Transcript:

GRAY WHALES-- EncounterHere's a program from our archives.Ambience: kayak paddling We're in Monterey Bay, off the coast of southern California, searching for Gray whales on their annual migration to Baja, Mexico, where they'll spend the winter. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet."This is where the game really starts. We've seen the blow and now we're gonna certainly start watching for more, see how long the whale will stay up and try to time the dive and surface sequences so we can match its pace. Here we go."Steph Dutton is with the Gray whale research project run by Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in Monterey, California. He and his partner, Tim Morrison, have been following the whales' migratory movements from aboard their kayak, trying to learn more about the animals' open sea behavior. Tim sets the scene for us as we paddle closer to a group of whales."When we first spotted them, there were three whales. Now there're six or seven whales. Maybe they're milling. They're picking up their numbers to cross the bay. Safety in numbers-- instead of a lone whale, you've got ten or twelve whales. It's the largest crossing on their migratory pattern, and this is where they'd be more susceptible to orcas or sharks." Listen carefully and you'll hear the whale blow as it surfaces and exhales.ambience: whale blow"Two o'clock; there's another blow about a mile off there. We've got a lot of whales here."While in some places the Gray whales follow the shoreline, in others, this part of California, for example, they stay farther out in the open sea. Eventually, Steph and Tim will be able to tag the whales, giving scientists new insight into the animals' migratory behavior.We've been listening to a program from our archives. Check out our website, pulseplanet.com for a link to my latest project - a novel. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.