shari
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Ojo de Liebre Whale Report
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!
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woody with a view
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very cool! we've been twice now and maybe next year it'll be time again?
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dpwahoo
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whales
| 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
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shari
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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!
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Ateo
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| 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!
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KurtG
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Location: California Central Coast
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Mood: Press On Regardless!!
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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.
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Bajahowodd
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| 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.
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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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.
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woody with a view
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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]
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OCEANUS
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Location: Dana Point; L.A. Bay
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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!
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mtgoat666
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| 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
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vgabndo
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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.
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
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Posts: 13048
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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Great information goat gracias....lots of catalogs for me to peruse.
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13048
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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Here is a census graph from Ojo de Liebre...big year was 2012
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Bajahowodd
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Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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| 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]
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shari
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Posts: 13048
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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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.
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