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Winter migration of Gray Whales
Shorebirds
Hummingbirds in winter? When most Northwesterners think of
hummingbirds, they are thinking of Rufous
Hummingbirds. They are the feisty, bright orange feathered bullets
who zip through our yards and forests in the spring to raise their young
before heading south again in the fall. They'll be
gone until late February on the coast, inland in early March. Winter Whale Watching Gray Whales spend half the year or more up in the Bering Sea or scattered along the coast between Oregon and Alaska. But every winter they head south to Mexico to socialize, mate, and give birth to babies which have been gestating for a year. The winter migration is generally fast and purposeful. That means a lot of whales passing every day. The main migration will probably be passing Cannon Beach between about December 15th and January 15th. The elk are down from the hills. We have elk year-round on the coast, but there seems to be a lot more of them around town in the late fall. Maybe they know it's hunting season out there. There be
whales here! The first Gray Whales of the spring migration have been sighted off of Arcadia Beach (just south of Silver Point, on the south side of' Cannon Beach.) The whales tend to be much closer during the spring migration and so are much easier to see, even from such low viewpoints as this. Rufous
Hummers have arrived! The first Rufous Hummingbird of the year visited our feeders today. This is always the source of great excitement to us. There's not a lot of difference in the weather between late winter and early spring, so we look to our early migrants brighten our lives. They are running really late this year, but should be in the Portland area by next week and Seattle the week after. Better get your nectar made and your feeders out so you'll be ready for them! Don't
forget the whales! While we're talking migrants, let's not forget that the Grey Whale migration will be passing us through the spring starting any day now and continuing through early June. There is a lot of good information about them and how to see them on our Gray Whales page. Please read this! We have a lot of elk here on the coast so don't go speeding around like you are on a freeway! These huge animals absorb light and are very hard to see if they are on the road at night - and they will really mess up your car and your vacation if you hit one. An adult bull elk can stand five feet tall at the shoulder and weigh as much as 1000 pounds. It is high enough to come right through the windshield and kill you if you hit it. So please drive carefully, especially at night. Deer aren't so large, but there are a lot more of them, so please be careful. I know, I keep harping and harping at it, but until you've seen the damage these animals can inflict upon a car and its occupants, and the damage a car can inflict upon them, you probably just have no idea. Take it easy - the life you save may be your own, or a deer or elk or raccoon or black bear or... Many other birds and animals will show up from time to time. Stop in at the store when you are in town and ask us what we've seen lately. We do our best to know who is around at the time and we'll be happy to point you in the right direction. Home
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