“News and views from the premier whale watching vessel Condor Express, Santa Barbara California”
Volume 1, Number Two - February, 2011
A GREAT 2011 SOUTHBOUND GRAY WHALE MIGRATION NEARS COMPLETION
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n Sunday, February 13, 2011 the Condor Express changes over to the pursuit of NORTHbound Gray Whales. During the northbound season, we’ll run three coastal whale watching trips per day. Each trip lasts 2½ hours, and the morning trip departs Sea Landing in Santa Barbara at 9:00am. So this is an appropriate time to take a look back at the SOUTHbound migration that is nearing completion, and by most standards it appears to have been a great year. The graph to the right displays the total number of whales counted by ACS volunteers at Point Vicente since December 1, 2010. The average for the past 10 seasons is indicated by solid yellow. Last year’s census is
displayed as a blue line (not a great year). And now the good news, the current season shows a remarkable increase in total numbers, indicated by the red line. The graph shown to the left displays both average number of whales per day southbound (blue bars) and northbound (red bars), and the current 2010-2011 season is the black curve. The data suggests that the southbound migration has peaked and most Gray Whales are probably already mating and calving in the lagoons of Baja California.
Data and both graphs courtesy of the American Cetacean Society, Los Angeles Chapter http://www.acs-la.org/GWCensus.htm
Not shown on these graphs are the 20 calves already observed at Pt. Vicente (as of this writing) Now is the time to make your Condor Express reservations and see this amazing migration first hand!
Condor Insider info SSSHHH! Special Info for Condor Insiders: Look for a special discount coupon on page 5 of this newsletter. page 1
CONDOR SCIENCE NEWS
Two Gray Whales and their companion Risso’s Dolphins. January, 2011. See more images online at www.CondorExpressPhotos.com - see January 9 and January 22 galleries.
ROLLIN’ AND TUMBLIN’ - CURIOUS INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GRAY WHALES AND RISSO’S DOLPHINS
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n two occasions during January we had the good fortune to observe Gray Whales interacting with Risso’s Dolphins. For nearly two weeks the Risso’s Dolphins had been seen off the West End of Santa Cruz Island (SCI) and Frasier Point in large numbers often spreading out for several miles into Santa Cruz Channel. This location is a fork in the migratory “road” for southbound Gray’s, who either continue eastward down the north face of SCI, or turn southeast and pass through Sta Cruz Channel. This put the Risso’s Dolphins directly into the oncoming Gray Whale traffic. The curious interaction consisted two or three Grays and perhaps 20 or 30 Risso’s. The dolphins were observed riding alongside the Grays and diving near them. The Grays were observed rolling around, waving their pectoral fins in the air, and often remaining stationary on the surface, completely upside down. Sometimes two Gray Whales were seen ventrum-to-ventrum, perhaps mating or engaging in pre-breeding play time. Among the Risso’s, several cows with very small brown calves were observed.
In a 1995 article*, researchers analyzed 11 RissoGray interactions over a 13 year period. They put forth several conclusions and a few hypotheses. The interactions all took place during the month of January, which is the peak of Risso’s calving. In all cases the Risso’s initiated the interaction, Gray’s were described as “passive participants,” and 5 of the 11 sightings involved possible mating behavior by the Grays. Mating Grays have previously been recorded as attracting other species of dolphins. Frequently adult Risso’s will confront boats and whales as the cow-calf pairs in the herd head off in another direction. On several occasions Risso’s were seen tailslapping Gray Whales on their heads. Finally, Gray whales have been seen to roll over and keep their belly’s in the air when attacked by killer whales. Whether this curious interaction is serious business or represents fun and games between the species requires more observations and analysis, but is just one of our natural wonders. You never know what you are going to see when you leave the dock.
*KEW Shelden, A Baldridge and D. Withrow, Observations of Risso’s Dolphins, Grampus griseus, with Gray Whales, Eschrichtius robustus, 1995 Marine Mammal Science, 11(2):231-240. page 2
SUMMARY OF JANUARY 2011 SPECIES SIGHTINGS January Risso's Dolphins 350
number closely watched
300 250 200 150 100 50 0 1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
21
23
25
27
29
31
date
January Gray Whales 7
number closely watched
6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
date page 3
January Killer Whales 9
number closely watched
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
27
29
31
date
January Common Dolphins 3,000
estimated number
2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
date
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SPOTLIGHT ON THE CONDOR EXPRESS GALLEY: THE FAMOUS CONDOR BURGER
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ur famous Condor Burger makes your adventure on board the Condor Express a mouth watering occasion. Many whale watching and nature loving boats along our coast do not have a galley, or they call a microwave oven a “galley.” The Condor Express was designed with your culinary desires in mind and features a full service galley with everything made fresh to your specifications. NO FROZEN BURRITOS, PLEASE! This month we feature the famous Condor Burger. (And, no, it’s not made from a large endangered bird). This meal-on-a-bun is no microwave sogger, but starts on the grill with your choice of patty: veggie, turkey or traditional 100% pure beef. With this foundation you can build your dream sandwich. Many prefer to add swiss, cheddar or american cheese as a secondary layer. Follow this up with your choice of standard burger veggies such as lettuce, onions, fresh tomatoes, or pickles. Top it off with mayo, mustard, catsup or any combination thereof, and you have yourself a mouth watering meal. Try not to get any saliva on your computer screen when you look at the famous Condor Burger pictured above. If that’s not enough, clip the coupon below for your special “insider” discount this month only. Bon appetite! cut & bring !
FEBRUARY CONDOR NEWSLETTER SPECIAL DISCOUNT COUPON ! $2.00 off your Condor Burger Offer limited one coupon per passenger, maximum 4 Condor Burgers on a single galley order. This offer is valid for up to 4 Condor Burgers. Offer expires March 1, 2011. Clip this coupon. Original coupon must be presented at time of payment. page 5
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PRIMARY TARGET SPECIES: 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. page 7