Census

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 26 January 2022 count:

• 7 mother/calf pairs and 167 singles for a total of 181 whales

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 26 January 2022 count:

• 3 mother/calf pairs and 33 singles for a total of 36 whales

Hello birders,

We’ve got great weather again today with calm seas and light winds. We started our day west of Cortez Bank and had good looks at Black-footed albatross, Pink-footed shearwaters, Black and Townsends storm petrels, Guadalupe and Craveri’s murrelets, and Nazca boobys.

(Attached photo thanks to Dave Pereksta from a previous trip.)

On top of the Cortez Bank we saw Pacific white sided dolphins close to the boat. What a great dolphin to see in clean water.

Capt Art and Team Searcher

Pacific white-sided dolphins are a treat!

Hello birders,

We found Black-footed albatross (coming in for a landing and getting fed with tuna scraps), Sooty and Pink-footed shearwaters, and a blue whale close to the boat. It fluked after the first surfacing and tried on the second surfacing.

Capt Art and Team Searcher

Albatross eating tuna scraps

Hello birders,

We had a great day today! We had a grand slam on boobies for this trip with all five species recorded.! Today was the Nazca booby day with muliplte sightings.  We had blackfooted albatross around and following the boat almost all day, and plenty of pink footed shaearwaters, and Black, Townsends, and Leach’s storm petrels. Plus we had really close look at Guadalupe murrelets and red-billed tropicbirds. At the end of the day, we had a good look at a Cooke’s petrel within 100 feet of the bow.

We saw blue and fin whales with a close look at a blue whale this morning and distant views of fin whales, and also Guadalupe fur seals and California sea lions. A super day!

Capt Art and Team Searcher

Hello birders,

We started today at Santa Barbara island viewing Brown and Blue-footed boobies. There is a pair of Blue-footed boobies and about 100 Brown boobies. Everyone got great looks at both.

After leaving the island we had a fly-by of a Red footed booby.  it was a very quick look. Then we saw lots of shearwaters, terns and jaegers and then another Red footed booby flew close to the boat.

We’ve had multiple sightings of common dolphin over a large area.

Capt Art and Team Searcher

Red-footed booby does a fly-by

Hello birders,

We had a great day today with plenty of sightings, great looks at boobies, Craveri’s murrelets, red-billed tropicbird, Black-footed albatross and sun fish! We also had great weather all day with calm seas and light winds.

We ended the day with putting out a slick of fish oil and had several black storm petrels and pink-footed shearwaters. We are currently anchored at San Miguel island for the night and headed out to deep water and south all day tomorrow.

Capt Art and Team Searcher

Hello birders,

We enjoyed a very productive and busy first day all within 30 miles  of San Diego! Shearwaters (black vented, pink-footed and sooty), storm petrels (black, Townsends and ashy), Sabines gull, Artic and common terns, jaegers (Pomarine, long tailed and parasitic), boobys (brown and white-phase red footed). We put out a fish oil slick and had great looks at the storm petrels.

The highlight was sighting Craveri’s murrelets in calm seas with very little wind.

Looking forward to tomorrow morning at Santa Barbara Island, especially the booby colony there.

Capt Art and Team Searcher

Craveri’s murrelet (Todd McGrath) and Pink-footed shearwater (Tom Blackman) photos from previous trips

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 25 Mar 2021 census:

• 17 mother/calf pairs and 31 singles for a total of 65 whales

Gray whale calf meets an admirer aboard Searcher. (photos thanks to Chris Earley)

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 18 Mar 2021 census:

• 19 mother/calf pairs and 89 singles for a total of 127 whales

Gray whale calf meets an admirer aboard Searcher. (photos thanks to Chris Earley)

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio reported the following estimated numbers of gray whales during their 7 Mar 2021 census:

• 16 mother/calf pairs and 101 singles for a total of 133 whales

Researchers in Laguna San Ignacio reported the following numbers of gray whales during their 24 Feb 2021 census:

• 26 mother/calf pairs and 95 singles for a total of 147 whales