The first of the Sounders, or North Puget Sound gray whales, has arrived off Whidbey's shores.
The first of the Sounders, or North Puget Sound gray whales, has arrived off Whidbey's shores about three months earlier than the rest of the group.
Yet for the Sounder who made it, it's not early at all. Little Patch, identified as CRC-53, has returned to Puget Sound months before the rest for the fifth season in a row for reasons whale scientists aren't completely sure about.
Serena Tierra, co-coordinator of the Orca Network Whale Sighting Network, saw the mist of a blowhole, then a smooth gray mound in Saratoga Passage last Wednesday.
"After I spotted the whale, I was joined by other Camano whale watchers who were excited to greet the first Sounder of the season," she said in a press release. "This is such a special time of year for residents of North Puget Sound because it provides an opportunity to see whales close to shore and form connections as you get to know them as individuals."
Sounders represent about a dozen gray whales, part of the larger population of Eastern North Pacific gray whales. During their migration north from Baja California, Sounders stop into Puget Sound to feed on ghost shrimp in intertidal regions around Whidbey from about March to May.
Then, they continue to the Bering and Chukchi seas for summer feeding.
Little Patch, first identified in April of 1991, was named for a distinctive white patch on his left side. He's a frequent spyhopper, poking vertically through the water and looking around.
Gray whales went through an unusual mortality event from 2019 to 2023, likely caused by a disruption in food supply from Alaska. Since the whales hardly eat while they migrate, they essentially starved to death as they made the over-10,000-mile round trip, dropping from a population of 20,500 to 14,526.
During this time, the Sounder population grew to around 20 as other whales discovered the abundant ghost shrimp in the Salish Sea.
Little Patch first arrived early in December 2020, at the peak of the mortality event, said Rachel Haight, co-coordinator of the Whale Sighting Network.
Haight speculates that Little Patch made the choice to come early in 2020 because his survival instinct was stronger than his need to reproduce. The decision may have saved his life.
Little Patch's five-year tradition may be because of need, she said, or because he enjoyed himself the first time. Overall, there is less competition in Puget Sound, and it's also possible he prefers the area and diet as each whale is unique.
Another factor could be age, Haight said. He could be older than people are aware.
The Orca Network learns more about the Sounders every year, said Susan Berta, co-founder of the organization. One thing that is clear is they have individual personalities.
Earhart and Shackleton, for example, always hang out together, despite that gray whales are not considered social. Some consistently arrive early, some late.
Some feed off the northwest side of Whidbey as opposed to Possession Sound or Saratoga Passage.
"We are just recording data over time and trying to figure out what it means, wishing they could talk to us," Berta said.
The Orca Network encourages vessel operators to be on the lookout for and share the water with the slow-moving Sounders. The whales can surface anywhere at any time.
Boats are to slow to under seven knots and keep at least 100 yards' distance from the whales per state law.
Documented sightings help prevent ship strikes and collect vital information about whale population and identification. Sightings can be sent to [email protected] or orcanetwork.org/report-sightings.
"They came into Puget Sound and stumbled across these abundant ghost shrimp beds and keep coming back," Berta said. "Lucky for them and lucky for us!"