BajaNomad

Ojo de Liebre Whale Report

shari - 1-22-2014 at 07:52 PM

Yesterday we went out on the lagoon and it was overcast and very very still...flat calm. We visited several nursing groups and the majority of the mothers were sleeping at the slack tide. While the moms sleep, the calves swim around their mother and rest by laying across her rostrum and back....like this



this calf was out of the water completely...see the eye? Note the fetal folds in the hind quarter of the calf...running up and down.



We were approached by 3 different mother/calf pairs...the mothers were pushing the babies up to the panga much to the delight of the group.



this is a great example of how gray whales have barnacles on the left side of their faces because they bottom feed on the right side of their head.



Our trip ended with a whale spyhopping right beside the boat and a nice tail!







Guests of ours who were travelling on bikes...from Vancouver & a Malaysian couple stayed at La Posada Don Vicente but ate yummy tacos at Cowboy Tacos.





So there was a census done on Jan.20...there were 600 adults, 426 calves for a total of 1025 whales...nearly double the number of whales at the same time last year.I wonder if they will leave much earlier this season.

Our next guided trip is on Jan.29 with some Nomads if anybody wants to tag along!

woody with a view - 1-23-2014 at 02:26 AM

very cool! we've been twice now and maybe next year it'll be time again?

whales

dpwahoo - 1-25-2014 at 04:58 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
Yesterday we went out on the lagoon and it was overcast and very very still...flat calm. We visited several nursing groups and the majority of the mothers were sleeping at the slack tide. While the moms sleep, the calves swim around their mother and rest by laying across her rostrum and back....like this



this calf was out of the water completely...see the eye? Note the fetal folds in the hind quarter of the calf...running up and down.



We were approached by 3 different mother/calf pairs...the mothers were pushing the babies up to the panga much to the delight of the group.



this is a great example of how gray whales have barnacles on the left side of their faces because they bottom feed on the right side of their head.



Our trip ended with a whale spyhopping right beside the boat and a nice tail!







Guests of ours who were travelling on bikes...from Vancouver & a Malaysian couple stayed at La Posada Don Vicente but ate yummy tacos at Cowboy Tacos.





So there was a census done on Jan.20...there were 600 adults, 426 calves for a total of 1025 whales...nearly double the number of whales at the same time last year.I wonder if they will leave much earlier this season.

Our next guided trip is on Jan.29 with some Nomads if anybody wants to tag along!
Shari, do we meet you at the hotel on the 13th, or just see you there the morning of the 14th.? Dennis:bounce:

shari - 1-25-2014 at 05:25 PM

Hi Dennis...we have a camp at the lagoon but I will come in and meet the gang in the later afternoon so we can have dinner together.

we're off on another trip on tuesday if anyone wants to join us for Wednesday morning for some whale magic!

Ateo - 1-25-2014 at 05:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
very cool! we've been twice now and maybe next year it'll be time again?


maybe I'll caravan with ya!

KurtG - 1-25-2014 at 05:44 PM

Hi Shari,
I recognize that skipper, been out with him a couple of times. Good guy. I will likely be out your way in the next 2-3 weeks. My cardiologist says I have a few more good years so I did the only logical thing and bought another motorcycle. Time to take Rehab Ride II. Kathy can't make it for whales this year, she got a significant job promotion and is pretty busy for the next 2-3 months but there was a nice raise so she can continue to support me in the style to which I have become accustomed.

Bajahowodd - 1-25-2014 at 05:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
very cool! we've been twice now and maybe next year it'll be time again?


Shari can correct me on this, however it is my understanding that the whale visits are cyclical, in that the same group returns every three years. Last year was a very low turnout year as I was told by someone in GN. We were there in 2012 and met Shari at the lagoon. We had a great encounter. Perhaps the best of all our times down there and at San Ignacio. So, this year and next ought to be awesome.

shari - 1-25-2014 at 07:51 PM

Kurt...you chose well my friend! We look forward to gazing into the eye of a whale with you whenever you manage to get out to the lagoon. We will be in the first palapa.

Howodd...yes...numbers in the lagoon rise and fall and seasons begin early and late.I have been collecting gray whale ID photos for many years in hopes of finding out if the same mothers return to the same lagoons every time they calf...and if those calves also return to the same lagoon when they have their babies.

I have come to recognize many whales who have returned and it has been fascinating to see them grow more accustomed to the pangas. A deep trust has been developed that is simply mind boggling. But numbers of whales really isnt as important as a quality experience with them.

