2007 Life at Campo Cortez
By Caroline Armon
March 13, 2007
Hola! The weather is still beautiful - wish you were here! I learned from a local yesterday that coyotes predict weather also! We enjoyed the Gitanos wonderful music last night, and as I was closing up the palapa I heard coyotes yelping. I understand they will yelp after they have made a kill. Sextoes commented that it can also mean there will be a change in weather, most likely more wind. We did have some clouds roll through from the south this afternoon and a bit more wind… I am not surprised, the animals know their habitat! I write about weather as we feel the affects living so close to nature in all her wildness here…
We are continuing to experience phenomenal whale encounters. The moms and calves seem relaxed and comfortable around the boats. I am seeing less single adults, more mom - calf pairs in the whale watch area, which correlates with the latest census taken on March 10: 74 single adults + 36 pairs of mothers with calves = 146 whales. So you northwestern folks should be seeing gray whales coming your way! I am noticing some patterns of behavior from my years here. The whales tend to swim against whichever way the tide is flowing, perhaps it feels good against their skin, may even knock off some whale lice. Definitely endurance swimming practice for the calves; for the big swim north. We see more spy hops and breaches when the tidal currents are flowing strong. Some of our best interactions occur when the tide is slack. It is fun to be able to have a sense of what behaviors we may see on our trips!
March 11, on our morning trip, we saw feeding behavior for the first time this season. The moms were showing the calves how to “plow” up the bottom in about 10 feet of water. It’s amazing to see those pectoral fins & tail flukes sticking up in the air, as they move slowly along. The babies were doing a great job; evidenced by the mud circles we could see left behind in the water, like a fluke print. The calves are getting bigger and very active & agile! I am starting to look twice before I say- that’s a calf or a juvenile! I still struggle to describe when a mom presents, pushing, even lifting her baby to us…Magic can and does happen!!
Ending with weather - I am not wearing socks at night anymore, or a sweatshirt to bed, so you know spring is around the corner! Dewy mornings are bringing a nice drink of water to the plants and warm afternoons! About half way through my season, hasta soon!
Carolina
Logs & Diaries -- Guest Comments -- Field Reports -- Gray Whale Census
