BAJA CALIFORNIA Where Desert and Ocean Meet March 8 - 19, 2020 on Board M/S Searcher Tour Report PARTICIPANTS

BAJA CALIFORNIA Where desert and ocean meet March 8 - 19, 2020 On board M/S Searcher Tour Report PARTICIPANTS

Guests: Adrienne, USA Eric & Jan, USA Ole, Denmark Anya & Rob, USA Helen & Lars-Erik, Sweden Regitze, Denmark Björn & Susanne, Sweden Henrik & Sarah, Denmark Therese, Switzerland Dirk & Tanja, Germany Henrik Bo, Denmark Emma, USA Jana & Sylvie, Canada Naturalists:

Paul Jones, USA Tom Jefferson, USA

Charterers: Morten & Nozomi, NozoMojo

M/S Searcher Crew:

Art Taylor, USA Armando Marquez, USA Justin Gonzales, USA Luis Romero Macial, Mexico Mike Kouris, USA Ryan Lindham, USA Sara Gross, USA Summarizing a voyage like we had is not an easy task. The daily varia- tion in type and intensity of the weather and climate, sightings and encounters, sensations and emotions makes any summary impoverished a similar voyage in the future, the next-best thing we can suggest is to savour this entire report, word by word, image by image, and linger on while still in San Diego, over the many sightings at sea of whales, seals, birds, clouds and sky colors, to the impressions when ashore of rocks, fossils, plants, reptiles, insects and more birds, this tour was intense throughout. We enjoyed 14 species of mammal, including spectacular encounters with gray, humpback and blue whales as well as common SUMMARY dolphins, northern elephant seals and California sea lions. We had the - them superbly. We enjoyed both marine and terrestrial reptiles, and the whale shark. We had thunderstorms, pouring rain, clear blue skies and sunshine, blissfully calm days and nights, awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets. We enjoyed relaxed walks, refreshing swims, scrumptious meals, informative talks. While the world outside went into lock-down, for 12 days we enjoyed the leisure and comfort of life and each other’s most delightful company in our own little NozoMojo mini-cosmos on board the M/S Searcher. VOYAGE MAP DIARY WITH ITINERARY AND WEATHER MARCH 8:

San Diego, embarkation, then S.

Sunny, cloud cover 2/8, wind f2-3 SW, evening still, ca. 20°C/68°F.

Through the afternoon, we came and went at Fisherman’s Landing, checking in with the cabins, leaving our bags. Mostly, we were then off the boat again, until we all gathered at 8.00 pm for our introductions and - troduced himself and the boat, the routines and the safety, and the crew. Tom and Paul, our naturalists, also said a few words, as did Nozomi and Morten. It was around 9.30 pm that we left the landing, and before going to in San Diego Bay. By 10.30, most of us were asleep in our bunks. MARCH 9:

Ensenada, then Islas Todos Santos, then S.

First sunny 1-2/8, then gradually clouding over to 8/8 afternoon, several hours of rain afternoon, wind f1-4 S, ca. 20°C/68°F.

After a fairly calm night, we pulled into Ensenada around 05.30, while still dark, and already before 07.00 am, during our breakfast, we smoothly cleared us into Mexico. The sea was calm, there was only a mild breeze, and the full moon was bright to the W, before getting dimmed by a sliver of cloud.

Soon, we were off Todos Santos Islands, where we very slowly cruised along the rocky shoreline, in sunny and calm conditions, among the the public announcement system, explaining to us what we were seeing. While there were only a few recently weaned northern elephant seal pups on the beach, there were many more California sea lions in the water, near the pens, and there were numerous harbor seals, both on shore and in the water, including many mother-pup pairs. We also enjoyed seeing the many hundreds of breeding western gulls on the islands, as well as many brown pelicans, double-crested cormorants, black oystercatchers, and more. Species present in lower numbers included a couple of northern fulmars, one peregrine falcon, one American kestrel and one pelagic cormorant. It was a tranquil scene, despite the industrial scale aqua-culture operation all around. We gathered inside to collect our passports with visas, and had a quick session of a get-to-know-your-fellow-traveller game, but it was conditions. And it did not take long before we were rewarded with nice long while, we followed a group of three northbound animals. - lent views right off the bow. Later in the morning, closer to lunch, we again spent a nice time with a group of 8-10 animals, again getting

Through the afternoon, we continued south, and the weather gradually changed, with a complete cloud cover being the reality from around 2.00 pm onwards. From around 3.00 pm, we had rain fairly consistently for several hours. All through the day, we saw very good numbers of black-vented shearwaters, in the hundreds. From mid-afternoon until dark, we additionally had several tens of pink-footed 10 adult Sabine’s gulls. The gray whales generally do not travel this far off-shore, so it was a bit slow on the cetacean front, but we did have brief views of one leaping bottlenose dolphin right next to the Searcher.

