The ORRCA Whale Census is on again and will be held at headlands and top whale watching vantage points on the Mid North Coast on Sunday, June 27.

In 2020, 2589 humpbacks were counted by avid whale watchers, slightly lower than the 2019 total of 2743.

In Port Macquarie, 120 whales were counted before midday from the Tacking Point Lighthouse.

ORRCA is confident humpback numbers continue to increase, in a positive trend for the species.

People can expect to see more whales as part of the southern migration as mothers return south with calves.

Whales also tend to hug the coastline more than the northern migration, to allow babies to feed and rest.

The peak time to see whales as part of the southern migration is October.

Anyone interested in taking part in this year's census is encouraged to get to their favourite headland or whale-watching spot anytime between dawn and dusk.

Make sure you email the ORRCA team beforehand at orrcacensusday@gmail.com to register your location.

Also be sure to print off some ORRCA sighting log sheets and record all sightings, including dolphins and seals.

Finally, report your findings - including log sheets - back to the ORRCA team via the email above when the day is done.

Results of the census are usually published two to three weeks after the census date, once all the findings had been collated.

Those results are then shared with National Parks and Wildlife Services.