It was a topic of discussion tonight on the patio where we gathered to watch the pounding swell explode off the rocks...the art of whale watching...and how NOT having a camera really adds depth to your experience as you are not watching the whales through a viewfinder but appreciating the nuances of their behavior.

woody with a view - 1-25-2014 at 08:08 PM

Flaco is THE BEST Capitan on the lagoon, but that ain't him!

Ateo, you're on!

[Edited on 1-26-2014 by woody with a view]

OCEANUS - 1-26-2014 at 08:55 AM

Hi Shari
Reading your whale census reports over the years, it seems apparent that the arrival times of the whales does influence your data where you compare numbers with the same time the previous year.

I also remember last year being a banner year for whales in the lagoon. Are you however recording an uptick in their population size when you take the final tally at the end of each season? I would relay these reports to my students and encourage them to make the trip south and get a real whale experience.

The reason I ask is because we are covering marine mammals my class and all the news we get up here is that the whale population has shown a dramatic increase in size over the recent years, with this year being no exception. Yet these conclusions are based on comparison counts at intervals from specific locations (like Dana Point, Palos Verdes, etc.) My students were wondering whether the "final counts" at the lagoons substantiate this data, or if other factors (such as really calm conditions) give a false sense of a rapidly increasing population.

Any help with this question would be appreciated.

Thank you!

mtgoat666 - 1-26-2014 at 09:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by OCEANUS
Hi Shari
Reading your whale census reports over the years, it seems apparent that the arrival times of the whales does influence your data where you compare numbers with the same time the previous year.

I also remember last year being a banner year for whales in the lagoon. Are you however recording an uptick in their population size when you take the final tally at the end of each season? I would relay these reports to my students and encourage them to make the trip south and get a real whale experience.

The reason I ask is because we are covering marine mammals my class and all the news we get up here is that the whale population has shown a dramatic increase in size over the recent years, with this year being no exception. Yet these conclusions are based on comparison counts at intervals from specific locations (like Dana Point, Palos Verdes, etc.) My students were wondering whether the "final counts" at the lagoons substantiate this data, or if other factors (such as really calm conditions) give a false sense of a rapidly increasing population.

Any help with this question would be appreciated.

Thank you!


check out the reports at http://lsiecosystem.org/
reports have everything you want to know about whale counts in lagoons

vgabndo - 1-26-2014 at 10:42 AM

The LSI report is really interesting. I wouldn't have suspected that whales who go all the way to Magdalena then stop-in and visit LSI on their way north. And, the very much shorter 'minimum time in the lagoon' figures for Mag Bay compared to LSI are of interest. Too bad the study doesn't include Laguna Ojo de Liebre.

shari - 1-26-2014 at 12:16 PM

Great information goat gracias....lots of catalogs for me to peruse.

shari - 1-26-2014 at 07:01 PM

Here is a census graph from Ojo de Liebre...big year was 2012

Bajahowodd - 1-27-2014 at 05:50 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by OCEANUS
Hi Shari
Reading your whale census reports over the years, it seems apparent that the arrival times of the whales does influence your data where you compare numbers with the same time the previous year.

I also remember last year being a banner year for whales in the lagoon. Are you however recording an uptick in their population size when you take the final tally at the end of each season? I would relay these reports to my students and encourage them to make the trip south and get a real whale experience.
The reason I ask is because we are covering marine mammals my class and all the news we get up here is that the whale population has shown a dramatic increase in size over the recent years, with this year being no exception. Yet these conclusions are based on comparison counts at intervals from specific locations (like Dana Point, Palos Verdes, etc.) My students were wondering whether the "final counts" at the lagoons substantiate this data, or if other factors (such as really calm conditions) give a false sense of a rapidly increasing population.

Any help with this question would be appreciated.

Thank you!


According to folks I know living in Guerrero Negro, and folks I know who visited the whales last year, it definitely WAS NOT a banner year. 2012 was and this year are seeing many more whales.

[Edited on 1-28-2014 by Bajahowodd]

shari - 1-27-2014 at 06:30 PM

we shall see...yes 2012 was a record year...then last year was sort of normal...a bit under normal and this year we already have over a 1028 whales which is early for so many but it may peak a couple weeks early too.

Today all whales we spotted from Asuncion were heading north which is a couple weeks early for the "turnaround" which usually happens between Feb.10-15th.

we're off to the lagoon tomorrow for a whale trip with Nomads on Wednesday morning if anyone wants to join us.