project undertaken by local Eagle Scout, Michael Scullin.
Scullin, a 17-year-old high school senior, partnered with metal artist Tim Leonard to complete installation on several interpretative signs, as well as Langley's new whale bell, what locals consider an informal alert system. When the whales are in Saratoga Passage between Camano and Whidbey islands, representatives from the Langley Chamber of Commerce are charged with ringing the bell to encourage people to the water's edge.
The installation date was serendipitous. Although the gray whales usually don’t arrive until the first week in March, the same day the bell was installed the first gray of the year showed up. The bell rang out loud and clear.
"The bell has really drawn attention to our town's natural focus, water access and the wildlife that surrounds us," says Langley Mayor Paul Samuelson.
Berta agrees that Langley's focus has been a welcomed shot in the arm for the Orca Network. In the past 12 years, the Network has gained 3,000 network participants who report on the whereabouts and activities of the whales, both grays and orcas. Langley’s whale bell is an awareness tool used in real time.
Ed Young, owner of Whidbey Kayaking Co., says it’s the grays’ lack of speed, which also adds to this real-time experience.
“When I was a kid, I saw a whale in a marine park. Then when I got older I went to the San Juan Islands and took a whale watching boat tour,” Young says. “I thought to myself then, 'Why would anyone go to see a whale at a marine park?’
“When I returned to Whidbey Island years later, I took a kayak tour and thought to myself then, ‘Why would anyone want to watch whales from a boat when you can be in the water with them?’”
Young sys watching gray whales from a kayak is a completely intimate experience. When you’re in the water, you’re sharing in the water experience with the whales. The nice part is that gray whales are relatively slow, producing experiences that last between a half hour and an hour sometimes.
“Orcas are fast, which makes viewing them a quick endeavor. Gray whales are so much slower. You can keep up with them and parallel them easily. It’s so exhilarating.”
Being slow is subjective. These quiet giants migrate between 10,000 and 12,000 miles each year from the Bering Sea to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. It wasn’t until recently that the Bering Sea was added to their list of stops. Out of the great numbers of grays that make the trip, just less than 20 make three-month pit stops in local waters. The feeding is so good here that some grays know instinctively to stop here in case of leaner feeding grounds down the coast. Others bypass the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the entire Puget Sound region all together on their way down from Arctic seas.
Since data gathering has been light until recently, no one is sure why some whales know of the dense ghost shrimp populations here and some don’t. However, those whales that do know to stop can’t get enough.
“It definitely helps them through the leaner years,” Berta says. “When there isn’t enough food in the waters off Washington or Oregon, it’s usually our gray whales that do better since their bellies are full.”
And Langley can’t seem to get enough of this water-bound road show.
Langley Chamber of Commerce president Fred Lundahl, who made sure the whale bell found a permanent home, says he’s never tired of seeing the whales off Langley’s shores. Lundahl also sits on the Orca Network board and recently accompanied a whale watching group on a Networkled trip to San Ignacio Lagoon in Mexico.
“It’s just great when they are here. Life seems to stop for us and we take time to enjoy them.”
Berta agrees with Lundahl, and added that any chance she gets to spy a whale is a good experience.
“I may not be right up close to them when I see them, but sometimes I can spot a spout of water off in the distance. Just knowing they are there is amazing.”