Field Notes
2011
March 29, 2011: We continue to see the gray whales heading North, but it looks like many of the moms and calves are still in the lagoons. One of our naturalists just returned from our last trip to Baja and said that the moms and calves were very relaxed. Moms were spy hopping and breaching and even some of the calves were trying to spy hop. It looks like they are quick learners. At this time of year when the grays make their northbound migration they tend to go further off shore. Our boat only goes about 12 miles out so sometimes we miss them. However, today we had a nice group of about 6-8 gray whales traveling very close together and moving quickly. They must be getting hungry! Our last day of whale watching is April 10th. Stay tuned for an end of the season update. To witness the northbound migration, the Marietta must motor further off shore – sometimes as far as 12 miles – to find the whales. Traveling this far out brings ample opportunity to spot other types of whales. At nine miles off shore, we know to keep our eyes peeled for rorquals, the largest group of baleen whales. This group includes blue, fin, minke, and humpback whales — all of which we’ve seen from our boat. Our whale naturalists are spotting fin whales, secong-largest animal on Earth! March 15, 2011: On March 11 we spotted our first mom and calf heading North! According the naturalist, they were moving quickly. We spotted a second mom and calf on March 12, and the number of northbound whales has increased incrementally over the last week. About two weeks ago we had reports of 1,500 gray whales in Scammon's Lagoon (Laguna San Ignacio, Mexico). One of our trips to Baja just returned and the numbers in the lagoon are down to 800. So there are about 700 whales beginning their trek from Scammon's up North. We are anxious and excited and even a little sad to see the return migration. It has been a fantastic season and will be hard to say goodbye to the grays! March 14, 2011: 8 whale sightings Feb. 1, 2011: "We are seeing a ton of whales right now! So far, this has been a great season! So far, we have probably seen close to 300 whales all heading south," reports Staci. From Caitlin's blog: Read to see how she describes the whales they're seeing, including a few babies. What surprises you the most? "Each day we have seen a consistent flow of southbound gray whales. They are not just migrating; we’ve seen them mating, interacting with dolphins, spy hopping, and even breaching! The grays are finishing up the last leg of their 5,000-mile journey south from their feeding grounds in the Arctic. San Diego marks the home stretch for the grays as they travel toward their birthing and breeding lagoons on the west coast of the Baja California peninsula. One noteworthy day, there was a very large gray whale – one of the largest we’ve ever seen – rolling, splashing, and diving with Pacific white-sided dolphins. Our naturalists believe it was a pregnant female based on this whale’s size and overall 'roundness.' "We’ve seen large and small whales, thick and thin, adult and juvenile. We’ve seen flukes raked with orca tooth marks. Some days we’ve seen nearly 20 whales! Most are traveling individually, though some groups have been observed. "Seeing calves is always a highlight, though the encounters are often brief. We glimpsed very young calves with two mothers that didn’t quite make it to the lagoons before giving birth. Both sets were very reclusive; the mothers barely came to the surface to breathe, and we saw more of the calf than the parent. These calves were very small and one may have still had its fetal creases – horizontal wrinkles along the sides of its body. Fetal creases form when the calf is curled up within the mother for 12 months. They disappear within a week of birth. We made sure these special encounters were brief — just two to three views for our passengers — to ensure that mother and calf weren’t stressed." |
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