North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Ground

Each winter, North Atlantic right whales make a journey of more than a thousand miles from feeding grounds off New England and Canada to the warm, shallow waters off Georgia and northeast Florida, the only place on Earth where the species is known to give birth.

With roughly 370 individuals left, this is one of the most endangered large whales in the world, and the survival of the species hinges on the calves born here between late November and March.

Pregnant females arrive and deliver in coastal waters within sight of barrier islands like Cumberland and Little St.

Simons, nursing their newborns in the calm shallows before the long return north.

Right whales are notoriously hard to spot, with no dorsal fin and a low, dark profile that sits just at the surface, often betrayed only by a distinctive V-shaped blow.

This is not a boat-approach experience: federal law makes it illegal for any vessel to come within 500 yards of a right whale, and aircraft must stay at least 1,500 feet up, so the calving ground is monitored almost entirely by trained aerial and survey teams from agencies like Georgia DNR, NOAA, and partner institutes.

For the public, witnessing this phenomenon means coast-watching from the islands and beaches with a spotting scope and a great deal of patience, or following the aerial survey sightings that document each season's new calves.

It is a chance to share in one of conservation's most fragile and important moments, the birth of a species' next generation.

Where to see it

A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.