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DECEMBER 2021 MONTEREY BAY WHALE WATCH MARINE MAMMAL SIGHTINGS LIST

MARINE MAMMAL SIGHTINGS IN THE MONTEREY BAY REGION

Monterey Bay Whale Watch
List of Marine Mammal Sightings
in the Monterey Bay Region

December 2021
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Note — This list includes reported sightings from Monterey Bay Whale Watch trips. Unusual sightings of other marine animals such as Leatherback Sea Turtles and Basking Sharks are also listed, in addition to unusual seabirds such as Albatross and Brown Boobies. California Sea Lions are mentioned only if numbers or behavior are of interest. Harbor Seals and Southern Sea Otters, which are seen on all whale watching trips, are not included in the list.

These sightings are copyright protected and may not be used without permission from Nancy Black. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of this information is a violation of federal copyright law, and is subject to prosecution to the full extent of the law.

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   Killer Whale identifications by the California Killer Whale Project
Date # Type of Animal(s)

12/31 10 a.m. 15 Gray Whales
1 Humpback Whale (breaching)

12/31 9 a.m. 15 Gray Whales
80 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
300 Risso’s Dolphins
6 Northern Right Whale Dolphins

12/30 2:30 p.m. 10 Gray Whales

12/30 10 a.m. 11 Gray Whales
6 Humpback Whales
100 Pacific White-sided Dolphins

12/30 9 a.m. 17 Gray Whales
2 Humpback Whales

12/28 2:30 p.m. 6 Gray Whales

12/28 10 a.m. 12 Gray Whales
2 Humpback Whales
150 Risso’s Dolphins (including Casper)

12/28 9 a.m. 10 Gray Whales
3 Humpback Whales
150 Risso’s Dolphins (including Casper)

12/26 2:30 p.m. 1 Humpback Whale

12/26 10 a.m. 4 Gray Whales
2 Humpback Whales

12/26 9 a.m. 2 Gray Whales
1 Humpback Whale

12/21 10 a.m. 5 Humpback Whales

12/19 10 a.m. 3 Humpback Whales (breaching, tail lobbing, pec slapping)
100 Risso’s Dolphins (including Casper)

12/19 9 a.m. 7 Humpback Whales
100 Risso’s Dolphins (including Casper)

12/18 2:30 p.m. 3 Humpback Whales (friendly)

12/18 10 a.m. 5 Humpback Whales (competitive group, friendly behavior)

12/17 10 a.m. 4 Humpback Whales

12/15 10 a.m. 5 Humpback Whales (breaching, mom and calf pair)

12/11 2:30 p.m. 8 Humpback Whales
50 Risso’s Dolphins

12/11 10 a.m. 7 Humpback Whales (friendly)
25 Risso’s Dolphins

12/10 10 a.m. 2 Humpback Whales
5 Killer Whales (CA140Bs & CA23A2, breaching + predation)
1 Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
5 Buller’s shearwaters
10 Ancient Murrelets
10 Black-footed Albatross
20 Cassin’s Auklets

12/9 2:30 p.m. 7 Humpback Whales
40 Risso’s Dolphins
5 Dall’s Porpoise

12/9 10 a.m. 9 Humpback Whales (breaching, lunge-feeding)

12/8 10 a.m. 50 Common Dolphins
100 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
50 Risso’s Dolphins
1500 Northern Right Whale Dolphins

12/7 10 a.m. 5 Humpback Whales
30 Risso’s Dolphins

12/6 10 a.m. 7 Humpback Whales (breaching)

12/5 2:30 p.m. 3 Humpback Whales (breaching, tail throwing)

12/5 10 a.m. 7 Humpback Whales (breaching)
1 Fur Seal

12/4 2:30 p.m. 5 Humpback Whales (breaching 50x)

12/4 10 a.m. 2 Humpback Whales
200 Risso’s Dolphins
10 Dall’s Porpoise

12/4 9 a.m. 8 Humpback Whales (cow/calf)
40 Risso’s Dolphins (nursery pod)

12/3 10 a.m. 6 Humpback Whales
50 Risso’s Dolphins

12/2 2:30 p.m. 7 Humpback Whales
40 Risso’s Dolphins
5 Dall’s Porpoise

12/2 10 a.m. 9 Humpback Whales (breaching, lunge-feeding)

12/1 10 a.m. 10 Humpback Whales (breaching, lunge-feeding)

Photos © 2021 Daniel Bianchetta

Gray Whales photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Gray Whales (December 30, 2021)

Humpback Whale flukes photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Humpback Whale flukes (December 28, 2021)

Humpback Whale heart-shaped blow photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Humpback Whale heart-shaped blow
(December 21, 2021)

Merganser photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Merganser (December 19, 2021)

Sea Otter and Sea Lions photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Sea Otter and Sea Lions (December 19, 2021)

Casper and other Risso's Dolphins photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Casper & other Risso’s Dolphins (December 19, 2021)

Humpback Whale close-up photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Humpback Whale close-up (December 18, 2021)

Pelican in flight photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Pelican in flight (December 15, 2021)

Pelicans photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Pelicans (December 11, 2021)

Killer Whale (Orca) tail photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Killer Whale (Orca) tail (December 10, 2021)

Northern Right Whale Dolphin photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Northern Right Whale Dolphin (December 8, 2021)

Risso's Dolphin calf photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Risso’s Dolphin calf (December 4, 2021)

Dall's Porpoise photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Dall’s Porpoise (December 4, 2021)

Humpback Whales photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Humpback Whales (December 3, 2021)

Tail-throwing Humpback Whale photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Tail-throwing Humpback Whale (December 2, 2021)

Humpback Whale breaching photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Humpback Whale breaching (December 1, 2021)

Photos © 2021 Daniel Bianchetta

Copyright © 2021 Monterey Bay Whale Watch, LLC. No use of the sightings information is permitted without prior approval.

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