Volunteers on four islands scoured the swells with binoculars Saturday and observed 1,121 humpback whales during the last of three coordinated counts by two organizations this year.

A total of 320 volunteers mustered on the shores of Kauai, Oahu, Hawaii island and Maui for the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count, which collected data from 42 sites across those islands.

On Oahu, 467 whales were seen during the day’s count, plus 273 on Kauai and 68 off Hawaii island.

Volunteers participating in the Great Whale Count by the Pacific Whale Foundation on Maui tallied 313 sightings.

Organizers said the total might represent duplicate sightings of the same whale by different observers or at different time periods or different locations throughout the day.

Some 69 whales were observed from 8:30 to 8:45 a.m., the most of any time period throughout the day’s count, according to a news release. That also was the most active period recorded by Ocean Count volunteers on Kauai, Oahu and Hawaii island, who noted 117 whales during that 15-minute span.

Great Whale Count volunteers on Maui collected data from 12 sites. They said the most active time was from 9 to 9:15 a.m., with 55 whale sightings.

Both counts take place three times during peak whale season annually on the last Saturday in January, February and March. The data collected, combined with other research efforts, can help reveal trends in humpback whale occurrence during the winter season, the release said.

Favorable weather conditions with primarily clear and sunny skies and calm seas made Saturday an ideal day to observe whales. Other species spotted during the counts included green sea turtles, spinner dolphins, Hawaiian flying fish and multiple bird species such as the great frigate bird, Laysan albatross, Pacific golden plover, Hawaiian goose and white tern as well as the wedge-tailed shearwater.

The Ocean Count, which is supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, promotes public awareness about humpback whales and shore- based whale-watching opportunities. The Great Whale Count provides a snapshot of trends in relative abundance of whales and is one of the world’s longest-running community science projects.

Visit oceancount.org/resources for preliminary data of the Ocean Count and pacificwhale.org/research/community-science for preliminary data from the Great Whale Count.