BajaNomad - First Gray Whale Census 52 whales in Laguna Ojo de Liebre

First Gray Whale Census 52 whales in Laguna Ojo de Liebre

shari - 1-17-2020 at 08:05 PM

The first official census taken by CONANP in Laguna Ojo de Liebre(Scammons Lagoon) in mid January counted 52 Adult whales and 14 calves which is quite low for this time of year as it was last year too...but there are lots on the way!

Probably because of food scarcity, whales are feeding longer up north and have reduced calf production. Last season I didnt see any successful mating so I dont anticipate an increase in calves this year...we'll see.

Last season between Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio there were only 268 calves counted which is very low...and only 562 adults. On good years we have had 1,500-2,000 whales just in Ojo de Liebre which is the principle calving lagoon....so this is a big drop in numbers.

MMc - 1-18-2020 at 08:48 AM

That's not much fun, with the skinny whale on top of that!

mtgoat666 - 1-18-2020 at 09:03 AM

Census of whales passing palos verdes penninsula (LA) is looking like last year....

https://acs-la.org/volunteer/gray-whale-census-behavior-proj...

...and GOP still denies anthropogenic climate changes are throwing the world out of balance...

mtgoat666 - 1-18-2020 at 09:07 AM

Quote: Originally posted by shari

Last season between Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio there were only 268 calves counted which is very low...and only 562 adults. On good years we have had 1,500-2,000 whales just in Ojo de Liebre which is the principle calving lagoon....so this is a big drop in numbers.

So, the big question: did the ~1,000 missing whales die? Or did they decide to stay up north?

shari - 1-18-2020 at 11:00 AM

the estimate is about 2,000 whales died last season due to starvation...mostly females.
The lack of whales in the lagoon in my opinion is because Gray whales limit reproduction when their food source is compromised which means less calves being born.

The lagoons are nurseries where whales raise their young so if there are only a few females giving birth, there will be fewer whales in the lagoons. Last season we had dozens of little adolescent males trying to mate with females but we hardly saw any actual mating which means there will be less calves this year. I bet there are even fewer than last year which was waaaaay down. Usually we have well over a hundred calves by now at least & have had over 200 in some years at this date to give you an idea how drastic the calf production has reduced.

Calf survival rates are very high in Gray whales as they raise them in a safe lagoon but as the whales are staying longer to feed up north, now many calves are being born on the migration down which puts them at more risk of mortality. so sad.

The only whales that enter the lagoon are nursing moms and horny teenagers so the bulk of the rest of the population...over 20,000 just swim down the outside, drink some margaritas down south and turn around and swim back up again.

[Edited on 1-18-2020 by shari]

wilderone - 1-19-2020 at 10:40 AM

"The only whales that enter the lagoon are nursing moms and horny teenagers so the bulk of the rest of the population...over 20,000 just swim down the outside, drink some margaritas down south and turn around and swim back up again"

Shari, could you explain further? Is that just in the past couple years with the scarcity of food situation? The males don't go into San Ignacio or Bahia Magdalena either? When do they start returning north, then? First to arrive (December?), and then start returning right away? So some are coming south, and others are already returning (mid-January)?

shari - 1-19-2020 at 12:41 PM

very few males want to hang out in the nurseries but we do get several juvenile males that chase the new moms around hoping to get some schooling in sex ed. In Jan/early Feb there are some males involved in mating in the lagoons and they usually leave after the deed is done.
Some whales just get down to Baja and turn around and head back north again...seems like a long way to swim for a margarita eh!

surfhat - 1-20-2020 at 11:02 AM

All the better to see them while we can with the numbers dwindling every year.

It is not nice to fool with Mother Nature, and mankind is, and what for? $$$$$$$

Warming water temps are not helpful for sustaining their food supply, much less the 'farming' of their sole food source that should be prohibited by every nation on the planet.

Yea, well I can dream.

StuckSucks - 1-24-2020 at 01:15 PM

January 11, Pt. Vicente, CA. Note the running totals for this season vs. Last Season Totals.

StuckSucks - 1-24-2020 at 01:23 PM

Gray Whale Census & Behavior Project

RnR - 1-24-2020 at 01:42 PM

Visit the Whale Counters website for more info -

www.acs-la.org

Counts are definitely down this year from the 10 yr average but are closely tracking last year's count.

Counting independent, intelligent, wild animals in a big ocean has lots of variables. Such as, they went by at night rather than during the day, atmospheric visibility (fog) was different, the route was farther offshore for whatever reason, etc.

Quoted from the Whale Counter's website -

"Because the majority of gray whales use off-shore migratory routes in this area (primarily through the Channel Islands), especially on the southbound migration, we see only a small proportion of the total gray whale population, so our counts cannot be used to determine that population. Instead, our project focuses on ascertaining seasonal usage of the nearshore migratory path, and documents changing trends over time. Variable weather and shifts in migratory path preferences result in annual counts that fluctuate dramatically, which does not necessarily mean the gray whale population is likewise fluctuating."

Too bad whale counting can not be more like placing a traffic counter on a two lane road - ie, every vehicle/whale is counted .....

Paco Facullo - 1-24-2020 at 03:36 PM

So long, and thanks for all the fish ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojydNb3Lrrs

RenoJoe - 1-24-2020 at 10:47 PM

Is there room for my motorhome at your new camp?

David K - 1-25-2020 at 06:29 AM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho

Quote: Originally posted by shari

...Gray whales limit reproduction when their food source is compromised...

And there are those who claim that humans are the superior species. :rolleyes:

Good one!

Mother of Dragons - 1-25-2020 at 08:18 AM

Oh David, it is! Just saw your post.

Thank you Shari. Looking forward to Feb.

[Edited on 1-25-2020 by BajaNomad]

shari - 1-25-2020 at 03:26 PM

There are very few whales in the lagoon still...compared to other years. I have only seen about half a dozen mothers and calves....but there are several mating trios which is a good sign!

Paco Facullo - 1-25-2020 at 05:26 PM

Quote: Originally posted by shari

....but there are several mating trios

Manage à trois , whale style hey ....

So one could say that is sort-of-a "whale sandwich"

bajabuddha - 1-25-2020 at 05:40 PM

Q : where do whales mate?

A : ANYWHERE THEY DAMN WELL FEEL LIKE IT ! :biggrin: