Resident gray whales spotted off Whidbey, Camano Island waters

WHIDBEY ISLAND -- Washington state's resident gray whales have returned to Whidbey and Camano Island waters, the Orca Network's website reported Friday.

The organization said it “received our first report of a North Puget Sound gray whale on Feb. 4, and in the past few weeks have received reports identifying several North Puget Sound grays returning to feed in Saratoga Passage, from Polnell Point to Port Susan and Possession Sound."

The Orca Network said the group of gray whales typically arrives in early March and stays through the end of May or early June, feeding on ghost shrimp along the sand and mud shores of Saratoga Passage between Camano and Whidbey Islands, and in Possession Sound.

“The annual spring visit of gray whales provides an excellent opportunity to view whales from the shorelines of Island County or from the Mukilteo/Clinton ferries, much to the delight of residents and visitors alike,” the website said.

To learn more about gray whales, visit Orca Network's Gray Whale website page at:
http://orcanetwork.org/nathist/graywhales.html and the Cascadia Research website at:
http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/graywhale.htm .