At dinner, we celebrated Sylvie’s birthday! After the dinner, Paul and Tom briefed on tomorrow, and particularly the pinnipeds we should look out for. It was a tired bunch who went to bed, most folks before 9.00 pm. MARCH 10:

Isla Benito del Oeste, Islas San Benitos, then SE.

Overcast 8/8 all day, with a sliver of sun just peeking through a couple of times. Visibility poor for a while around midday, but excellent toward evening. 9.30 am until 2.00 pm heavy rains. Winds f2-5 SW, highest around 1.00-2.00 pm, 15-20°C/59-68°F.

- ter breakfast, Art briefed us on deck on the procedures regarding getting into and out of the skiffs. We picked up our packed lunches and took off. - skin, and the importance of not collapsing sea-bird burrows. We walked abandoned by their mothers. On this one beach alone there were more than 100! There were also a few adult females and a few sub-adult males. Benito sparrows (formerly considered a savannah sparrow sub-species), hummingbird was seen, as was one American oystercatcher. A bit farther along the path, in a rockier section of the coast line, we saw some 20+ Guadalupe fur seals. They were mostly out on rocks, a few cavorting in the water near shore. The weather turned against us, and the thunder came with rain. In the end, it ba- sically more or less constantly poured down over the next two hours. There were a few breaks, but generally speak- ing, we were walking in the rain the rest of the time. We were still able to enjoy the views, and the island’s colors came out stronger in the dim light and the wet shiny leaves. There was a lot of spectacular vegetation to take in, several of the species being endemic to these islands. Most impressive perhaps were but there were also mammillaria cacti and perityles in bloom. A couple of peregrine falcons zoomed by. Ospreys were here and there, including one at its nest. At one point, some of the many saw a few black-vented shearwaters as island to sea. We even saw a couple of tiny downy auklet chicks huddling in their burrow entrances. - home. Come between 1.00 and 2.00 pm, we were back down at the landing beach, and had a wet, bumpy ride back to the Searcher. We were pretty much by now all soaked to the skin, and the long process of getting our the Searcher heaved anchor, and we began traveling towards the SE, direct- ly into the swells and wind. But over the afternoon and until dark, gradually the winds came down and thus the sea calmed, and it actually did not rain after about 2.00 pm.

as we passed Isla Cedros on our port side. First we enjoyed excellent views after when the Cassin’s auklets, the black-vented shearwaters and the red phalaropes began picking up in numbers, until we had literally hundreds of each all around us. Also, many hundreds of gulls were on the water, mostly a small but very nice pod of long-beaked common dolphins made us com- everyone to get really good views of them right under the bow!

Soon, as the weather calmed further, we went inside to enjoy dinner, fol- appearance, biology and behavior. While it had been challenging at times, MARCH 11:

Laguna San Ignacio.

Overcast 8/8, visibility moderate, from around 10.30 am persistent rain all day. No wind to very light variable, 18-20°C/64-68°F.

It was a stunning morning we had, as we awoke a few nautical miles outside the entrance to Laguna San Ignacio. The sea was almost mirror calm, the sky was mostly gray, but with many nuances, and the sunrise towards the east was brief, gray whales, some spy-hopping, some breaching, most just lounging. Common the water. Captain Art brought us across the sand bar that marks the entrance to the lagoon, and soon we were in the observation zone, where we would be anchored for the next 34 hours.

pangas would be picking us up to go whale-watching. He talked about the natu- behind, just once, on one of the many 90-minute excursions that we will have here, try to be just present. The other point was that while there is no guarantee that a friendly encounter will happen to all of us, what we do know for sure is that any chance to touch a whale will be on the whale’s conditions. whale decided to check us out. Two of the three pangas began the day with a very close encounter. All three pangas saw numerous whales, as well as about as many bottlenose dolphins, and a wide range of water birds, from pelicans to terns, from scoters to ibises, from egrets to godwits.

During the second of the morning’s excursions, the rain began. It was not a heavy rain, but it was consistent. And it just never stopped again, it came down all day and all evening. It was not quite enough to deter all, and after lunch, a couple of pangas did go out one more time, and eventually all came back with big smiles, having had a whale touch them.

a hoodie, a t-shirt or another souvenir. Many were the stories that were told during the late part of the afternoon, as the 4th excursion was cancelled and everyone took some moments to begin drying out clothes, catching up with downloading of photos, writing diaries, enjoying naptime, etc. After dinner, Paul gave a quick rundown on tomorrow’s plans, as well as the techniques and biomechanics of the feeding of rorqual whales. MARCH 12:

Laguna San Ignacio until ca. 4.30 pm, then out and SE, later more S.

Overcast 8/8. All day rain mostly heavy, at times easing slightly, visibility moderate to good, nice sunset. Winds mostly between S and W, mostly f2-4, occasionally f5-6 in gusts. 15-18°C/59- 64°F.

On our fourth consecutive day with rain in the desert (!), we continued to brave the elements and headed out in the pangas for 90-minute whale-watching 08.00 am, and the rains had already set in. Despite this, there were some won- derful interactions with gray whales, and also bottlenose dolphins. By now, everyone on board had been touched at least once. What an amazing thing when you think about it! The rains got harder, and it was decided to postpone the second excursion of the day, which was the planned trip into the nearby mangroves. While we waited for even the slightest clearing, Tom biology. Just after his presentation, we had to decide whether we on fairly high tide. There were no takers at all, everyone by now had morning. We let it go. Instead, we had lunch, and some then ven- poured down, there were still more wondrous encounters on both outings. A few bird species were also added to the list, mostly shore-

It was time to bid this unique and spectacular place farewell, two days is a short time to spend in such an awesome lagoon and not very best to maximize our time in there, and we all came out many superb wildlife moments richer.

Across the bar we sailed, and then set a course generally towards wedge on the horizon, bordered above and below by black seas and clouds. We enjoyed another delicious evening meal on board, and although a few were suffering a bit from the motion of the Searcher on an unsettled sea, we were none the less looking forward to the next chapter of our voyage. MARCH 13:

Off Bahia Magdalena, much of the time parallel with Isla Magdalena and Isla Margarita, en route generally towards the S-SE.

Clear and mostly sunny, 4/8, and dry! Winds NE f1-2 morning and f3-4 afternoon, 20-24°C/68-75°F.

A somewhat roll’y night was transformed into a pretty sunrise and then a spectacular morning, when we spotted a distant breaching humpback before breakfast. It was a couple of miles farther offshore, and we turned the Searcher that way, while we enjoyed the simple fact that it was not raining and the skies were actually blue.

Soon, we were in the company of what was presumably a young, sub-adult male humpback whale, engaged in the most spectacular physical activity any of us on board had ever witnessed. It simply kept jumping, only occasionally in- - ping. We spent some 45 minutes more or less right next to the whale, and during that entire time, it breached at intervals of more than one jump per minute. It had also begun long before we got to it, and it was still jumping after we had left it behind again. How many? None of us counted, but it must have been 80, perhaps even more, leaps. sun, in dry conditions. Lifejackets, skiff pillows, cloth- ing and shoes were everywhere, being dried out. And bridge, on the aft deck, enjoying the warmth, light and sea breeze. As well as the wildlife.

Over the course of the morning, we enjoyed good views of masked booby, pink-footed shearwater, our too. The afternoon show was begun when we came upon a feeding frenzy of birds, seals and dolphins. We could see them already from afar, but we could not anticipate what a show we would have. Literally thousands of long-beaked common dolphins were feeding over a huge area, not densely bunched together, but and in the air, there were also a few hundred frigate birds, as well as western and California gulls, and there were tens of black-vented and pink-footed shearwaters and brown pelicans. We had great views also of one blue-footed booby, at least two adult Nazca boobies, one adult masked, one immature brown booby, and Paul Jones even saw a red-footed booby. That means - day! We also spotted some sea turtles today, logger- so many, exhibiting all sorts of behaviors, and many of them carrying

A bit later in the afternoon, it was back to humpback whales, when - white, some in between, and one damaged on the tips. One of those massive full breach right in front of the Searcher, just once, full power, and then never again.

others, another super-pod of long-beaked common dolphins, hundreds and hundreds again, this time in much tighter formation. The beginning of a colorful sunset was on the horizon as we enjoyed this herd too, bow-riding, leaping, swimming in tight formations.

Saturated with a long day’s experiences at sea, we sat down for din- What a sunset we had, a sunset as they are practically only seen in Baja. And a beautiful dinner it was too.

covering the basic differences between dolphins and porpoises, a to see, and also a quick review of the differences and similarities between long-beaked and short-beaked common dolphins. MARCH 14:

Gorda Banks off San José del Cabo, then around the east cape to Punta Arena.

Sunny and clear, 2-3/8. Wind F2-5 NE, 20-25°C/68-77°F.

Our morning today was a strange mix of being on the ocean in the presence of many humpback whales, and of being able to receive mobile phone signal and thus receive news from the human world outside the vessel and-calf pairs, and at the sunrise and the clouds and the mountains of the cape region in the background, and at the odd shearwater or booby or the one storm-petrel. A highlight was passing through a school of pelagic red crabs. We also for a while listened to the faint song of a humpback whale, when Art had lowered the hydrophone into the water. On the other side, we also found ourselves discussing with each other what we were going to do reactions and plans, and about what it all might mean to each of us individually, how it might impact us already In the late morning, when we couldn’t postpone it any longer, we had to begin moving towards the east cape (and loose our signals), it was about a three-hour run to the intended landing area of Los Frailes. We were in for a bumpy ride, the wind picked up from the NE, and we had to beat our way through and across the swells. Los Frailes itself turned out to be inaccessible because of the swells, so we additionally had to con- tinue another ten nautical miles around the east cape towards a more sheltered beach called Punta Arena. It was late afternoon by the time we were able to get there, and it was time for all to show a bit of discipline in

Islas San Benitos! We didn’t have ages, just over 45 minutes, but it was enough time to go for a good stroll up and down the beach, or for more of a bird exploratory bush-beating hike in the scrub behind the beach. The winds were down, and the weather had turned very pleasant. The birds seen included good Baja species such as northern mockingbird, northern cardinal, loggerhead shrike, a pair of American kestrels and a Baja California. Once back on the Searcher, we quickly got into our swimming and snorkelling gear, and most of us did a quick lap or two around the boat, checking out or gear and demonstrating our abilities. The water was rea- sonably warm, around 23°C/73°F, which was a good sign for the snorkelling in the coming days. Just around

- tinctions of the Steller’s sea cow and the Chinese river dolphin, the baiji, versus the come-back stories of the northern elephant seal and California gray whale). Tom then went on to describe how the vaquita was only to save the vaquita, including buy-out plans, gill net bans, live capture, etc. The latest negative development - continues, and even if we fail to save the vaquita, there are still lessons to be learned from the efforts. MARCH 15:

Bahia de La Paz, whale shark swimming, then N to Los Islotes.

Mostly overcast but clear, 6/8. Winds calm to f2 S morning, then f2-3 W midday, then f3-4 N afternoon, 20-25°C/68-77°F.

This morning, we were anchored in Bahia La Paz. Af- ter another nice sunrise, we were all ready at 07.00 am, and we departed from the Searcher in two pan- observers. We picked up our permits at 08.00 am, and entered into the “zone” at 09.00 am. Our guides told us facts about whale sharks, and also about some of the preservation measures in place for them here (zone demarcations for the whale shark activi- ties, limits on the number of boats and the number of snorkelers in the water, and also limits on the per- missible time spent there). Those rules were also the reason we went back to the Searcher at 11.00 am. We would have liked more, but we all came back having seen a couple of whale sharks, and those who wanted to had also swum alongside one at least momentarily. It was all quite brief, but it was still a great experience. In the late morning, we continued north out of La Paz Bay, the winds were still low and the sea was calm, we enjoyed some quiet time. Soon after lunch, we came upon a very active and quite dense swarm of some 500+ long-beaked common dolphins. They gave us a nice show with many leaps, splashes, lots of vocaliza- tion, and we also saw numerous remoras on these dolphins. We spent a half hour or so with them, until they and we turned back to our separate courses. Such an encounter usually draws big smiles, and this time was no exception.

The wind kept swinging around throughout the afternoon, and it was also increasing slightly. But the weather still felt decently warm. We saw a distant, fairly large ray jump out of the water, but otherwise it was a quiet afternoon. Until we arrived at Los Islotes.

On the sheltered south side of these rocky islets, we did a skiff ride for about an hour, we got right up against the rocks, and we watched sleepy sea lions in all sorts of positions, yellow-footed gulls, blue-footed boobies, Sally lightfoot crabs, and much more. There was one great blue heron on its nest, there were small numbers of frigate-birds and pelicans, and across the water on the larger island there were numerous turkey vultures. When back, we quickly changed into our snorkelling gear, and off we were again, this time to slip into the water close to the rocks. It was about 23°C/73°F, not unpleasant at all. We spent another good while, up to an hour for the die-hards, in the water, primarily having fun with sea lions. There were so many accounts afterwards of close encounters, babies coming by, large adult males checking people out, females and pups playing, immatures playing too. There was more Sally light-foot crabs and yellow-footed gulls, and even two wandering tattlers, all allowing close approaches as they did not recognize humans in the water as a threat.

Once back on board, of course we were drying off, showering, - in one direction, but all around, the formations of the clouds com- bined with the full palette of colors made for the most satisfying end of the day we could have asked for.

Dinner was superb (by now we were saying “as always”). No lecture tonight, and only a half-night of travel before the next anchorage to come. After dinner, we had two further bird sightings. Nozomi found a least storm-petrel on deck, not damaged, just unable to take off by itself. She picked it up, and we had a quick show of it to off in the dark. A little later, a handful of us were still around when aft of the vessel, following us for some 10 minutes or so. MARCH 16

Punta Colorado, Isla San José, then at sea towards the NW.

Sunny and clear, 1/8, wind f1-2 E, 25-28°C/77-82°F.

it towards the east, where the sun rose in a low-hanging cloud, and we watched it towards the west, where the dramatic, layered, sandstone cliffs of Punta Colorado took color according to the arrival and passage of the sun. dolphins had swum by. Soon after, we were in the skiffs, and went ashore. We enjoyed rocks and shells, fan corals and driftwood. We enjoyed fossils in the form of hundreds or even thousands of ancient sea shells em- bedded in the rocks. And we enjoyed more fossils in the shape of ribs and vertebrae from long-gone cetaceans, possibly extinct, possibly extant species, as well as parts of a 5-million-year old sea turtle. We furthermore marvelled at a spear point, found recently at the site, probably chiselled out of the rock by members of an ancient culture here.

Following this beach-combing session, we enjoyed another hour (for some two hours) in the nearby arroyo (canyon), where we slowly and gently made our way up the dried-out creek bed, and back down again. Along the way, there were so many things to up granite boulders. From the barrel and cardon and organ-pipe and other cacti, to the desert trees with their varied bark and leaf speckled rattle-snake. Unfortunately, it took to the shadow of the bushes as the folks were rushing in to see it. The birds were not pair of red-tailed hawks, and a single peregrine; several Costa’s - ed sparrows and a pair of verdins; singles of loggerhead shrike, For those who went back after an hour in the arroyo, there was an hour of

We headed out to go whale-watching all the rest of the day. We hadn’t even made it through lunch yet, when Nozomi spotted a small group of cetaceans just off the port side. They did not show for very long, and most of us missed them. Paul Jones and Tom Jefferson both got brief views though, and piecing together what they saw, what Nozomi saw, and what was seen by the boys on the top deck, we acknowledged that this was a sighting of a pod of 3-4 pygmy beaked whales. As with most beaked whales, also this is a very rarely seen species, but the area we were in this day is known to be the home of it.

The pleasant afternoon continued, and the passing of the hours was inter- spersed with occasional jumping rays, a few boobies, a few laughing gulls, then a Bonaparte’s gull, then three red-billed tropicbirds. We also saw a few black storm-petrels and a pair of Craveri’s murrelets. But where were the whales …?

Mid-afternoon, dolphin pods opened the cetacean show. First we saw a pod of bottlenose dolphins, some 30+ individuals. They were on a mission though, our path and pass. A little while later, it was a pod of some 800 long-beaked direction of us. They were accompanied by loads of birds; pelicans, frigates, gulls (including more than 40 Heerman’s), terns (including ca. 10 elegant), and also both brown and blue-footed boobies. We followed them for a few minutes, loving it, but then again turned back on our original course. place where it was (and had gone down), we had seen higher, more columnar blows farther in front of us, near pm, we were with a blue whale! And what a creature it was. It kept diving for mostly 7-8, sometimes 13, minutes, later actually more like 3-4 minutes, and in between dives, each time it was breathing heavily on the surface some then suddenly it surfaced right in front of us. And then it happened again, and again. In the end, we had spent one-and-a-half hours with this massive beast, when essentially the light had faded so far that it was … dark. Just before dark, the whale changed behavior and began surface feeding, lunging on its side, waving its one pectoral

A long and very fruitful day was over, the winds had calmed to nil, and the engines were off. While we let the blue March 17:

Agua Verde, then points offshore to the NE, near the N end of Isla Monserrate, then overnight S.

Overcast 8/8 morning, gradually clearing to mostly sunny 1/8 afternoon, all day clear. Wind f3 W early, soon became f3 E, but then dropped over the morning to f1-2 NE for the rest of the day. 25°C/77°F.

