Gray whales arrive to Laguna San Ignacio!
Our dear friends and colleagues at Kuyima report that their first gray whale sighting was on Dec 10. And on Dec 17, they saw threedifferent whales in the lagoon!
2013 and 2014 tours
Curently our 2013 tours are all full, though we always recommend getting on the waitlist in case of cancellations. Please note our 2014 tours are open for booking–plan ahead and book now!
(Thanks to Rich Crossen for this photo. We never know what will show up off the bow of Searcher! In this case, it’s a school of mobula rays.)
Gray whales are arriving!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…when the gray whales start appearing off the San Diego coast. The first of the season have been spotted and the ACS-LA census volunteers have been at their stations since December 1. They’ve seen 5 southbound gray whales from shore. A San Diego-based boat has had a couple of days of gray whale sighting offshore. We expect those numbers to build through December and January. Here they come!
San Diego ACS chapter to host educational programs
On December 4, ACS’ San Diego chapter is hosting a talk by Dr Tom Jefferson (also a naturalist) at 7 p.m. at Sumner auditorium on UCSD campus. His talk will be “Porpocide: The Killing of Harbor Porpoises by coastal Bottlenose Dolphins.”
The chapter is also planning winter whalewatching trips. There are a few reports of (southbound) migrating gray whales heading our way!
Award for our naturalist Paul Jones
Ecologist Paul Jones of the Water Division’s Wetlands Office has been awarded the Edward T. “Red” Heinen Award, EPA’s most prestigious national award for superior work protecting wetlands. The annual award, voted on by Regional wetlands managers across the country, acknowledges individuals who are a source of inspiration to others in the program, and whose work and attitude best contributes to our environmental and public service goals.
Division Director Alexis Strauss, in nominating Paul for the award, said he “personifies the criteria for this award: his program knowledge and skills are of national stature, his public service ethic is evident daily, and he has been and remains an exceptional role model for the next generation of wetlands professionals.”
After working as a carpenter in the Bay Area and sailing around the world, Paul got his master’s degree in ecology, with an emphasis on birds, from San Francisco State University in the mid-1980s. He then worked at Genentech until joining Region 9’s wetlands program in 1990.
Wetlands are federally protected in several ways, including grants programs and regulatory prohibitions against their unnecessary destruction (Section 404 of the Clean Water Act). No property owner, including government agencies, can fill or eliminate wetlands covered by the CWA without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. EPA co-implements the program by ensuring compliance with the standards EPA wrote that guide permitting, and by taking formal enforcement actions against unpermitted wetlands fill. The program is always controversial because of its direct link to private property rights. In the arid Western States, including California, controversy is often even greater because some wetlands, such as vernal pools, may be dry for most of the year, making their legal coverage less certain.
Being effective in the wetlands program is thus not a job for the faint of heart, or those without the scientific chops to go toe-to-to with powerful opposing interests. In 1995, Simpson Timber Company used heavy equipment to rip up clay subsoil across a 16-square mile grassland dotted with 950 acres of vernal pools and intermittent creeks. Their eucalyptus tree plantation destroyed an unusually large, contiguous block of these rare wetlands in the northern Sacramento Valley. Paul’s reconnaissance mapped these wetlands, and resulted in an enforcement settlement permanently protecting nearly six square miles of wetlands in the area.
Rich Sumner of EPA’s Western Ecology Division Lab in Corvallis, Oregon was one of several others who seconded the nomination. Says Sumner, “The big news for this past year is that Paul was successful at working with the
[Army] Corps of Engineers to . . . use wetland assessment methods for evaluating compensatory mitigation. And, Paul is bringing close to completion a comprehensive set of monitoring requirements for vernal pool mitigation.”
More than an effective enforcer, Paul also wears a “white hat” for EPA in the community. From 1996 to 2001, he worked on a multi-agency task force that designed and permitted the innovative Napa River Flood Control Project. Paul helped incorporate into the project more than a square mile of diked land just south of Napa for restoration to tidal wetlands, and helped secure funding to buy the property and restore the wetlands. Today, they’re inundated by tides twice daily and teeming with water birds. The flood control project, now complete, has prevented major rainstorms from flooding downtown Napa (as they did routinely for decades), while restoring riparian habitat for fish and wildlife.
