Whale Watching Trip Log

We have several proposals out to get more funding for our Black-footed Albatross project and because the timing of these proposals has been delayed for various reasons, we are in need of funds to buy tags for our 2005 tagging season in July and August. We have developed a "sponsor a tag" program at

http://oikonos.org/projects/albatross_sponsor.htm

Learn about the Black-footed Albatross, a wonderous ocean wanderer
we often see when we venture west of the Farallon Islands; learn how satellite tracking is helping this Albatross and how you can help in the conservation of this species by visitng: http://oikonos.org/projects/albatross_sponsor.htm

FYI:
We need to order the tags. To deploy 5 tags, we would need:
1100 $ = [ (2500 $ * 4 new tags)
+ (300 for repotting unused tag + 800)

Any contributions to raise money would be greatly appreciated!
Please visit http://oikonos.org/ to contribute or learn more.

Thank you very much for your help and support in advance.
Carol Kieper on behalf of http://oikonos.org/
and Naturalist for www.sfbaywhalewatching.com

Here's Sunday's report !

We started out the morning with an excellent sighting a gray whale hanging around Angel Island. Mick saw it in the morning on his way to the sausalito dock, so everyone got wonderful looks at a gray, about 200 yards off the westside of the island! In the the Bay, the water was calm, so floated with engines off, near the whale. For two hours passengers enjoyed the sunshine, calm water and whale blows, back and tail flukes. The whale surfaced several times within 15 feet of the boat.

After a couple of hours we ventured beyond the Goldengate bridge to search for more whales along the coast. We were surrounded by all kinds of birds and marine mammals until we rounded point Bonita. Wind was at least 21 knots and increased during our ride out. By the time we got to Muir Beach, we all (passengers included) decided we'd turn around and go back to the whale in the bay. Too much chop on the water and spray over the rail that we could not search for whales.

When we returned to angel island, we found a second gray whale, although this one was not interested in our boat. To complete the awesome day of whale watching, we cruised around Angel Island and then headed back to sausalito.

2- *Gray whales* ~3 hours with the whales
4+ *Harbor porpoises*
50+ *harbor seals* at Pt Diablo,

Also at point diablo:
2 *Black Oystercatchers
*1 *Redtailed Hawk*
1 *Whimbrel*
I *great egret
*
Just inside Point Bonita, we encountered a group of over 1500 *western/clarkes grebes*! Also mixed in the with the group were 2 pairs of* pigeon guillemots* with bright red feet. 50+ *surf scoters*

throughout the trip:
1 *caspian tern*
at least 2 *pelagic cormorants*
200+ *brandts cormorants* (includes a flock of about 200 )
30 *double crested corms*
10+ *Bonapartes gulls*, several up close while they were sitting on the water, pecking at the surface for food.
*western *and *glaucous winged gulls
*1 *common loon *in breeding plumage

melinda

wildlife sightings for 3 April

Trip Report for 3 April: Much to our surprise, we made
it out to the Farallones even though the weather
predictions weren't in our favor. It was a do-able
trip so we went for it. By the time we got to the
Farallones, the wind had switched to the southwest,
and it was very rough just past the Farallones, we
were not able to check out a blow that was seen by
Vince, our deckhand, west of Land's End. Had great
views of all the pinnipeds on the islands and then
headed south, based on a report from some of the
salmon fishermen who had seen blows and whales. Our
timing wasn't quite right - we saw no whales at the
Farallones or on the out or back.
Seabirds:
~100 Eared grebes at the Farallones - all in breeding
plumage
Common Murres
Cassin's Auklet
Pigeon Guillimot
3 species corms
Western Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Surf Scoter
Western Grebe
Clark's Grebe

-carol

Saturday, April 2
Partly cloudy to sunny skies, wind was NNW from 18 to 23 knots. We travelled north along the coast up to Point Reyes, then southwest to N buoy, and back to the GG. A lot of wind waves making it a bumpy ride out, and a rolly ride back home. The wind waves and spray made it difficult to search for whales. We did see other mammals and birds though.

60+ Mirounga on the beaches at double point and drakes bay
30 Phoca at Pt Diablo
3000+ murres on the offshore rocks and surrounding waters near Pt reyes
50 pigeon guillemots
Western, glaucous-winged gulls
11 Bonapartes gulls (several with full black heads)
Pelagic, Brandts and DC cormorants
500 surf scoters in sausalito bay
2 canada geese on a rock below the GG bridge
clarkes and western grebes
red-throated loon in winter plumage
5 common loons in breeding and winter
1- red-necked grebe in winter

It was opening day for salmon season, and the fishermen did not do too well. The most fish that one boat got was four fish, many went home with zero salmon for the boat. The wind made it difficult for them to get out to better fishing areas.

