WHALES BEGIN ANNUAL MIGRATION.Byline: Gary A. Warner and Gary Robbins Orange County Register It's not just the swallows that return to San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (săn wän kăpĭsträ`nō), city (1990 pop. 26,183), Orange co., S Calif.; inc. 1961. San Juan Capistrano has some manufactures, including aircraft parts, medical apparatus, and boats, but the economy is . This month, more than 200 whales a day will cruise by the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, coast on their annual trek to breeding grounds off Baja California Baja California, state, Mexico Baja California (Span.: bä`hä kälēfōr`nyä), state (1990 pop. 1,660,855), 27,628 sq mi (71,576 sq km), NW Mexico, on the Baja California peninsula. Mexicali is the capital. . The whale migration is one of the most amazing events of the year, as up to 20,000 whales make the 5,000-mile trip from Alaska to Mexico. Most of the whales will settle into the warm waters of Magdalena Bay and San Ignacio Lagoon San Ignacio Lagoon was originally discovered by whaling captain Jared Poole, brother-in-law to captain Charles Melville Scammon. The first whaling expedition to San Ignacio Lagoon occurred in 1860 led by Scammon and six whaling vessels. to mate, give birth and generally have a big whale party. Mid-January to early February is the peak of the December-March whale-watching season. For the lucky ones who spot a whale at sea, the image of a 40-ton, 50-foot behemoth behemoth (bē`hĭmŏth, bĭhē`–) [Heb.,=plural of beast], large, fanciful primeval monster, like Leviathan, evoking the hippopotamus mentioned in the Book of Job. gracefully gliding under your boat is breathtaking. One of the easiest, most fun and least expensive ways to see whales is to bring binoculars to Cabrillo Point in San Diego for the annual Whale Watch Weekend, Jan. 20-21. If you want to get closer, there are dozens of outfitters who will take you whale watching at prices from as low as $20 for a couple of hours to thousands of dollars for multiday excursions. Here are some of the best: Scripps Aquarium Museum, La Jolla, sponsors several tours. Call (619) 224-7767 for details. The San Diego Natural History Museum The San Diego Natural History Museum was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History. The present location of the museum in San Diego's Balboa Park was dedicated on January 14, 1933, t. offers naturalist-led cruises lasting from three hours to more than a week. Call (619) 232-3821, Ext. 203. O.A.R.S., an outfitter, offers trips to Baja California to see the whale breeding grounds. Call (800) 346-6277 for information. Baja California Tours in San Diego has information on several outfitters and cruises. Call (619) 454-7166. Island Packers in Ventura conducts whale-watching trips to the Channel Islands. Call (805) 642-1393. For information on the Channel Islands, call the Channel Islands National Park Channel Islands National Park: see Santa Barbara Islands; National Parks and Monuments (table). Visitors Center, 1901 Spinnaker Drive; (805) 658-5730. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Photo Thousands of whales are heading south for Baja California breeding grounds, often giving whale-watchers a show along the way. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion