By: Cathryn Wood, Lawrence University ’17, summer REU in the GEMM Lab Greetings from Port Orford! My name is Cathryn, and I am the fourth member of the GEMM Lab’s gray whale foraging ecology research team, which includes Florence, Kelli, and the other Catherine (don’t worry, I go by Cat). Nearly 5 weeks into field … Continue reading Making a Splash
By: Catherine Lo, Research Intern, Oregon State University ‘16 Hello everyone! My name is Catherine Lo and I am a recent graduate from Oregon State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology with a focus in Marine Biology. It has been an incredible whirlwind leading up to this point: long nights studying for finals, … Continue reading Dredging and low visibility doesn’t stop us! We paddle on.
By: Kelli Iddings, MSc Student, Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment The excitement is palpable as I wait in anticipation. But finally, “Blow!” I shout as I notice the lingering spray of seawater expelled from a gray whale as it surfaces to breathe. The team and I scurry about the field site taking … Continue reading From the highs to the lows, that’s just how it blows!
By Florence Sullivan – MSc Student, GEMM Lab Hello Everyone, and welcome back for season two of our ever-expanding research project(s) about the gray whales of the Oregon coast! Overall, our goal is document and describe the foraging behavior and ecology of the Pacific Coast Feeding Group of Gray Whales on the Oregon Coast. For … Continue reading The Gray [Whale]s are back in town – Field season 2016 is getting started!
Hello everyone, Florence here with an update about the final numbers from this summer’s gray whale field season. For folks just hearing about the project, my team of interns and I spent the summer alternating between study sites at Depoe Bay and Port Orford to conduct fine-scale focal follows of gray whales foraging in near-shore … Continue reading Gray whale field work wrap-up; sea you later
As Amanda explains quite nicely in her previous blog post, research is not always glamorous, and we don’t always see the species we’ve come out to the field to study. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other cool species out there to spot! Here are some common (and uncommon) visitors to some of our … Continue reading Not Everyday is Gray (just most of them)
Hello from Hatfield Marine Science Center! This is Justin bringing you the latest and greatest in Gray Whale news. But first, let me fill you folks in with some info about me. I am an undergraduate student, transitioning into my senior year, with Oregon State University’s Fisheries and Wildlife Department. In addition to my major, … Continue reading We need all the “Kelp” we can get!
Hello there! Florence here, signing in from Newport. We had a fantastic trip south to Port Orford, and tracked another 53 whales bringing our season total up to 117 so far! This morning, we were back out at Boiler Bay and spent 5 hours staring at empty water – in keeping with the theme of … Continue reading Gray Whale Goofs
Greetings fellow marine enthusiasts! My name is Cricket, and I am one of the interns working on Florence’s Gray Whale project! I’m preparing to graduate from Oregon State University in a couple of months with a Bachelors of Science in Biology with the marine option. Before I graduate, I wanted to get some extra experience … Continue reading Familiar Flukes and Faces
Hello and greetings from the sort of sunny Oregon Coast! Sarah reporting in to offer an update on Florence’s Gray Whale study now that we’re about ten days into sampling. If you’re new to our blog you can read up on the preliminary field season right here. Before I get to the project though, let … Continue reading A Week-Full of Whales