BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Bellingham Bay whale watchers got quite the surprise last weekend.
KING5 reports that a massive humpback whale was spotted just 20 yards from the shore.
Researchers say a sighting this early in the year is a sign that the whale population is flourishing.
Last year, Western Washington humpbacks had a bit of baby boom, with 21 calves sighted by October, almost double the number seen in 2020.
Hopefully, the trend will extend to the endangered southern resident orcas, which welcomed one calf to the regional J-Pod earlier this month.