After a solid breakfast, we set off at 07.40 am for a beach landing just north of a coast- al area known as Agua Verde. A creek runs into the sea here, and some stands of palm trees grow along it. Around the area is low bush, and there are low hills near the shore, majestic mountains behind. We split into two group, Tom and Nozomi leading 8 per- sons off on an actual hike, along the desert track through the bush, then onto a saddle on a hill overlooking the embayment to the south, and then soon back again. Paul and Morten led the rest on a birding walk in the nearer surrounds. The birding was excellent, and after viewing four species of shore bird right there on the beach, the group proceeded along the dirt tracks into the bushes and began picking up classic Baja California shrub birds én masse. One of the highlights was an early sighting of a greater roadrunner, discovered by Adrienne. The bird initially skulked, but was enticed into the open by a play-back, after which it showed superbly, standing on the ground, perching in low bushes, calling a couple of times, and then running across the ground and away. Other great birds soon followed, including pairs of gila woodpeckers, cactus wrens and hooded orioles. A sin- lucky with a black-tailed jackrabbit as well as a couple of whiptails. In the hiking group, they saw an antelope squirrel as well. As we made our return, the two groups now merged, Jana found us a much sought-after pair of phainopepla, at least four northern cardinals showed - Amazingly, it was (only) 10.30 when we were back on the Searcher, it had been a very full morning already.

We were going to spend the rest of the day on the water, whale-watching. And we were not to be disappointed. Before lunch, we had already had a small pod of bottlenose dolphins, a medium sized pod of common dol- The afternoon was to become legendary, a real Baja California classic, but with a twist. The weather gradually cleared, the air temperature was a pleasant 25°C/77°F, and the visibility was superb. In the background, the mountain range of Sierras La Giganta lay strung out before our eyes, and the low winds ensured near perfect observation conditions. The afternoon produced approximately four more leaving a mark in the water the exact same color as the pelagic crabs we saw the other day.

But numbers alone do not describe the experience. For many, one of the tour were watching over and over again this afternoon? How was it that we were not able to identify one of the largest creatures ever to have inhabited this planet, even though we watched it for about two hours, and even though it passed right under our noses several times, and even though we recorded it thoroughly on and a somewhat darker and more uniform than normal base color to the skin, and morphology of a blue whale, enormous in size, with no white right-hand lower jaw showing, and with splashguard and tailstock blue-whale like, and additional- the chances to observe the animal numerous, and the case initially unresolved. We observed a couple of real blue whales right after our time with “Flue”, and that a hybrid was the almost inevitable answer, although observations at sea of As the hours passed, the sun slowly dropping behind the mountains, we enjoyed a full afternoon of many birds, especially pelicans and Heerman’s gulls, Craveri’s murrelets and boobies, and more whales too. Towards the end of the day, we could still see three distant tall, slender columns of whale blow, standing seemingly forever in the still conditions.

for US$ 1,000 to Tom for Viva Vaquita conservation efforts, we then auctioned off three copies of Brooke Bessesen’s vaquita book, and we ended our session with a quick slideshow from four other NozoMojo destinations, complete with a sign-up sheet for those interested. March 18:

Isla San José mangroves, then Isla San Francisco, then overnight S.

Overcast 8/8 morning with a few raindrops, gradually clearing to mostly sunny 2/8 afternoon. Still morning to f1-2 NE. 25°C/77°F.

Our day began early. We were in the skiffs by 06.30. Our goal was an area of mangroves with narrow and shallow channels, at the south end of Isla San José. After getting across a bar- rier bar, we skiff’ed about for more than 1.5 hours. We held a slow pace, appropriate for the time of day and the location. At times, when the outboards were turned off, we were able to enjoy the quiet of the place even better. There were grebes, shorebirds, egrets, pelicans, gulls, cormorants, turkey vultures and more, and in the water there were mullets, warblers, probably more than 10 that we could register, although mostly we only caught brief glimpses of this localized but they were pleasantly absent, perhaps the cool overcast morning had something to do with that. Come 8.30 am, we were back on board for a much-enjoyed breakfast. in the amazing natural amphi-theatrical bay of Isla San Francisco. There were some yachts anchored in the bay, but there were no crowds. We soon made our way ashore, and the majority of us enjoyed the scenic hike across the island and waters around it, with the mountains of the peninsula in the background. It was a beautiful day, clear and overcast, thus pleasantly cool, and still. Some clambered all the way to the top, others stayed lower, all enjoyed the details and beauty of the island, including numerous exotic plants, rock formations and a few birds too. Highlights of the latter included a verdin’s nest and a female Costa’s hummingbird on her nest. There was time for a snorkel too, which among other prizes revealed an octopus.

