the post on blue whales got me to thinking about whale research in baja. In the Pacific Northwest there was a Killer Whale Hotline to report sightings
and raise awareness of Orca research in that area...it was very successful. Fisheries also set up a photo identification program asking anglers &
commercial fishers to take pictures of whales they encountered while fishing.
Seeing as there are lots of Nomads who live close to the ocean and spend lots of time on the water in all areas of the peninsula, we could set up a
whale sighting network here on Nomad.
Sooo...I'm thinkin a Nomad Whale Hotline type of thing. I can design a data collection sheet all you whale fans can print up and have on hand for when
you see whales in your areas.
It would be fun and interesting to find out just how often whales are sighted in different areas, what kind of whales, how long they stick around for,
what they are doing/eating, and compare times of year to see if the whales appear consistently in the same place around the same time of the
season...photo ID may provide some insights on individual animals and family ties. I can do a little seminar on photo ID techniques and data
collection here.
Nomads could provide valuable data to research being done in the area....ya never know...it might be you up in San Felipe who photographs a gray whale
that had just been ID'd in san diego a few days before...proving once and for all that that underground seawater tunnel DOES exist!!!
What do you all think???
[Edited on 9-16-2010 by shari]Pompano - 9-16-2010 at 09:32 AM
Sounds like fun, shari..sign me up.
.. .be fishing lots of the days from October to May both sides of the peninsula.
Have camera..Will travel.windgrrl - 9-16-2010 at 09:46 AM
Great idea. Always watching the horizon for wind - happy to report to you from LB this winter.shari - 9-16-2010 at 09:57 AM
I made up a little sighting sheet as a Word document...I can email it to anyone intersted in having it on board or at their casas. The more info the
better...observations are very valuable...also things like if it is an isolated event or a common occurance.
Observations: (direction they headed in, babies, identifying marks etc.)
Headed to the snack bar
Photos:
Sighted by: MeMartyman - 9-16-2010 at 10:06 AM
In Bahia de las Angeles. I usually see a quick dorsal fin and then a long dive. I have been told that it is probably a Fin Whale but who knows? I'm
in though. I'll be down next month! Please email the sighting sheet.
mswifty@comcast.netFrank - 9-16-2010 at 12:30 PM
Shari, how do we tell the difference between a finback and a blue whale?mulegemichael - 9-16-2010 at 12:31 PM
we're in too, shari....we saw SO many different species of whales last year in mulege..we'll be there in two weeks.shari - 9-16-2010 at 12:50 PM
THANK YOU Dennis for submitting the very first whale sighting...guess I should limit that to Cetaceans!!!
You can email me your sightings at whalereport@gmail.comshari - 9-16-2010 at 01:04 PM
OK...now we're rollin...would all of you who are interested please email me at whalereport@gmail.com so your address gets recorded there. I will
gather the data through this address and can send you the Whale Sighting sheet and info on recording data...hey this will be fun!
If you can crop your photos to just show a close up of the whale and resize it to a manageable size around 100 kb that would be really helpful too
although not necessary...or if there are identifying landmarks in the background, include both photos, close up and with the landmarks too.shari - 9-16-2010 at 01:28 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Frank
Shari, how do we tell the difference between a finback and a blue whale?
Frank, that is a most excellent question. Here is a chart of the Rorqual family which are the largest whales on the planet....this will help you see
the differnce between the big whales like blue, fin, sei & bryde's but in the ocean, it can be difficult to tell the difference especially if it
is a juvenile blue whale so smaller than the monstor blue whale adults.
If you say...holy sh*t...look at the SIZE of that bugger...then it's probably a blue whale... all very scientific!
The best indicator is the dorsal fin...note how the blue whales fin is further back and smaller with more of a 90 degree angle on the trailing edge of
the fin ....whereas the fin whale has a bigger fin with more of a curve in the trailing edge...also the fin whale rostrom or face is thinner but again
hard to determine in the ocean.
see how the sei whale fin is larget still and more curved and the bryde's has the teeniest of dorsal fin.
[Edited on 9-16-2010 by shari]
shari - 9-16-2010 at 01:40 PM
and here is a cetacean comparison chart so you can see a bit better hohw they look and compare...I hope the Cetacean Society doesnt mind me passing
this on.
humpbacks give away is their long white pectoral fins they often wave around and they breach alot too....gray whales are easily identified as they
dont have a fin at all just some funky knuckle bumps along their back.
[Edited on 9-16-2010 by shari]
elgatoloco - 9-16-2010 at 01:46 PM
Cool idea shari! We have what we think is a great book for identification. WEe atke it everywhere we go, especillay near the water.
Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises by Mark Carwardine.
When we got the book it was part of the Eyewitness Handbooks series but is now published by someone else. It has lots of valuable and interesting
information and one of the most helpful parts is on many of the larger whales it shows illustrations of the dive sequence which helps tell the big
guys apart. This book has the egl stamp of approval. shari - 9-16-2010 at 01:56 PM
excellent sr.gato....dive sequences are another good thing to record although somewhat more involved for the layperson and depend on what the whale is
doing...whether feeding, sleeping, or travelling for example.
Spout shapes are another good identifying factor at a distance...gray whales have a heart shape spout that caves in at the center...the easiest ones
are the sperm whales because their spout is tipped forward and leans to the left because of the position of its blowhole forward and left.
Blue whale spouts are enormous...thick with lots of water vapour and hang in the air longer as they are denser...you can see them a long way away.Frank - 9-16-2010 at 03:12 PM
Thanks Shari, lots of Blues out there right now. Ill try to get some pics of the Blues up here in San Diego, they have been holding tuna.shari - 9-16-2010 at 03:15 PM
that would be great Frank...what does holding tuna mean?
another little tidbit about blue whales is they have been mating with finback whales which is pretty strange...as far as I know, it is not known yet
if their offspring will be sterile.Frank - 9-16-2010 at 05:43 PM
The tuna have been schooling around/with the whales. Guys are getting jig strikes trolling with the whales.
What does the largest animal ever to live mate with......anything it wants to shari - 9-17-2010 at 07:19 AM
aha...now I get it...thanks Frank. I imagine the tuna are munching on the same stuff the whales are chowing down on...feeding frenzy for everyone!
It's a good thing!
windgrrl - 12-14-2010 at 09:47 PM
Kayaked with a whale today in La Palma Bay, BCS.
Looked like a humpback and about 1/2 mile off-shore. Beautiful soft breaths. Shari - forgive me...I can't find my sheet to record!dtbushpilot - 12-15-2010 at 01:26 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Frank
Shari, how do we tell the difference between a finback and a blue whale?
If it's blue it probably is a blue whale.....sorry, too much wine...I'll crawl back in my hole now.....dtshari - 12-15-2010 at 07:40 AM
windgrrl...no problema...just record it in your journal, diary or day book...no photos??? We saw humbacks breaching yesterday off San Pablo as we were
gorfing down crab, pulpo & *%^$#!!
