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A 7-marine mammal day! (1 Viewer)

Katy Penland

Well-known member
Having only moved back to southern California a few months ago, I still haven't gotten my fill of reacquainting myself with the ocean and have been hanging out at the cliffs on Palos Verdes Peninsula looking at birds and whatever marine mammals happen by.

We're just on the leading edge of the annual Gray Whale migration from the Bering and Chukchi Seas to the calving lagoons in Baja California, Mexico, and so far 4-5 Grays have been seen since December 2. They'll be steaming by in earnest in another 2-3 weeks.

But this morning, as I was enjoying a hot cuppa about 6:45 a.m. on my favorite Starbucks' patio, about 2,000 Common Dolphins were less than a mile offshore, and a half hour later, a small group of Pacific White-sided Dolphins were less than 100 yards from the cliffs, along with a similarly sized group of Bottlenose Dolphins. A nice "good morning"!

I wasn't quite ready to work so headed a half-mile down the road to Pt. Vicente where I perched on my favorite picnic table right on the edge of the cliffs and almost immediately saw a tall blow way off in the distance. It was too far to ID confidently, but it was definitely either a Blue or Fin whale based on how high, thin and lingering the blow was. I personally think it was a Blue since I didn't see any dorsal fin, which is almost non-existent on Blues but much more prominent on Fins. Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions were either feeding or hauling out onto exposed rocks to dry off and snooze.

Okay, time to go get something constructive done.

Coming back home late afternoon, I decided to drive by the beach in Redondo and, in addition to some frantically feeding Bottlenose just outside the surfline, I saw several blows 5-6 miles offshore. I assumed they were Grays, but at that distance there was no way to know for sure, so I headed out to the end of the Peninsula, which got me about 2 miles closer.

Holy moly. A pod of Killer Whales! About 11, as nearly as I could tell, all of them quite scattered but moving into Santa Monica Bay. I could see at least two mature males (distinguishable by their tall, straight dorsal fins), at least two pair of smaller orcas surfacing together (probably two cow-calf pairs), and 5-6 (probably more) individuals with their smaller, more falcate (curved) dorsal fins.

I immediately called the researcher with whom I've worked in years past getting photo IDs of individual orcas that occur off the western North American coast, and she immediately called another researcher and photographer with a boat who, in less than 20 minutes, was zooming below me and heading out across the bay.

Wow, it's just so cool to see these critters even though I know they're here every year. But the downside, if you can call it that, is that when Killer Whales are roaming around, every other marine mammal within echolocation shot boogies. ;)

Hope they're hanging around tomorrow. Would love to see them a little closer, see if those were in fact a couple of youngsters in the group. :t:
 
What a super sounding day, Katy. To see so many in one day, fantastic. :bounce: I grew up in Marin County so am familiar with what you describe so I can well imagine it all. Great account too. :clap:

Joanne
 
Jeez Katy,

You sure know how to make someone jealous! It makes me long for my college days seawatching from the cliffs west of Santa Barbara. Seven cetaceans to boot, wow! Somehow, a sea of creosote just isn't the same.

Chris
 
Chris Benesh said:
Jeez Katy,

You sure know how to make someone jealous! It makes me long for my college days seawatching from the cliffs west of Santa Barbara. Seven cetaceans to boot, wow! Somehow, a sea of creosote just isn't the same.

Chris
"Sea of creosote"! ROFL! I remember the first time going out on the Condor Express (nee Condor) from Sea Landing and being totally put off by the smell of crude. I ignorantly (but to myself) blamed the oil rigs just offshore -- until I learned about the natural seeps from the ocean floor. Then I actually appreciated the lovely colors this thin skim of oil makes on the water's surface. ;) Although I'm sure it must drive boat owners nuts trying to keep their boats clean.

Actually, only 5 cetaceans. Much as sea lions and harbor seals like to "porpoise" along, they still can't join the club. ;) ;)

Thanks Dave and Joanne, it was really fun! It's pretty foggy even yet this morning, otherwise I'd already be out there, seeing if the orcas have hung around the area. I'll keep you posted. :t:
 
Katy Penland said:
"Sea of creosote"! ROFL! I remember the first time going out on the Condor Express (nee Condor) from Sea Landing and being totally put off by the smell of crude. I ignorantly (but to myself) blamed the oil rigs just offshore -- until I learned about the natural seeps from the ocean floor. Then I actually appreciated the lovely colors this thin skim of oil makes on the water's surface. ;) Although I'm sure it must drive boat owners nuts trying to keep their boats clean.

Actually, only 5 cetaceans. Much as sea lions and harbor seals like to "porpoise" along, they still can't join the club. ;) ;)

Doh,

That will teach me to try and respond to emails at two in the morning. Seven marine mammals, yeah that's the ticket, yeah.

Ah yes, the smell, it did get pretty bad at times.

Anyway, I'm not sure I could live so far away from the ocean if I didn't get a chance to visit it regularly on my trips.

Chris
 
Chris Benesh said:
Anyway, I'm not sure I could live so far away from the ocean if I didn't get a chance to visit it regularly on my trips.
It was hard those first few months in NE AZ, believe me, after living most of my life less than an hour from the beach. ;)

Today had to wait for a thick fog to lift, hoping to see something wonderful again, and not an ounce of blubber anywhere! A few birds hugging the shoreline, including a Great Blue Heron who'd commandeered a floating piece of wood -- not that that's unusual, but it was in over 10' of water, which was. Then I figured out what it was doing. The log was floating in a bed of kelp, and I'll bet the GHB was hunting for fish that use the kelp canopy for cover. Pretty clever. :t:
 
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