More than an effective enforcer, Paul also wears a “white hat” for EPA in the community. From 1996 to 2001, he worked on a multi-agency task force that designed and permitted the innovative Napa River Flood Control Project. Paul helped incorporate into the project more than a square mile of diked land just south of Napa for restoration to tidal wetlands, and helped secure funding to buy the property and restore the wetlands. Today, they’re inundated by tides twice daily and teeming with water birds. The flood control project, now complete, has prevented major rainstorms from flooding downtown Napa (as they did routinely for decades), while restoring riparian habitat for fish and wildlife.
During the late 1990s, Paul was an organizing member of the EPA team that built state and tribal capacity to monitor and assess wetland health across California. He gathered lessons learned from different parts of the country and applied them to California, working with a network of scientists and program practitioners. This was the foundation for the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM), which provides a scientifically rigorous, standardized, and cost-effective way to assess wetland condition throughout the state.
Paul also helped develop Wetland Tracker, and organized the California Wetland Monitoring Workgroup. Lessons learned in California helped in planning EPA’s National Wetland Condition Assessment, and are being used to advance monitoring and assessment work in many western states. Here in California, this collaboration has laid the groundwork for state adoption of a new Wetland and Riparian Protection Policy, including a comprehensive dredge and fill rule to be released for public comment in August.
Tim Vendlinski, who was Paul’s supervisor a few years ago, also seconded his nomination for the award, giving examples of the results of Paul’s work. “Paul is one of our chief negotiators and technical experts on controversial permitting matters surrounding the Sunrise-Douglas Community Planning Area—a 6,000-acre vernal pool landscape in Sacramento County,” Tim said. “He has helped lead multi-party talks between a dozen landowners and key federal and State regulatory agencies. One of his key accomplishments is the design of a large-scale preserve system which, if implemented, would protect sensitive aquatic resources and unique species while allowing for a significant amount of economic development.”
Paul has even put his wetlands expertise to work as a volunteer in his hometown of Pacifica, working with a local watershed group since 1999 to clean up and remove obstructions to fish migration in San Pedro Creek, the northernmost steelhead trout spawning stream on the San Francisco Peninsula. Once a trash-strewn, polluted waterway, the creek is now clean and provides the fish a pathway to spawning habitat in San Pedro Valley County Park.
Tim says, “Paul Jones is one of the most important people to ever work in the Wetlands Office of Region 9, and one of the Region’s most valuable players. His integrity and work ethic are unsurpassed, and he produces work of the highest quality. He’s a consummate team player—willing to give others the credit while taking private satisfaction for a job well done.”
New species of seabird, possible to see aboard Searcher!
Xantus’s murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) has finally been split by the AOU into Scripps’s murrelet (S. scrippsi) and Guadalupe murrelet (S. hypoleucus). July-Oct is the best season for Guadalupe murrelet in ABA waters. 30 miles is the minimum distance offshore it can be reasonably expected….hop aboard our Sep 3-7 deepwater offshore pelagic seabird trip!
Pelagic Birding Tour Sep 3-7, 2012 booking up!
There are just 10 spots left for the pelagic seabirding trip. Click here for all the details of this 5-day southern California deep-water adventure. http://www.bajawhale.com/pelagic/pelagic-birding-tour
Your leaders will include Todd McGrath and Jon Feenstra, powerhouses in west coast pelagic birds. There’ll be a pre-trip to Salton Sea and free evening presentation before you board the boat. Don’t miss out on this unique experience. Take a look at previous years’ sightings lists.
Photo courtesy of Tom Blackman.
2012 Field report from Laguna San Ignacio
Gray whale abundance in Laguna San Ignacio is up for second year in a row! Check out the details about abundance, acoustics, sea grass ecology and school education…all the good work done by Laguna San Ignacio Ecosystem Science Program. http://lsiecosystem.org/ Consider a donation if you loved your visit to San Ignacio.
Season 2012 comes to a close
We close our 2012 with very grateful hearts and look forward to sharing Baja California with you in 2013!
We visit these special places and leave a little bit of ourselves there.
This time we are growing into wavy barrel cacti on Isla Santa Catalina!
Dave Povey’s recent pelagic report from San Diego
We departed Shelter Island after dawn for a run down to the lower (U.S.) end of the Nine Mile Bank. We found that the amazing numbers of Common Murres, and Rhinoceros Auklets are still present. After the wind storms of the last two weeks, I say they are doing well enough to tough it through some pretty wild weather. We also had very good numbers of Xantus’s Murrelets, and a fair sprinkling of Cassin’s Auklets for an overall nice alcid show.
