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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13033
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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New World Record...1,198 calves at Ojo de Liebre
The latest census taken on March 5th, 2012 was a surprise to all. There were 1,523 adult whales and a world record of 1,198 calves!!!!! for a total
of....drum roll please Dennis.....2,721 whales in Ojo de Liebre. WOW!
the last record was in 1997 was 970 calves...cool eh!
[Edited on 3-8-2012 by shari]
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3461
Registered: 12-8-2003
Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
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Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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My hat is off to forward thinking people, everywhere these animals live, who helped to bring them back from the brink!
[Edited on 3-8-2012 by vgabndo]
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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mulegemichael
Super Nomad
Posts: 2310
Registered: 12-24-2007
Location: sequim,wa. and mulege
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Mood: up on step
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wow shari, that's as cool as cool can get!!!
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15937
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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Mood: Everchangin'
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should be a fairly epic next 4 days, eh?
sorry to miss out. last year was very cool.
[Edited on 3-8-2012 by woody with a view]
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Eli
Super Nomad
Posts: 1471
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: L.B. Baja Sur
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Mood: Some times Observing, sometimes Oblivious.
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Wish, wish, wish I could be there, well, somehow looking at this picture my heart is, and that will have to do.
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Sallysouth
Super Nomad
Posts: 1835
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Capo Beach
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Mood: missing Baja...
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What Eli said, so awesome!
Happiness is just a Baja memory away...
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KurtG
Super Nomad
Posts: 1201
Registered: 1-27-2004
Location: California Central Coast
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Mood: Press On Regardless!!
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We're hoping a few are still around on 3/18. The last two years we have been there the third weekend of March and it has been great. We'll be camped
at Ojo Liebre Sat night so if any of you are there look for a red Explorer.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Shari
Aside from curtailing hunting, I wonder what factors have influenced such a big spike in numbers????...........
Maybe more food resources, weather conditions, better vacation planning????
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64479
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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So it is getting bigger every year... where the salt is being mined, non-the-less! Hurray for the Gray Whales and Humans getting along!!!
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Udo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6321
Registered: 4-26-2008
Location: Black Hills, SD/Ensenada/San Felipe
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Mood: TEQUILA!
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I think better vacation planning added to the spike in numbers.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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Baja Bernie
`Normal` Nomad Correspondent
Posts: 2962
Registered: 8-31-2003
Location: Sunset Beach
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Mood: Just dancing through life
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Udo
Nah! They have learned that Shari is there to greet and nuture them
My smidgen of a claim to fame is that I have had so many really good friends. By Bernie Swaim December 2007
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Mexitron
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3397
Registered: 9-21-2003
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
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Mood: Happy!
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Hooray!
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Leo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 518
Registered: 9-23-2004
Location: Todos Santos
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Mood: could be better
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That's fantastic, but I just wonder how they count them. With them moving around and most of the time being submerged, how do you know without tagging
them, you have not counted the same ones over again?
The grass is always greener....
and so, there is always a better spot in Baja
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3461
Registered: 12-8-2003
Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
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Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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Leo, I think you have a point. Last year at Ignacio Lagoon, the guides told us their count in the morning. (predictably high?), but when the Govt.
Biologists returned that afternoon, the number was like three times higher. It didn't matter, one was more than we were counting on.
Cathy almost got more than a salty kiss. The lengths to which one will go.......
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13033
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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sirena, izaak and I just got back this evening from several days at Ojo de Liebre lagoon. It was nothing short of EPIC!!!!! unfriggin believable. I
have never seen anything like it. On several trips out we had up to 6 whales all vying for our attention...lots of crazy stories and simply
unbelievable encounters and alot of real happy whale watchers.
But the highlight of our time there was being with Charles Scammon IV who after 40 years of wanting to see the lagoon, finally made the journey there
with his wife and son to make peace with the whales. I gotta admit I was a wee bit hesitant about going in a panga with him but after meeting him I
was honoured to do so....more about that story later.
When I used to be part of the census team in the lagoon, we divided the lagoon into sections and transected the lagoon at a slow constant speed with 4
spotters...2 on each side, one counting the whales close in and the other recording the whales further out. We would put a mark if the adult was with
calf. Whales dont stay down very long in the lagoon as the calves dont have much lung capacity yet. I was told the counts were withing 10% accurate
although I too had my doubts about that. Of course we chose calm days to do the count. One thing that was very obvious was that the areas of the
lagoon out of bounds to pangas had WAY more whales in it.
I was told that this last count they used 2 boats so that may have resulted in a bit higher count.
Something I noticed last week was that there were alot of young calves so I imagine that there will be whales in the lagoon much later this season.
San Ignacio has a normal number of about 350...i cant remember the exact number I was quoted. It will be interesting to see if things get back to
normal next season or they continue to increase in numbers.
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BajaDanD
Senior Nomad
Posts: 745
Registered: 8-30-2003
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I am so!!!! bummed we cant make it down there this year. 8 years in a row we went down there in March. Then we couldnt make it last year. This year
sounds like we really screwed up.
Need to see some pictures please Shari
DAND
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13033
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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I just read in the local rag that they have approved the paving of the road out to Ojo de Liebre....WOW! There was already a work crew out at the
entrance yesterday.
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KurtG
Super Nomad
Posts: 1201
Registered: 1-27-2004
Location: California Central Coast
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Mood: Press On Regardless!!
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| Quote: | Originally posted by KurtG
We're hoping a few are still around on 3/18. The last two years we have been there the third weekend of March and it has been great. We'll be camped
at Ojo Liebre Sat night so if any of you are there look for a red Explorer. |
Our trip has been put off for a couple of days due to the death of a close friend. We now hope to be whale watching Tues 3/20 or 3/21. Shari,
because the trip has been shortened timewise we will not be able to get to Asuncion this time but will make it there again in the future.
Kurt
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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Such amazing creatures, such an amazing story and incredible pictures. Makes me happy to see the turtles and whales of Baja on the rise!!
Iflyfish
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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We were out in the lagoon on Friday, March 9. Finally(!) got to meet Shari at the Ejido interpretive center.
I can attest to an amazing experience. Have to give credit to out panguero, Antonio.
We had a complete uninterrupted hour of up close and personal with two mamas and their calves. They were under the boat; baby climbing up on mama. In
fact, when another boat showed up, Antonio allowed them to get involved. But after a few minutes, the whales came back to our boat.
My thought about the over-counting is that while it may happen, given the sheer numbers, there absolutely had to me more than usual out there.
As far as paving the road, I have to wonder as to just how much of it will be paved, inasmuch as the road passes through both ejido and Exportada de
Sal land.
We have previous both driven out there and also taken vans from the town.
This year, I had planned to drive out. However, I was driving Ms. Odd's car, and she put her foot down. From Hotel Caracoles, we took a van that cost
only $10 per person more than the charge at the ejido window. And we got to enjoy the wonderful company of a very nice young man named Waldo (Oswaldo)
who works for Raul at Caracoles.
We left the hotel at 8am, arriving at the ejido dock without any crowds. Got righton a panga.
I know for a fact that there were two busloads of tourists staying at Malarrimo and Caracoles that was organized by a guy from Rosarito. They went
out with the malarrimo folks, but not until 11am.
After many years of doing this, at both Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio, this year was the absolute best experience.
The only downside, from my soft-hearted perspective is that even as I petted these calves, I knew that their trip North would be perilous, with some
of them falling prey to Orcas, never to return.
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