Twice a year, the gray whales migrate, southbound to sheltered lagoons in the Sea of Cortez and then north again in the spring, much to the delight of onlookers from high cliffs along the Oregon Coast.

And this season, there’s reason to look a bit closer.

After numbers of North Pacific grays dropped to their lowest levels since counts began in the 1960s, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced the population is showing signs of a rebound.

In the spring, gray whale numbers jumped to an estimated 19,620, a 33% increase from a historic low of 14,530.

That’s welcome news as Winter Whale Watch Week gets underway in the last week of December.

Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 27 through Dec. 31, Oregon State Parks will have volunteers stationed at 15 sites along the coast for the event, including at Fort Stevens State Park, the Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain Overlook and Cape Meares Lighthouse.

It’s a time to ask questions and to be reminded of the scale of things — how small we are and how vast the ocean is — and, with a little luck, maybe see the flash of a tail.