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2024 Baja Whalewatching Tour (Feb 15-26) Ensenada and southbound

February 16

Dear whalewatchers:
We departed last night on our first Baja adventure of the year. We cleared customs and immigration check in Ensenada around 0730 am and made a left turn for Islas San Benito.
Just south of Punta Banda on the Banda Bank, there was a lot of life around. We had gray whales, common dolphin and Pacific white-sided dolphin. Along with gulls, shearwaters, pelicans and cormorants. Later in the day, the action decreased though we did see a few distant albatross and late in the afternoon we had a red-billed tropicbird fly overhead.   We’ll be at San Benitos first thing in the morning.
Captain Mike and the boys
2024-02-17T06:46:09-08:00February 17th, 2024|Trip Reports, Uncategorized|
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Gray Whale Counts on 13 February: Laguna San Ignacio

Dr Steven Swartz reported (via Alisa Schulman-Janiger, the ACS Census Director) the following estimated numbers of gray whales during a 13 February 2024 count:

  • 4 mother/calf pair and 115 singles for a total of 123 whales

Our drone photo is thanks to @GabeBergerhouse! Gray whale mother and calf travelling past Southern California.

2024-02-15T09:57:20-08:00February 15th, 2024|Census|
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Gray Whale Counts on 7 February: Laguna San Ignacio

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio (REBIVI*) reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 7 February 2024 count:

  • 12 mother/calf pair and 59 singles for a total of 83 whales

Our drone photo is thanks to @GabeBergerhouse! Gray whale mother and calf travelling past Southern California.

* REBIVI: Staff from Biosphere Reserve of El Vizcaino which contains Laguna San Ignacio in a protected region of Mexico.

2024-02-08T06:14:57-08:00February 8th, 2024|Census|
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Gray Whale Counts on 2 February: Laguna San Ignacio

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio (REBIVI*) reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 2 February 2024 count:

  • 9 mother/calf pair and 30 singles for a total of 48 whales

Our drone photo is thanks to @GabeBergerhouse! Gray whale mother and calf travelling past Southern California.

* REBIVI: Staff from Biosphere Reserve of El Vizcaino which contains Laguna San Ignacio in a protected region of Mexico.

2024-02-03T06:39:53-08:00February 3rd, 2024|Census|
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Gray Whale Counts on 26 January: Southern California and Laguna San Ignacio

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio (UABCS) reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 26January 2024 count:

  • 10 mother/calf pair and 11 singles for a total of 31 whales

Our drone photo is thanks to @GabeBergerhouse! Gray whale mother and calf travelling past Southern California.

2024-01-29T09:36:41-08:00January 29th, 2024|Census|
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Gray Whale Counts on 18 January: Southern California and Laguna San Ignacio

Census workers in Point Fermin, near Los Angeles, CA, reported their highest gray whale count for 2024 on 18 January. They tracked 16 southbound gray whales, including 6 newborn calves on 18 January.

Census director, Alisa Schulman-Janiger, took this photo of one of the mother and calf pairs as they migrated past the census station. She reported that the calf lifted its head above the water a few times, so that the “fetal folds” showed. These are the skin folds from being in utero that can remain on a newborn even after birth.

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio (REBIVI) reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 18 January 2024 count:

  • 1 mother/calf pair and 5 singles for a total of 7 whales
2024-01-19T08:19:09-08:00January 19th, 2024|Census|
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2023 Pelagic Birding Tour (Sep 4-8) day 3

September 6

Dear birders:

Today’s highlights were 10 tropicbirds, Nazca booby, and Guadalupe murrelets, along with albatross, terns and jaegers. More as we can get reports together!
Thanks to Alisa Schulman-Janiger for the 2022 photo of Guadalupe murrelet.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

2023-09-07T08:46:14-07:00September 7th, 2023|Uncategorized|
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2023 Pelagic Birding Tour (Sep 4-8) day 2

September 5

Dear birders:

We’re drifting at the boobie colony at Santa Barbara island this morning in beautiful weather. We’ve sighted four species of boobies: Blue footed, Nazca, Brown and Red-footed Boobies.  And we also re-sighted a brown/blue hybrid.
We left there to head west towards San Miguel Island. Throughout the day, we saw plenty of murrelets, a few Cassin’s auklets, albatross, and more terns and petrels. Also the fan favorite, Red-billed tropicbirds!

The attached photos were taken on the 2022 tour by Alisa Schulman-Janiger, including the common dolphins.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Nazca booby

2023-09-06T06:53:13-07:00September 6th, 2023|Uncategorized|
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2023 Pelagic Birding Tour (Sep 4-8)

September 4

Dear birders:

We departed on our annual Labor Day 5-day trip to search the offshore and deep water areas of Southern California. Early reports from the 9-mile Bank and 30-mile Bank included these sightings: Black and Leach’s storm petrels, Northern fulmar, Pink-footed, Sooty and Black-vented shearwaters, Red and Red-necked phalaropes, Common, Elegant, Royal, and Caspian terns, Long-beaked and Short-beaked common dolphins, all in really nice weather.

The attached photos were taken on the 2022 tour by Alisa Schulman-Janiger, including the common dolphins.

Captain Mike and Team Searcher

Northern fulmar

2023-09-05T11:53:42-07:00September 5th, 2023|Uncategorized|
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2023 Baja Whalewatching Tour #4 Sea of Cortez (April 3)

April 3

Hello whalewatchers:

We started our day early with a snorkel session and skiff rides with sea lions at Los Islotes which was lots of fun for all.  We went back to the area where we saw fin whales yesterday and found a pair AND a mother/calf pair. We went to Bahia San Gabriel and looked at a large frigatebird colony with lots of activity.

Traveling south we saw a cow and calf humpback whale briefly. And then late in the afternoon we came across a group of bottlenose dolphins. We stayed with them and had a good show. We travelled to Isla Cerralvo to anchor for dinner.

Another successful trip and season! Thank you to all who joined us, followed our reports, and to our fantastic Team Searcher crew!

Captain Art and Team Searcher
2023-04-04T08:47:23-07:00April 4th, 2023|Trip Reports|
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