After lunch, we had a group photo taken on the aft deck, and then we took our various positions ready for a long afternoon of whale watching. The weather was near perfect for it, and while some lounged in chairs read- ing books, others scanned the horizon for spouts. Come mid-afternoon, we saw distant dolphins and prepared to enjoy them when they were closer. It turned out to be a large herd of bottlenose dolphins, the largest we have seen, perhaps counting as many as 100 animals, which it a rather huge aggregation for the species. While in among the rays, so we were able to enjoy views of them near and far. A true Baja California spectacle, awesome as well as comical. It was not too long after that we began seeing distant sperm whales, and before long, we were again witnessing another highlight of our voyage. A good hour was spent among some 25-30 sperm whales, at one stage pretty much completely surrounding our vessel. Mostly they were females, there were some immatures/juveniles in among them, and we saw perhaps one or two sub-adult males as well. A few minutes were spent listening to the sperm whales’ communicating and orientating under water, when Art dropped the hydrophone into the continued south. And then dark arrived.

During the afternoon, birding highlights were good views of a red-billed tropicbird, brief views of a Townsend’s shearwater, and a fair number of black as well as two least storm-petrels. After dinner, Art briefed on procedures for tomorrow, and we all were given opportunity to voice our sentiments about the voyage. Highlights were highlighted, and thanks were given. There was a deep and sincere feeling of comradery, even family, as well as gratitude all around for each other’s company and services, in addition to humility and thankfulness for the rich experiences of nature we had all had the opportunity to have these last 11 days. Despite some challenges, not least weather-wise, and also the pressure from an outside world which we did our best to keep a-bay, everyone expressed having had a tremendous experience throughout. It was a happy crowd with inner peace that turned the attention towards packing and getting ready for disembarkation. March 19:

Cabo San Lucas, disembarkation.

Sunny, 1/8, clear, still, 20°C/68°F.

It was an early start, and an eerie one. We were all back in connection through our devices, with our loved ones, our travel agents, and our futures, and we all had to face the reality of a changed human world in chaos. While Art and the crew were running around taking care of fuel, papers and breakfasts, we did our vans, we departed before 08.00 am, and the tour was over. Once again, we need and wish to thank every one of you for making this tour so special and ultimately a great success. Thanks to Searcher Natural History Tours, Art and Celia, and all the others in the crew. Thanks to Paul and Tom. And by no means less so, thanks to every one of you, our guests, for your trust, your company and your hearts. SPECIES ACCOUNTS MAMMALS

California gray whale (Eschrictius robustus) – March 9, ca 30 registered, all migrating N. March 11 & 12, some 50+ including calves seen and touched both days in the breeding lagoon of San Ignacio.

Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) –

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) – March 17, 4 seen of which 3 foraging together.

March 17, 1 male seen well and thoroughly documented.

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) – March 9, 1 distant. March 13, 23 including one breaching forever. March 14, 30+ including calves on the breeding grounds of Gorda Banks.

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) – March 18, a spread-out congregation of several pods of a total of about 25-30 whales, including calves. Location a few NM E of the S end of Isla Espíritu Santo.

March 16, brief views by a handful of observers of 3-4 animals that could not really have been anything but this species. The sighting area was just ENE of the N tip of Isla San José.

Observed on 6 days, totalling more than 5000 individuals. Largest pod easily 2000+.

March 11 & 12, ca 15-20 individuals seen inside Laguna San Ignacio.

/offshore ecotype: March 9, 1. March 16, 4 plus ca 30. March 17, ca 20 plus ca 8. March 18, ca 20 plus one mega-pod of 100+.

March 9, at least 50, including many female-pup pairs, seen on shore and in the waters immediately around Islas Todos Santos. Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) March 9, ca 5 at Todos Santos Islands. March 10, some 300+, most of which were wean- ers, on Isla Benito del Oeste.

California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) Seen on 9 days, totalling some 320 individuals. The largest concentration was more than 200 animals at Los Islotes, March 15.

March 10, on Isla Benito del Oeste, some 20+ individuals seen, mostly resting on rocky outcrops.

(Urocyon cinereoargenteus) or kit fox (Vulpes macrotis).

March 17, 1 was seen by Nozomi at Agua Verde. BIRDS

The taxonomy below generally follows the latest IOC list.