Thanks for the trip report. Here's a report of
Sunday's trip (2/20/05)

Weather: cloudy and stormy-looking througout the day;
didn't start raining until we were back in SF Bay.
Sea Conditions: started off with a mixed swell/wind
chop that continued to increase throughout the day. It
was what I call "sloppy" - like being in a washing
machine. When we were ~8nm from the islands it became
clear to Mike and I that it would be in our best
interest to turn around. People held up pretty well
but then started dropping like flies as it became more
bouncy and confused seas increased in their confusion.
Just as we turned around and were heading back to SF
we sighted 3 gray whales that appeared to be just
hanging out i.e. they were not travelling so they were
easy to see and we stayed with them for almost an
hour. Mike had been in radio contact with the Wacky
Jacky and they soon joined us in our whale-watching.
Our timing was perfect, and this sighting saved the
day. Instead of heading directly to SF, we took a ride
over to Double Point where we had fabulous views of
our spectacular coastline accented by the beautiful
Alamere (sp?) falls. As we proceeded south, we found
just about all the murres that breed on the Farallones
- there were thousands upon thousands all aggregated
in huge flocks - very spectacular!! So, even though
we didn't make it to the islands, it was still a
decent trip. Other species seen: a few harbor
porpoise, WEGU, CAGU, all three species of cormorants,
surf scoters, and Western/Clark's Grebes.
-Carol

Hi guys,

Here's what we saw yesterday, saturday the 19th

1 mola mola
2 gray whale blows, but both uncooperative, no looks
at them.
10+ harbor porpoise
40+ eared grebes at SEFI
1 adult male surf scoter at SEFI
8+ sooty shearwaters
all three cormorants( pelagic, doublecrested and
brandt's)
3 Black oystercatchers at SEFI flyby
6 black-legged kittiwakes
common murres
1 cassin's auklet
~40 rhinoceros aulkets

The swell was from the NW and wind from the SE so we
had many queasy passengers. The wind died down midday, but then in
started raining. Good thing there was plenty of room for the
passengers inside the cabin in the afternoon. Disappointing to get skunked
by the whales, and to have gotten drenched. one cool thing was that the
passengers got to watch a landing at the island. We had a Fish and
Wildlife volunteer get onto the island and Dave Gardner from PRBO get off
the island.

Dave tells me that the gulls are starting to pick
out their territories, but often the gulls will disappear all
together at times throughout the day. Murres are present at the
shubrick colony but sporadically leaving en masse. And cassin's auklets
are beginning to vocalize.

well i think that was it. Oh yeah, Mike said that on
Friday they came across five orca off the shelf, a few miles from
SEFI. They were fishing (or squidding) for Humbolt squid when they
appeared, dove and scared the squid away. If you get a chance, take a
look at the squid jig--it's a scary looking thing!

melinda

A rolly polly day. Wind and swell had calmed down from Saturday, so we
headed out to the SEFI. Clear day, 8' swell and 10K wind. Many
passengers (15+) were gastricly aware. Made our way through the 14'
swells at the potato patch. Arrived at the islands to find some grays.
Got good looks at 3 different grays (2 adults, 1 juvenile) and at least
3 other whales in the distance.
Marine Mammals
6-8 grays
3 harbor porpoise
Harbor seals
Elephant seals
CA sea lions
Steller sea lion (1 at Shubrick Flat)

Birds (10 species)
Common Murre
Rhino Auklet (in winter plumage at SEFI)
Western Gull
Common Loon
Western Grebe
Eared Grebe (lg flock at SEFI)
Double Crested Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Black Oystercatcher

~Doreen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doreen Moser
Assistant Director of Education
The Marine Mammal Center
1065 Fort Chronkhite
Marin Headlands
Sausalito, CA 94965

Hi guys,

Here's what happened on saturday the 5th!

