Hello whalewatchers: We have a mid-day report from Laguna San Ignacio. The Searcher got in the close-encounter action with two adults stopping by for a quick visit. Charles and Geri -Sue get to take a break from making lunch to take a look! The weather is calm and sunny, and this is San Ignacio at its best.
Team Searcher
Hello whalewatchers: Today we arrived at Laguna San Ignacio. As advertised, there are a lot of gray whales here! (The March 10 census found 235 whales.) We were able to maximize our whalewatching opportunities today with great weather all day, so we did four trips out in the pangas. Everyone had a chance at a close encounter with a whale today. I think everyone would agree how magical this place is. We are truly blessed to come back to this place mulitple times a year and every time we marvel at how great of a place it is. It is really clear today and so we are looking forward to lights out tonight, the stars will be out in full force.
More tomorrow, Team Searcher
p.s. They also got to see the comet Panstarrs tonight!
Hello whalewatchers: Today we arrived at Islas San Benito and we were greeted by a juvenile humpback whale that did a half breach. Everyone was ashore early and had almost the whole day for a good hike. The weather was outstanding with sunny skies and a light breeze, just right for hiking. There were plenty of weaner elephant seals and just a few fur seals. Everyone had a great day. I went for my usual walk to the new lighthouse at the top of the island. The view was great.
We left the island, headed south and just before the sunset we spotted a blue whale. We spent about an hour with the whale.
More tomorrow from Laguna San Ignacio,
Team Searcher
Hello whalewatchers: This afternoon we managed to have some great sightings, starting with a short visit to Islas Todos Santos. All the usual suspects were there, northern elephant seal weaners (no females or males on the beach), plenty of harbor seals and the usual California sea lions hauled out on the rocks. We also saw lots of black oystercatchers, a few pelagic cormorants, peregrine falcons with a surprise look at one hunting and capturing a morning dove right off the bow–what an impressive bird of prey!
We came across the” gray whale highway” before lunch, seeing several northbound whales including a group of 5 animals that we were able to follow for a while. A little further south we saw an area of 5 or 6 fin whales in a small area. We were able to get a good look at one whale and make a positive id with the lower right jaw being white. There were also some long-beaked common dolphin with a small group of short-beaked common dolphin as well. Late in the afternoon was great for the pelagic birds with several blackfooted albatross, a laysan albatross came close, and there were several northern fulmars, Xantus’ murrelets, red phalaropes, and black-vented, sooty and pink- footed shearwaters.
More tomorrow, Team Searcher
Stay tuned for daily wildlife reports! They have already visited Islas Todos Santos this morning and watched harbor seals and sea birds on this remote rocky islet.
The mobula show looked spectacular this trip. Click here so you know what that’s about! http://youtu.be/QWn0mxN7ycQ
(Attached photo taken by Rich Crossen)
Hello whalewatchers: Our final day today was fantastic –great weather, sunny skies, warm temperature, calm seas. A perfect way to end our trip. We have seen bottlenose and common dolphin, dwarf sperm whales, jumping manta rays and enjoyed a great snorkel session at Los Islotes. The highlight there were commorants fishing underwater in a bait ball along with the sea lions, naturally. It was also a great day for Paul and Catherine Cottis — on their 25th wedding anniversary! Many blessings to them. We are heading to Cabo with hopes of seeing something in the next few hours of daylight to finish the trip.
Team Searcher
Hello whalewatchers: We had some beautiful weather today- no wind or swell. We took advantage of it in a big way. We could see for miles today and it paid off–11 blue whales, a Brydes whale, long-beaked common dolphin and a ton of birds. We spent lots of time with blue whales today ending the day with a great fluking whale and some lunge feeding as well. There were large areas of red plankton on the surface with bait fish and blue whales feeding on the same source. It just doesn’t get much better than this. Everyone enjoyed the common dolphin– a group of 500-700 animals with lots of calves and clean water to see them. The group alos enjoyed the hike this morning on Isla Catalina. There was great lighting early in the morning for photographing the cactus. We finished the day with margaritas, a buffet on the back deck and some awesome star gazing and bioluminecence travelling south. It was an exceptional day that we truly deserved!
Looking forward to tomorrow, Team Searcher
Hello whalewatchers: Today we went ashore for a hike and had a snorkel session. Everyone enjoyed being at an island spot. After lunch we travelled north in windy conditions up the San Jose channel. We didn’t see any life until we got up to Isla San Diego where we came across two blue whales! We had some good looks at one of these whales and then we ran out of daylight. We are looking forward to tomorrow when we plan to be at Isla Santa Catalina for a walk and then spend the rest of the day out looking for whales.
Team Searcher
Hello whalewatchers: We had a bumpy ride last night, but we arrived at Isla Espiritu Santo for the day and had some time in a calm spot. The Sea of Cortez is a wonderful place for anchorages, and fortunately we have a great boat that we can take anywhere with confidence knowing we are safe. Everyone had a great day with a nice walk, a good snorkel session and a skiff ride. We are finishing the day with a great sunset as only Baja can produce.
Team Searcher
