February 15 in Laguna San Ignacio
Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio (UABCS) report the following numbers of gray whales during their 15 Feb 2021 census:
- 14 mother/calf pairs and 67 singles for a total of 95 whales
Still Time to Bid for Spot on 5-day Pelagic Birding Tour!
San Diego’s Bird Festival virtual silent auction is now open for bids! You could win a spot on this trip for a good deal AND benefit the San Diego Audubon Society. The rest of the festival will be held in a hybrid model (virtual and in-person) from February 17-21, 2021.
Picture yourself aboard with us as we search for deep-water Southern California pelagic birds and offshore rarities with expert leaders in the comfort of a 95-foot vessel. Don’t wait! Get your bid in today!
Trip details: 2021 Pelagic Trip Tour details
February 2 in Laguna San Ignacio
Our partners in Laguna San Ignacio report the following numbers of gray whales during their 2 Feb 2021 census:
- 9 mother/calf pairs and 32 singles for a total of 50 whales
Gray Whale Research updates from Baja Lagoon
Are you wondering how gray whales are doing in Laguna San Ignacio this season? So are we!
We won’t be visiting the lagoon this year with our usual ecotourism trips, but we want to stay informed about the whales and about our good friends at Kuyima who provide boat services for our guests while in Laguna San Ignacio.
If you’ve been aboard Searcher, you’ve either met or heard about US gray whale expert and friend, Steven Swartz. His bi-national research group will be in the lagoon during this gray whale season, though in a scaled-back way in order to maintain safe conditions during the Covid 19 pandemic for the locals, researchers and visitors. Steven reports:
Our research plan is to have a small team of our researchers from the University in La Paz conduct regular census and photo-ID surveys to monitor numbers and whales’ body condition. We will post updates on our website as they are able to send information to us by email.
We will monitor the numbers as they are reported and share them here.
Gray moms and calves are beginning to show up in one of their winter destinations, Laguna San Ignacio.
Science of Whales a Virtual Conference
Save-the-Date
The American Cetacean Society will be hosting a Virtual Conference
Date: Saturday, January 30 (9:30am to 5pm*). Stay tuned for registration information. The conference will be FREE of charge.
ACS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 2021 – January 30 – Schedule below Registration is free.
Just a Reminder: NEW 3-day Pelagic Birding Tour 2021
Photo by Alisa Schulman-Janiger
Photo by Alisa Schulman-Janiger
It’s a great time to get offshore to deep-water pelagic zones to search out exciting seabirds such as Cook’s Petrels, Scripps’ Murrelets, Black-footed and Laysan Albatross; Black, Leach’s and Ashy Storm-petrels; Brown and other Boobies; South Polar Skua; Pomarine, Parasitic, and Long-tailed Jaegers; and Arctic Terns. Plus we’ll have a long list of usual species found in our waters, often gathering around underwater banks, mounts, and canyons. This trip is limited to ABA-waters, including coverage of the southern-most areas of it.
Science of Whales a Virtual Conference
Save-the-Date
The American Cetacean Society will be hosting a Virtual Conference
Date: Saturday, January 30 (9:30am to 5pm*). Stay tuned for registration information. The conference will be FREE of charge.
ACS VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 2021 – January 30 – Schedule below Registration is free.
Just a Reminder: NEW 3-day Pelagic Birding Tour 2021
Photo by Alisa Schulman-Janiger
Photo by Alisa Schulman-Janiger
It’s a great time to get offshore to deep-water pelagic zones to search out exciting seabirds such as Cook’s Petrels, Scripps’ Murrelets, Black-footed and Laysan Albatross; Black, Leach’s and Ashy Storm-petrels; Brown and other Boobies; South Polar Skua; Pomarine, Parasitic, and Long-tailed Jaegers; and Arctic Terns. Plus we’ll have a long list of usual species found in our waters, often gathering around underwater banks, mounts, and canyons. This trip is limited to ABA-waters, including coverage of the southern-most areas of it.
Great Start to 2021 with Offshore Pelagic Sightings!
We are excited to share these recent offshore sightings from local pelagic experts, Dave Povey and Matt Sadowski, who were out to cover the offshore areas on 2 Jan 2021.
Searcher Natural History Tours has scheduled our NEW 3-day pelagic birding tour over Memorial Day weekend! We plan to spend time covering the distant waters needed to access these birds while we search, observe, and photograph birds and other marine life including whales and dolphins. Leaders will include Dave Povey and Dave Pereksta.
The following is a partial list and numbers from the trip on 2 Jan 2021. Dave reports:
“Most birds were beyond 5 nautical miles, and many more at 10 nautical miles plus. We covered a wide area from below Point Loma including the Nine Mile Bank, and covered south to north and all the way into La Jolla Canyon.”
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from Team Searcher! Wishing you and your family a whale of a New Year.
