Each spring, grays leave their warm lagoons in an orderly way to swim north to their feeding grounds. The first group travels from February to June. These are the adult bulls, young whales from the previous year, and the newly pregnant cows. New mothers and their calves stay longer in the lagoons. They travel from March to July.
Calves face into the strong tidal currents and swim, going nowhere but gaining strength.
Finally they are ready to leave the tranquil lagoons and face the arduous passage north. Caitlyn Toropova is a Marine Biologist. She is also a Natural History Filmmaker currently affiliated with Natural Wonder Films in San Francisco. Caitlyn founded this company to make natural history documentary films. She writes to us from England, where she is involved in filming a documentary on killer whales.