BajaNomad

New World Record...1,198 calves at Ojo de Liebre

shari - 3-7-2012 at 06:27 PM

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]

vgabndo - 3-7-2012 at 06:29 PM

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]

mulegemichael - 3-7-2012 at 08:58 PM

wow shari, that's as cool as cool can get!!!

woody with a view - 3-7-2012 at 09:55 PM

should be a fairly epic next 4 days, eh?

:light:

sorry to miss out. last year was very cool.

[Edited on 3-8-2012 by woody with a view]

Eli - 3-7-2012 at 10:37 PM

Wish, wish, wish I could be there, well, somehow looking at this picture my heart is, and that will have to do.

Sallysouth - 3-8-2012 at 12:02 AM

What Eli said, so awesome!

KurtG - 3-8-2012 at 08:48 AM

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.

Shari

bajaguy - 3-8-2012 at 10:49 AM

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????

David K - 3-8-2012 at 10:55 AM

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!!!

Udo - 3-9-2012 at 10:01 AM

I think better vacation planning added to the spike in numbers.

Udo

Baja Bernie - 3-10-2012 at 07:42 AM

Nah! They have learned that Shari is there to greet and nuture them

Mexitron - 3-10-2012 at 08:46 AM

Hooray!

Leo - 3-10-2012 at 09:56 AM

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?

vgabndo - 3-10-2012 at 01:03 PM

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.......

Baja 2011 second download 140.jpg - 26kB

shari - 3-12-2012 at 08:52 PM

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.

BajaDanD - 3-12-2012 at 11:16 PM

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

shari - 3-13-2012 at 08:48 AM

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.

KurtG - 3-13-2012 at 11:11 AM

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

Iflyfish - 3-13-2012 at 02:56 PM

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

Bajahowodd - 3-13-2012 at 04:17 PM

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.

woody with a view - 3-13-2012 at 04:22 PM

we went last year with Shari and co. it was a blast!

shari - 3-14-2012 at 07:41 AM

It was a pleasure to meet you and Ms. Howodd and glad you had a wonderful experience. This year the food at the Interpretive Center was most excellent...the shrimp or scallop tacos and calamar c-cktails were my favorite.

The road will most likely be paved up to the entrance gate to La Salinera which was the worst part of the road...the salt works keeps it's road well maintained.

DENNIS - 3-14-2012 at 07:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
....drum roll please Dennis.....



I'm a little slow these days, but here ya go, Toots:

taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap

shari - 3-14-2012 at 08:06 AM

gracias amigo...better late than never...baja time rocks.

here's a youngun on her mum's back