Hello all,
We departed yesterday from Cabo San Lucas with 24 researchers aboard. There are eight Mexican and 16 US/Canadian researchers aboard along with two representatives from the Mexican reserve. Their research interests cover birds, plants, marine mammals, insects, and ecology of these remote islands.
We are headed to Isla Clarion first for three days, and then to Isla Socorro for two days and then a partial day at Isla San Benedicto. These scientists are returning to the islands to follow up on plant, bird and insect surveys from a previous trip a few years ago.
Today the birders had a great morning with loads of Cooks petrels, Leach’s storm petrels and a few Sooty shearwaters. The Cook’s petrels are migrating north from New Zealand after breeding there–an incredibly long migration. We have also seen some bottlenose dolphins.
We have an acoustic array towing behind the boat–about 200 ft back–recording sounds as we travel. They hope to hear sounds from whales, and in particular, a beaked whale species that frequents these waters.
Our photos from travel day are of the birders on Searcher’s flybridge, the line off the stern for the acoustic array and a meeting in the galley reviewing logistics for our stay on Isla Clarion.
Captain Art and Team Searcher
