Juneau's whales are like snowbirds everywhere -- they spend the beautiful summer months here at home but head to Hawaii for the cold winter months. But when they are here, they are the most welcome of neighbors.

Juneau is fortunate to have a healthy humpback whale population every summer, when about 65 whales make their way back to feed in our nutrient-rich waters. Each day, Juneau's numerous whale watching tour operators work together to locate whales in order to give all visitors the best opportunity to see these beautiful animals.

The hope of all whale watching adventurers is to see the tail as the whale dives down into the deep. It is a spectacular sight, but the tail can also provide a lot of information about the whale. The science of whale documentation is relatively simple -- just get a good look at the underside of the tail and then compare it with the photos in the Juneau Humpback Whale Catalog.

If that option just won't work for you, another way to meet the "neighbors" is to read the "Weekly Whale Feature" column in the local paper, the Juneau Empire.

Here are a few of the whales highlighted thus far:

• Juneau
  
• Spot
  
• Snow White
  
• Flame
  
• Crack Tail
  
• Poisson
  
• Raven
  

Check the Friday issues of the Juneau Empire for more weekly whale features.