Foggy in the morning at first, but burned off within the first hour or so. Sunny blue skies the rest of the trip. Swell about 9-10 feet, no wind until we reached Point Reyes. Wind was blowing 17knt with 12 ft swells at SEFI so we cruised north west along the coast, taking in great view of our gorgeous coastline, including Alamere falls. Saw a blow off Tennessee Valley in 45 feet of water, but the whale did not stick around with us. We found at least two, maybe three more grays in 30 fathoms southwest of point reyes. We traveled along side them, gettting excellent views for about 45 minutes, despite the wind picking up.

four gray whales
10+ Harbor porpoises
40+elephant seals hauled out
Harbor seals
Brown Pelican
Pacific Loons
Common Murres
all three cormorants
winter plumaged PIGU
Osprey, at Point reyes, about a mile off shore
surfscoters, western/clarkes grebes,

melinda

Summary of our Natural History Adventure to the Farallones on Sunday, January 16, 2005 by Carol Keiper

From the very beginning of our offshore ocean adventure, the sunny, clear skies lifted our spirits as we headed out under the Golden Gate Bridge. Because the Gray Whale is currently migrating from northern Alaskan waters to sunny Baja California, we knew we were going to be looking for these large baleen whales today. But we also learned from our naturalists Doreen Moser and Carol Keiper that we should also expect to see some of the other remarkably diverse life found off central California and sure enough, it happened. Within a few minutes of passing under the bridge, we were treated to a fabulous sighting of a group of harbor porpoise chasing after some small (unseen to us) fish, perhaps some anchovy? To snatch a quick breath before disappearing again, these small (~5 ft) porpoises resembled a ‘chocolate kiss’ as their dark back and triangular-shaped dorsal fin broke through the surface of the water. The waters were also full of several hundred surface-diving Western grebes, along with gulls and pelicans gliding overhead. What a great start to our adventure! Next we slowly approached some resting harbor seals, draped like little sausages on the shoreline rocks near Pt. Bonita Lighthouse. As we continued on, we made our way towards the Farallon Islands, covered with guano and birds part of the year, but during winter and spring, they are covered in a lush green ground cover, benefits from the winter rains. When we arrived we learned from the biologists that came to our vessel for a brief visit, that there were already 32 Elephant seal pups that had been born so far this season. This is the breeding and pupping season for the Northern elephant seal and we soon were able to pick out their bodies scattered all over the rocks and marine terrace, along with California sea lions and Steller sea lions. While we were still gazing at the island life, our Captain Mick Menigoz directed our attention to something that caught his attention to the west – a BLOW!!! Yes, it was a whale, not one, but two Gray whales on their incredible journey south, a migration that will lead them to the lagoons and bays of Baja California to breed and give birth to their calves. We were able to stay with these whales for almost an hour and were amazed at their barnacle-encrusted backs, explosive blows, and beautiful lighting caused by the bright sunlight reflecting their patchy gray-white skin as they came to the surface to breathe. Because their migration is so close to shore it is relatively easy to spot these whales and on our way back to San Francisco, we sighted several more whales. We also saw the following seabirds throughout the day: Brandt’s Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Western Grebe, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Western Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Surf Scoter, Common Murre, Cassin’s Auklet, Brown Pelican, and a Red-tailed Hawk. We had a wonderful day away from the pressures of our life on land, and a great tonic of ocean adventure!

www.sfbaywhalewatching.com Trip to the Farallones and Beyond, 18 July, 2004

SIGHTINGS TRIP REPORT

SEABIRDS MARINE MAMMALS Other
Brown pelican Steller sea lion Ocean sunfish
Caspian tern California sea lion Moon jelly
Forster’s tern Elephant seal Brown jelly
Western gull Harbor seal Lion’s mane jelly
Heerman’s gull Harbor porpoise
Double-crested cormorant Gray whale
Brandt’s cormorant Humpback whale
Pelagic cormorant Blue whale
Common murre
Cassin’s auklet
Rhinoceros auklet
Pigeon guillimot
Tufted puffin
Parasitic jaeger
Red-necked phalarope
Northern fulmar
Sooty shearwater
Pink-footed shearwater
Black-footed albatross

With less than a ¼ mile of visibility on our journey to the Southeast Farallon Islands we were able to smell the islands before even seeing them! Although they were enshrouded in fog we were still able to see the multitudes of birds, seals and sea lions covering the rocks. Just as we were about to leave we sighted a Gray whale and after spending some time with this whale we ventured off into more fog and much deeper water. Suddenly, the fog lifted and we were treated to incredible vistas of bright sunshine and deep blue water. We searched for wildlife heading north for awhile and then looped around and headed south and when we were about five nm from the Farallones (still completely enveloped in fog) we were treated to one of nature’s most spectacular sights - six blue whales! The spectacular colors of the water and the reflections of the light off the light gray bodies of the blue whales while submerged just beneath the surface were truly unforgettable! Just as we thought we had seen all there was to see for one day, we encountered yet another large whale, the Humpback, on our way back to San Francisco!

Carol Keiper, Marine Biologist/Naturalist