Heading south, looking for whales…
Naturalist Lee Morgan and the mighty vessel Searcher will head south again tonight for a wonderful wildlife adventure! Many thanks to passenger Christine Hallas for use of this photo.
Sea of Cortez reflection
Roca Solitaria at Bahia Agua Verde
New census from Laguna San Ignacio
On 13 February, a total of 347 gray whales were counted. That is 134 cow/calf pairs and 79 singles!
February 17 Isla San Jose and Islas Los Islotes
Hello whalewatchers: We woke up to a great sunset and flat calm seas, then organized a great trip into the mangroves at Isla San Jose. We found more dolphins on the way to Los Islotes for a snorkel session with sea lions. Everyone enjoyed the fun snorkeling with them. We headed offshore for a final look at a whale and added a new species with two Bryde’s whales. What a great trip for sightings and weather!
Team Searcher
Blue whale day!
I received a phone call today with the news of loads of blue whales! They left anchor near Isla Carmen this morning and found lots of blue whales. All is well still and I am sure to get another quick call on Tuesday evening.
Tour #2 Isla San Jose
Hello whalewatchers: We had a wonderful sunrise at Punta Colorado to start the day, then a nice walk and a snorkel session. There are lots of flowers in the arroyo. Then we headed north in the San Jose channel in Sea of Cortez. We came across a large herd of long-beaked common dolphin and a big group of pilot whales. There were also lots of black storm petrels. The highlight was as we arrived at Isla Santa Catalina we had bottlenose dolphin in the bioluminecence riding the bow. It is very hard to describe, but it is very dark and a torpedo with a trail behind approaching the boat from 200 yards away. It truly is one of the best things we see on these trips. Click here: http://youtu.be/AfWxnE5lUQQ?list=UUtoQBhyrjFCsrxIME7FFE2w
Team Searcher
February 13
Hello whalewatchers: We are enjoying one of the best days watching humpback whales in a few years! You can look in any direction today and see a whale on the surface. And at one point you could see a whale breaching in any direction. We’ve witnessed all the classic behaviors almost all day including tail-lobbing, flipper-flapping, adults breaching and calves breaching. It was remarkable! Here’s a sample: http://youtu.be/oAk7QKlpD4w?list=UUtoQBhyrjFCsrxIME7FFE2w
February 12
Hello whalewatchers: We woke up to great conditions this morning! Calm seas are always welcome here. We have had lots to look at thus far today–humpback whales, common dolphins and lots of sea bird life, inlcuding black-vented shearwaters, Bonapartes and California gulls. One of the special things to see when it is this calm is sea turtles. We have seen at least 100 so far.
Today’s picture is of a humpback whale dorsal hump up-close next to the Searcher.
Team Searcher
Tour #2 Laguna San Ignacio, day 2
Hello whalewatchers: We have had a wonderful visit in Laguna San Ignacio with great weather, lots and lots of whales, and plenty of close encounters. There are certainly a lot of mothers and calves here, and the census shows more than year’s past. Today’s picture is of a single whale close to Searcher.
Team Searcher
