Wildpics

We ran all night into a rough north wind; the Spirit bounced and bumped making sleep hard for everyone. In the morning we found ourselves headed for the lee of San Jose Island. Quickly, we spotted a group of 300 Black-necked (Eared) Grebe all together in one big group. Next we stopped at a rocky point on the island’s southeast corner to look at some roosting birds. We had great views of the blue feet of the Blue-footed Boobies! We also saw Brown Pelicans, Yellow-footed and Heermann’s Gulls as well as Brown Boobies. Next we headed up the San Jose Channel where we spotted a Bryde’s Whale. The rostral ridges, which identify the species, were seen well. And we could smell its bad breath that indicated recent feeding. We also saw a Striped Marlin “tailing” on the surface.
 
Next we headed to Nopolo, a small fishing community at the mouth of a stunning, volcanic rock canyon. Many of the birds we saw here were similar to the species seen yesterday. However, our guides were very happy to provide really good views of Xantus’s Hummingbird. This endemic species is different from the Costa’s Hummingbird we had seen previously. Many orioles, cardinals and Phainopepla were seen as well. 
 
We returned to the Spirit and soon found a Blue Whale right next to the boat. We could see the whole animal through the clear water in the high midday sun – beautiful!  
 
There were more whales and we then realised we were surrounded by up to seven different Blue Whales. The whales were diving deep, feeding on krill.

 

Heading north, we were frustrated to find a whale that was hard to identify and we came across a large group of storm petrels. A few Least Storm Petrels here were a good comparison to the more numerous Black Storm Petrels. They were not only smaller in size, they had a much quicker wing beat and more direct flight.
 
In the far distance we spotted a group of Short-finned Pilot Whales near San Diego Island. We estimated there were around 30-40 in the group and they were showing some interesting behaviours. At first they seemed like they were feeding and there were some gulls hovering over as they surfaced. One breached three times right next to the boat and at times you could see the whole group under the water. The whole group would come up together and you could hear them blowing.
 
We headed north and we spotted a group of Sperm Whales. We passed another smaller group of Pilot Whales and we had to race against time as the sun was setting. One Sperm Whale surfaced two miles away, but we decided to continue north knowing we wouldn’t get close enough before that whale dove. We soon relocated the first whale, which was now much closer. We watched it for a few minutes before it fluked. Another Sperm Whale surfaced nearby and we raced towards it and just got to see it fluke in the sunset. The ultimate climax to a perfect day! We went to Catalina Island to anchor for the night.