2009 Life at Campo Cortez
By Caroline Armon
3-11-09
Hola from Baja California Sur, Mexico – Laguna San Ignacio. First the weather report. The end of February and first part of March were nice and hot, with day time temperatures into the 90’s! Thank goodness for our natural air conditioning, our constant companion- the wind! Then a front came through bringing cooler temperatures and more wind. (Did the San Juan Islands get any more snow?) We didn’t miss any trips on the water, just delayed a few morning trips until the wind and whitecaps settled down. It still amazes me how this desert habitat can vary in temperatures by as much at 40 degrees. We also saw rain on the other side of the lagoon, a few drops at camp. Our guest Karen was right about a sailor’s axiom; when you see a ring or corona around the moon, counting the number of stars inside the ring will tell you how many days until the rain arrives. One of our drivers and guide, Cuco, said a small tight corona around the moon means rain, a bigger wider ring means wind. We seem to be having a normal weather pattern now.
The whales don’t seem to mind the weather too much! Although I wonder that it takes more energy to clear the wind waves and breathe… We have had great whale watching trips, seeing most behaviors; spy hops, breaches, resting whales, lots of mom-calf pairs, and a mating group just a few days ago. There are still single whales in the lagoon, although the majority are the moms with calves. The census total of 302 whales in the lagoon on February 13 was the highest count on that date in many years! I suspect the next census of 175 on February 20, was taken on a low tide where many of the whales were just outside the mouth of the lagoon. Especially when you look at the dramatic drop in the mom-calf numbers, they are usually the last to leave the lagoons. We are waiting for a new census, they couldn’t get a good count with the conditions we’ve had.
Some new things I’ve noticed this season are a few groups of 3 whales together- a mom, calf, and from the full grown size I’m guessing and older female. The females are larger in baleen whales. Grandma? We have also seen a kind of lunge then roll behavior, several times!
The San Ignacio Ecosystem Science Project has estimated 10% to 12% of the whales in the lagoon are “skinnys”, which means they didn’t get enough to eat and are showing loss of blubber- indentations where they should be filled out, their shoulder blades are showing, and in extreme starvation cases, the rib cage. The amphipods they prefer are not concentrated or abundant in the previously favored areas of the Chukchi Sea, so they have to travel farther to get enough food. The southbound migration has shifted a week later. Questions of carrying capacity for the estimated population of 20,000 +/- have been raised as well.
I saw a “skinny” calf for the first time. Its mother was quite small, so that may have been a factor. Otherwise, the moms and calves are looking healthy and robust, just like their name “Robustus” – strong. I do admire their resiliency and adaptability!
May you all be well! Hasta, Carolina
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