We were surprised to find a small flock of Red-necked Phalaropes decked out in their summer plumage, and got to see a couple of additional groups (with at least two birds still in basic plumage) as the day went on. These at the early end of the migration with many more to come.
The center of the Nine Mile Bank had a slow but steady stream of newly arrived, north bound Sooty Shearwaters. Black-vented Shearwaters were nearly absent with only three seen. Likely they are already heading for the breeding islands in Baja.
The north end of the Nine Mile was quiet, but “Eagle Eyes” Paul saw a distant dark storm petrel. We gave chase but a small bird like that can move over the swells with ease, and lose itself in any number of troughs.
We headed to La Jolla, picking up more alcids in twos and threes and fives and sixes. Sometimes in mixed groupings, which is always nice for comparisons. We passed a good sized group of south bound Common Dolphin( 200+), of course they had to show off, as Common Dolphin are want to do. We saw three pods of Common Dolphin for the day
La Jolla was a bit disapointing. We worked all the way to the canyon, but never had much to show for it. That area was alive during the Bird Festival trips in early March.
We swung out to the west and then in a big lazy loop. Out here we found one of the better concentrations of Bonaparte’s Gulls, though thin compared to earlier in the month.
This area produced our only whale of the day a smallish, but cooperative Minke Whale. The whale actually paced us for several minutes, and maybe 6 or 7 breath cycle. I think we were being checked out as it stuck it’s rostrum, and eye out of the water each time it surfaced. That gave us a chance to see the white on the pectoral fins. The whale stayed within 30 ft and was not much longer than my 21 ft boat.
We bee-lined south and east to Pt Loma running passed one of the two Jaegers on the day. This one a Parasitic, the other on the outbound, a little further from the Point, a Pomarine.
We took a quick look at Zuniga Jetty, and found a nice mix of rocky shoreline birds, with a Wandering Tattler first, a couple of Black Turnstones, and Tom got a nice group photo of four alternated plumaged Surfbirds. The Surfbirds likely already in northward migration from points south.
Nice day overall. Good numbers of birds, pleasant company onboard. What more could one ask for? Would be nice to have a rarity, but any day at sea is better than staying home. The sun even broke out for us as we arrived home.
The following is a list of birds seen on the outer reaches of San Diego Bay, and the ocean to about 10 n. miles. 1st number on or over the bay, 2nd the ocean.
Brant 20, 0 Bonaparte’s Gull 0, 50
Surf Scoter 15, 10 Heermann’s Gull 1, 2
California Gull 0, 12
Common Loon 3, 4 Western Gull 40, 50
Pacific Loon 1, 30
Red-throated Loon 0, 1
Elegant Tern 10, 23
Eared Grebe 1, 3 Caspain Tern 4, 1
Sooty Shearwater 0, 44 Common Murre 0, 30
Black-vented Shearwater 0, 3 Xantus’s Murrelet 0, 48
Cassin’s Auklet 0, 18
Brown Pelican 40, 14 Rhinoceros Auklet 0, 170
Double-crested Cormorant 10, 1
Brandt’s Cormorant 350, 25 Pomarine Jaeger 0, 1
Parasitic Jaeger 0, 1
Great Blue Heron 1,0
Snowy Egret 1,0
Willet 1, 0
Wandering Tattler 1, 0 Barn Swallow 2, 0
Whimbrel 1, 0
Surfbird 6, 0
Black Turnstone 5, 0
Red-necked Phalarope 0, 32
Marine Mammals list;
Common Dolphin 0, 300+
Minke Whale 0, 1
California Sealion 5, 12
Observers; Tom Blackman, Barbara Carlson, Paul Lehman, and Dave Povey.
Time; 6hrs 0700-1300
Distance travel; 63 n. miles
Conditions; Heavy overcast to partly cloudy, visibility hazy to 10 n.miles, air temp low to mid 60’s, south swell at 3-4ft, west swell at 3-5ft. Winds light to near calm. Sea surface temps 57.3 F to 58.3F. Note we saw a couple of areas of dense pea green algae south of La Jolla.
Dave Povey
April 1, 2012
