New gallery!
Please go to “Gallery” on this web site to see Terry Hunefeld’s great video (with music and tailored captions) of the recent pelagic birding tour. There are a few selected photos from Steve Lamb (our resident cook and photographer) as well. Enjoy!
“Baja Whales and Wildlife” E-newsletter
Sign up here www.bajawhale.com/contact for our occasional e-newsletter sent to your email in-box. We include tour updates, photos, and news from the boat. Sometimes chefs Charles and Steve even let us publish a recipe of theirs!
Life Aboard a Pelagic Birding Tour
Watching for birds from the upper deck
Reviewing an identification
A camera always focused for the next rarity
And sometimes they even take a quick break for food or drink inside!
New and improved web site!
Please visit now and check back often. Our 2011-12 tours are listed and ready for booking. We also have a blog which invites your comments!
Sept 6-10 Pelagic Birding Trip Success
What a great report on the 5 days at sea! There was something for everyone with least & ashy storm-petrels, albatrosses, Cook’s petrels, red-billed tropicbirds; Bryde’s, humpback, blue whale, Baird’s beaked whales; and a flesh-footed shearwater.
Full report and details to follow. Next trip will be Labor Day, 2011. Go here for details: http://www.bajawhale.com/pelagic/pelagic-birding-tour/
Sign-up for “Baja Whales and Wildlife” E-newsletter
You’ll receive an occasional notice from us with news from the field on whalewatching, birding and wildlife of Baja California and offshore San Diego…right into your email box. We use a secure system and don’t share email lists with anyone else.
Sign up here: http://www.bajawhale.com/contact/
Searcher naturalist edits “Porpoises in Peril”
The latest issue of American Cetacean Society’s Whalewatcher was edited by Thomas Jefferson, who will be a Searcher naturalist on the Jan 23-Feb 3, 2011 tour.
This issue is titled “Porpoises in Peril: The Vaquita and its Relatives” and features the porpoise that inhabits the northern Sea of Cortez in Baja California. Because the vaquita is limited to a small range and population size (125-150 animals), and due to the serious decline in numbers, it is considered to be one of the most endangered cetaceans in the world. Most probably this is due to the entanglements in gillnets used by fishemen. Conservationists are hopeful that removing these nets from their habitat can help the species recover.
This issue contains articles and photos from researchers and an illustrations of the porpoise family. We will have a copy in the onboard Searcher library and issues may be available for sale soon on the ACS web site.
More summertime blues
More blue whale sightings from the fishing grounds: Capt Aaron reported seeing about 20 blue whales in an area about 200 miles south of San Diego and about 8 miles offshore. He says they appeared, many fluking, surfacing and some approaching the boat closely, just as daylight broke this morning.
He and his passengers enjoyed the sight!
Baird’s beaked whales and seabirds
Hello whalewatchers,
We have been fortunate to observe blue whales on our fishing trips this summer in various places. While travelling offshore of San Diego all the way down to Cedros Island we have seen a few along the coast 200 miles from San Diego. It is great to see so many blue whales. We make it a point to point these magnificent animals to our anglers and tell them how special it is. They are amazed at the sight!
On recent fishing trip off the Baja peninsula and 200 miles south east of San Diego, we observed 50-60 Cooks petrels, 25 blackfooted albatross, and 40-50 pink footed shearwaters. We also saw some of the deep-diving Baird’s beaked whales while they surfaced together. Hope you enjoy the short video of them.
Capt Art
