[CINC] Islander 1/6/09

[Dick Bellman]

Even though the trip was to hike on ESCI there were numerous notable
sightings that I thought might be of interest to share: 

 

To make a long story short:  Two pods of common dolphins, one less than 100;
one approximately 1,000

                                                   8 Gray Whales

                                                   2 non marine mammals -
Island Fox 

 

The long version of the short story .   .  .  .

            It was a small, but very diverse group of approximately 45
passengers, who ventured out to Santa Cruz with captains Dave & Anthony
along with crew Jean and Katie and yours truly as naturalist.  Passengers
represented in addition to California, Slovenia, Germany, England (London)
Ohio, Oklahoma, Nevada (Reno) and Missouri (Kansas City).  There were
actually two different sets of people from Oklahoma, only one pair of which
was excited about Thursday's National Championship Game featuring their
Sooners.  Possibly the most exciting part of the day wasn't the dolphins and
whales on the way out or the dolphins and whales on the way back.  It was
the 6 Gray Whales we followed walking back towards Scorpion from Cavern
Point.  Just as I was concluding my talk at Cavern Point, I was "rudely
interrupted" by a spout just below us.  As we walked back towards Scorpion
we found and basically walked back with one pair of 2 adult Gray's and just
outside them a group of 4 made up of 2 adults and 2 juveniles.  With hardly
any wind and the quiet and solitude one finds on the island, we could hear
them blow.  Actually sometimes when I was busy writing I heard them before I
saw them.  The couple from Oklahoma who admitted that upon planning their
trip while back home, they had doubts about what their experience on the
Channel Islands would hold for them were ecstatic as they observed and
listened to the Gray Whales.  We even were treated to a fairly spectacular
breach by one of the Gray's.  To give credence to something we already know
I want to share a comment from the woman from London who was concluding a
two month stay with her daughter in Carpinteria.  "This day out on the
Channel Islands has been the best part of my entire trip."  Amen to that.
Just before getting ready to board the boat I observed two Island Fox
checking out the soon to be completed interpretive center.  Yes, I was told
it would be finished by the end of the next month.  

 

One question that I have based on today's experience.  Should land based
sightings be included in the sightings log????  I didn't have an exact GPS
setting, but between traveling between Cavern Point and Scorpion at a
distance of 250 yds offshore seems pretty specific.  Anyway, is there a
policy, procedure or rule regarding these types of sightings?  

 

Dick

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