Black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans)

Surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)

Verde the next day.

- demic species.

views of the species, a total of ca 14 birds. One of these was a female on its nest discovered by Luis on Isla San Francisco, March 18.

seen and heard well, and at one point, another bird replied to the calling.

17. On March 18, we registered it in the San José mangroves as well as on San Francisco.

Blackish oystercatcher (Haematopus ater bachmani)

American oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Sabine’s gull (Xema sabini)

Laughing gull (Larus atricilla megalopterus) total, including at least one pair.

Heermann’s gull (Larus heermanni)

California gull (Larus californicus) Magdalena.

American herring gull (Larus smithsonianus)

and March 12.

at sea.

Craveri’s murrelet (Synthliboramphus craveri)- ifornia we picked up 2 on March 16 and about 10 on March 17. Cassin’s auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus australis) the burrow entrances, presumably to avoid drowning.

Islas San Benitos. The rest were seen March 16-18.

Common loon (Gavia immer)

day.

caught it and later released it. March 18, there were 2 birds among the black storm-petrels near Isla Ceralvo.

13 ca 10.

March 9 ca 30. March 13 ca 40. March 14 off the south cape 10+.

- lands. March 10 totalling more than 1000, most abundant SW of Isla Cedros.

Upward of or above 100 daily, but at least ca 300 on March 13. 30+. March 16 ca 25. March 17 ca 10. March 18, 2.

in the feeding frenzy on March 13.

Nazca booby (Sula granti)

Brown booby (Sula leucogaster brewsteri) 15+ on March 15.

of 100 on March 12.

Snowy egret (Egretta thula brewsteri)

San José was gila or ladder-backed (Dryobates scalaris lucasanus).

American kestrel (Falco sparverius peninsularis)

Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum) on Isla San Francisco, March 18.

stopover? On March 16 & 17, one each day.

March 17.

Common raven (Corvus corax clarionensis)

Blue-gray gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica margaritae)

March 16, and about 5 total on March 17 back on San José in the mangroves, as well as on Isla San Francisco.

on March 17.

San Benito sparrow (Passerculus sanctorum) - This bird, formerly considered a savannah sparrow (P. sandwichensis) and later a Belding’s sparrow (P. guttatus), is now listed as a full species, an island endemic only found on San Benitos Islands. Despite the rain, we saw ca 100 individuals on Isla San Benito del Oeste on March 10.

Mangrove warbler (Setophaga petechia castaneiceps) mangroves. On March 18, we managed to see and hear about 10 birds in the mangroves at the S end of Isla San José.

and on March 17 at Agua Verde just about everyone had good views of at least one or two of the 6+ birds in the area. REPTILES

- On March 13, off-shore W of Bahia Magdalena, we encountered a total of 7 sea turtles. At least two of

A loggerhead was noted on March 15, between Bahia de La Paz and Los Islotes, but it should be noted that the species is listed as rare in the Gulf of California, so perhaps better move it to here.

- do on San José Island, March 16.

in the same arroyo near Punta Colorado, March 16.

- ange-throated whiptail (A. hyperythrus) or Baja California whiptail (A. labialis).

March 16 was probably of this species, but may also have been desert spiny lizard (S. magister), which may occur on the island as well.

the San José whiptails. on March 16. Another 2+ were seen on March 18 on Isla San Francisco.

FISH

shore.

Smooth-tail mobula ray (Mobula thurstoni) water every now and then over the course of the afternoon, totalling perhaps 20+. But the real treat came on March 18, when an enormous we cannot rule out that other mobula ray species were involved in our sightings, it is highly likely that all the rays we saw where smooth-tail’s.

March 13 & 16, we would have seen tens, but on March 15 there were probably hundreds in total on the dolphins of the large, compacted - ora australis), a species usually described as light in color (blue to slate gray), but we could also have seen the sharksucker (R. remora), which

which are actually squat lobsters.

Sally lightfoot crab (Grapsus grapsus) the rocks at Los Islotes on March 15.

Sunset wrasse (Thalassoma lutescens) Panamic fanged blenny (Ophioblennius steindachneri) Bue-and-gold snapper (Lutjanus viridis) Guineafowl puffer (Arothron meleagris) Spotted sharpnose puffer (Canthigaster solandri) Panamic sergeant major (Abudefduf troschelii) Flag cabrilla (Epinephelus labriformus) Central American banded wrasse (Halichoeres notospilus) Cortez rainbow wrasse (Thalassoma lucasanum) www.NozoMojo.com [email protected]