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Gray Whale Census Data
San Ignacio Lagoon Gray Whale Census Beginning 2002
The following census data is for San Ignacio breeding and calving lagoon only. We began taking censuses in 2002 and have recorded this data annually. We take the census from a small boat while traveling the length of the lagoon at a speed a bit faster than the whales normally travel. It is quite accurate and we can count the whales in the lagoon with an error plus or minus 7% to 10%. What we cannot count are how many whales are transiting or staying just outside of the lagoon during tide changes which is when many is when many of the whales will either move out or back into the lagoon. So these censuses represent only the whales counted inside of the lagoon. There are a great number of whales just outside of the lagoon entrance during these counts.
2009
Census Date |
Cow & Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
Observations |
22-Jan-09 |
9 |
15 |
33 |
|
30-Jan-09 |
11 |
49 |
71 |
|
05-Feb-09 |
33 |
85 |
151 |
|
13-Feb-09 |
79 |
144 |
302 |
|
20-Feb-09 |
29 |
117 |
175 |
census taken at low tide - many whales outside mouth of lagoon |
12-Mar-09 |
40 |
46 |
126 |
census taken at low tide - many whales outside mouth of lagoon |
2008
Census Date |
Cow & Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
Observations |
23-Nov-07 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
|
16-Jan-08 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
24-Jan-08 |
3 |
4 |
10 |
|
07-Feb-08 |
25 |
32 |
82 |
|
15-Feb-08 |
43 |
28 |
114 |
|
22-Feb-08 |
56 |
43 |
155 |
|
28-Feb-08 |
54 |
117 |
225 |
|
01-Mar-08 |
223 |
no breakdown-only total |
||
13-Mar-08 |
62 |
134 |
258 |
|
18-Mar-08 |
53 |
66 |
172 |
|
26-Mar-08 |
47 |
14 |
108 |
2007
Census Date |
Cow & Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
Observations |
18 Jan |
2 |
11 |
15 |
|
25 Jan |
5 |
13 |
23 |
|
1 Feb |
68 |
Low tide so some whales at mouth or outside of lagoon | ||
8 Feb |
25 |
69 |
119 |
|
22 Feb |
46 |
113 |
205 |
|
10 Mar |
74 |
36 |
146 |
Low tide…many whales outside of the lagoon |
15 Mar |
15 |
14 |
44 |
I question this count; I believe it was taken at a time of a minus low tide, when many whales were outside the lagoon. Also, we missed our Peak numbers count, as no census was taken between 2-22 & 3-10 due to high winds. That gap is when we usually see our highest count. |
2006
Census Date |
Cow & Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
Observations |
2 Feb |
24 |
32 |
80 |
|
9 Feb |
56 |
43 |
155 |
|
23 Feb |
74 |
138 |
286 |
|
2 Mar |
53 |
182 |
288 |
|
17 Mar |
82 |
53 |
217 |
|
24 Mar |
95 |
9 |
199 |
|
30 Mar |
33 |
4 |
70 |
Low tide, so many of the whales were outside the lagoon |
2005
Census Date |
Cow & Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
Observations |
24 Jan |
129 |
|||
27 Jan |
33 |
107 |
173 |
|
3 Feb |
53 |
83 |
189 |
|
17 Feb |
45 |
85 |
175 |
|
23 Feb |
73 |
79 |
225 |
|
2 Mar |
58 |
68 |
184 |
|
9 Mar |
32 |
22 |
86 |
Low tide, so many of the whales were outside the lagoon |
30 Mar |
55 |
1 |
111 |
2004
Census Date |
Cow & Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
Observations |
21 Jan |
36 |
33 |
105 |
2 dead calves with umbilical cords attached |
30 Jan |
51 |
34 |
136 |
|
12 Feb |
59 |
48 |
166 |
|
18 Feb |
71 |
112 |
254 |
|
26 Feb |
94 |
68 |
256 |
|
3 Mar |
83 |
102 |
268 |
|
11 Mar |
118 |
52 |
288 |
|
20 Mar |
53 |
3 |
109 |
|
25 Mar |
58 |
5 |
121 |
|
1 Apr |
76 |
1 |
153 |
2003
Census Date |
Cow & Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
Observations |
30 Jan |
30 |
43 |
103 |
|
13 Feb |
34 |
175 |
243 |
|
20 Feb |
51 |
143 |
245 |
|
28 Feb |
53 |
112 |
218 |
|
7 Mar |
42 |
50 |
134 |
|
8 Apr |
30 |
0 |
60 |
2002
Census Date |
Cow & Calf Pairs |
Single Adults |
Total Whales |
Observations |
29 Jan |
70 |
|||
17 Feb |
200 |
|||
28 Feb |
43 |
170 |
256 |
|
7 Mar |
70 |
54 |
194 |
|
21 Mar |
59 |
9 |
127 |
|
12 Apr |
50 |
Logs & Diaries -- Guest Comments -- Field Reports -- Gray Whale Census
