A pair of gray whales were spotted near shore in Admirals Cove Sunday in Coupeville.

Gray whales are a common sight in April on the east side of Whidbey Island, particularly in the southern portion of Saratoga Passage and Possession Sound. But it’s rare to see them close to shore on Whidbey’s west side in Admiralty Bay.

“It’s pretty uncommon,” said Howard Garrett, director of the Freeland-based Orca Network. “That’s the opening to Admiralty Inlet, so they have to come in and out of there. It should be more common but they usually get by without anyone knowing until they show up on the south end of Whidbey.”

Aleshia Mitten of Coupeville videotaped the whales as they swam about 50 yards offshore in Admiralty Bay.

Garrett said he and others with the network were wondering if they might be part of the group of about 10 to 12 grays that annually return in the spring to South Whidbey to feed on ghost shrimp mostly in Saratoga Passage and Possession Sound.

On Saturday, a pod of Southern Resident orcas passed through Admiralty Inlet and were headed back to the San Juans following an extended stay in Saratoga Passage and Holmes Harbor.

Reports of 11 or 12 orcas spent five consecutive days traveling in and out of Holmes Harbor, which is rare place for the marine mammals to venture.

“Unheard of,” Garrett said. “It’s still a mystery. I don’t understand it yet. The thought was maybe they were there to have a baby. We had heard there were a lot of blackmouth chinook salmon there, but their behavior didn’t look like foraging. It was socializing.”