Volume 1, Number One - January, 2011
HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE CREW OF THE CONDOR EXPRESS !!
H
appy New Year and best wishes from the crew of the Condor Express. We hope you, your family and friends have a wonderful 2011 full of prosperity and lots of whales. We kick off the new year with a new publication, our Condor Expressions newsletter. You are receiving this publication because you are an official “friend” of the Condor Express. Gray Whale season is here! From now until the end of February we’ll travel out to the Channel Islands to see the southbound migration. Weather and sea conditions permitting, these trips include Gray Whale watching AND a visit to Santa Cruz Island. These trips leave the dock at 10am and return at approximately 2:30pm.
Condor Cruises and the CONDOR EXPRESS: the premier Whale Watching and Party/Dinner Cruise venue in California. Located in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara we offer the most comfortable, advanced vessel on the west coast. Each of our crew members are trained and experienced naturalists with 30+ years of service.
Condor Insider info SSSHHH! Special Info for Condor Insiders: Look for a special discount coupon on the last page of this newsletter.
DECEMBER 2010 SPECIES OBSERVATIONS (NOTE: we record sightings based on animals closely observed by the boat. Actual numbers in the area may be higher).
December brought unusually early and heavy rain storms to southern California. The rough seas that accompanied these storms limited the number of days the fleet was able to get out to the whaling grounds. However, the biggest news for December was the appearance of Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) which were observed on three separate occasions. The first two sightings were of the Starfin Pod surrounding CA51, and this group is the one we see most often. The last sighting was a rarely seen pod with a big male, CA28.
The Grays are here! We saw our first Gray Whale of the season on December 13, and the numbers are only going UP from here. The Pacific Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is on its annual migration to the lagoons of Baja California and are currently travelling southbound. Southbound whales can be seen mostly out along Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island and Anacapa, as they appear to take a direct route to Mexican waters where they calve and breed every year.
Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) are seen year-round, usually one at a time, and they are very elusive in the Santa Barbara Channel. But early in December we encountered groups of these small baleen whales in the east Channel, a few miles off the coast of Ventura. Aggregations of seabirds feeding on anchovies persisted for several days, and the Minkes were there too, presumably for the food. It is great to get such an unsual sighting in the Channel.
Bottlenose dolphins (Tusiops truncatus) are most frequently observed along the mainland coast, but another distinct population lives entirely offshore and rarely interbreeds or has any contact with the inshore variety. Offshores are larger, travel in larger pods, and can be quite acrobatic. We were fortunate to encounter some large herds during December.
It is rare NOT to see our Common Dolphins (Delphinus sp) in the Santa Barbara Channel. And December was no exception to this trend. Herds were seen travelling, feeding and had many very young dolphins with them. It is always a treat to run with a megapod of Commons.
Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) were observed in larger numbers during the first half of December, but the last sighting of the month was special. This pod stayed and played with the Condor Express for quite a while and exhibited bow-riding behavior to the surprise and delight of all on board!
The tiny black and white torpedos known as Dall’s Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) were not observed during most of December, and put in an appearance only once, on December 27. We expect to see Dall’s Porpoise more frequently during the Winter and Spring.
JANUARY 2011 CALENDAR
PRIMARY TARGET SPECIES: JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2011 Eschrichtius robustus, the Pacific Gray Whale !
The only member of the family Eschrichtiidae, the gray whale is a mysticete, or baleen whale. It is a "coastal" whale that migrates along the North American Pacific Coast between arctic seas and the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Frequently visible from shore, gray whales provide a unique opportunity for land and boat observation, and commercial whale watching has become a major industry along its migration route. Visitors to the calving and breeding lagoons sometimes encounter the phenomenon of the "friendlies"; gray whales that closely approach small boats and allow themselves to be touched by humans. Gray whales inhabit shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific. The gray whale makes one of the longest of all mammalian migrations, averaging 10,000-14,000 miles (16,000-22,530 km) round trip. In October, the whales begin to leave their feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas and head south for their mating and calving lagoons in Baja California, Mexico. The southward journey takes 2-3 months. The whales remain in the lagoons for 2-3 months, allowing the calves to build up a thick layer of blubber to sustain them during the northward migration and keep them warm in the colder waters. The return trip north takes another 2-3 months. Mothers and calves travel very near shore on the northbound migration. There are some individual gray whales that are found year round in the Straits of Juan de Fuca between the State of Washington and Vancouver Island, Canada, and some that are seen during the summer months off the northern California coast. Make your reservations now to see these marvelous cetaceans! (Information courtesy of the American Cetacean Society: http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/graywhl.htm) cut & bring !
JANUARY CONDOR NEWSLETTER SPECIAL DISCOUNT COUPON ! $10.00 DISCOUNT* ON 4½ HOUR ISLAND WHALE WATCH TRIPS $5.00 DISCOUNT* ON 2½ HOUR COASTAL WHALE WATCH TRIPS *Discounts apply to normal adult fares only. Not valid with other discounts. This offer is valid for up to 4 adult passengers. Offer expires May 1, 2011. Clip this coupon. Original coupon must be presented at time of payment. Tell phone resevation agent you have this coupon when you call.