From the Whale's Mouth

I never thought I would get a glimpse inside a whale’s mouth, but that is exactly what happened this week. Every opportunity to tag along on visiting classes’ boat trips provides a chance to see something amazing. This week I joined the Coastal Ecology Class and Héctor, our Marine Mammal fellow, out in the bay to look for whales. Héctor is conducting a photo identification project mostly focused on Fin Whales and Sperm Whales to monitor populations and use of this area (the Gulf of CA is a crucial feeding ground for resident and migratory marine mammals). We were wrapped up in scarves and hats as the wind whipped off the water, but the day did not disappoint. Arriving to shallow waters off San Nicolas, we spotted a pod of Fin Whales feeding. Since they are baleen whales, they eat mostly krill by filtering large amounts of water through their mouths. To do this they sort of roll on their side with a fin out while taking in tons of water through their mouths and then pushing it back out. Not only did we get to see this incredible behavior, but we were even close enough to look inside the whale’s mouth and see the baleen! 

The other highlight was seeing about 20 Blue Whales throughout the day. Blue whales are the largest living mammal and are also baleen whales. Their skin looks more like a speckled grey and blue color, and their sheer size is jaw dropping. Many of these whales were also feeding. They do what’s called “lunge feeding” where they push forward really fast and take in the water. The whales were very calm and were coming very close to the boats. At one point a Blue Whale surfaced just past the bottom of our boat, allowing for a great view of its massive white silhouette. 

The other boat and a Fin Whale

The Blue Whale from underneath

Blue Whale Dorsal Fin

Blue Whale skin

Inside a Fin Whale's Mouth!!!! baleen!!!

Fin Whale Dorsal Fin

ALAMOS

This past weekend I took a trip with the other fellows to the small city of Alamos to experience part of their two week long cultural festival. This is where Elena, the lovely woman who works on the Indigenous Partnership Program, lives with her family. The city was built in the Spanish Colonial style and the architecture is stunning with arches on almost every building. Most of the mansions have beautiful courtyards in the center of their grounds with large trees and gardens (you can sneak a peek through the gates). I would love to live in such a house where you could have the culture of the city, but also the tranquility of nature right in your house. The population in Alamos is about 8,000 during the peak season, but drops off in the summer when temperatures rise (and the rich North Americans and Europeans go back to their other houses). 

After a grueling 11 hour travel period of multiple busses and stops, we made it to Alamos at about 5 pm on Saturday. We had planned to stay at Elena’s house, but she also had other family visiting and we were worried it would be a lot for her. As we were walking by, one of her neighbors noticed us, and offered up his empty apartment for us to stay in. I can’t imagine anyone in the U.S. just offering up a free place to stay for seven strangers! Not only that, but he cleaned it (Mexico is very dusty) before we came over and even gave us his cell phone number to call if we needed anything during the night (he had a small aborrotes, or corner store). The generosity of some people astounds me.

Over the next day and a half we walked around the city, saw dances, listened to music, and went to artisanal fairs (Albeit there was a lot of standing around for me as someone who likes to stick to a schedule!). There were at least 4 different stages were various acts were scheduled throughout the day and evening. Almost everything was free to the public. We decided to pay 60 pesos (roughly $4.50) to see an Opera in the evening, because when else could I pay that little to see opera performed? My favorite part was really how amazing the people were. Despite there being lots of people and crowds, everyone was very tranquilo (calm) and polite. Unlike some other places that I have travelled where people push you over the smallest things, no one here was aggressive. For example, a Mexican group was performing songs in the street at night. They would stop to sing and then move onto another location. Everyone just followed them almost like a parade while singing along. Even when there were some men giving out free wine, no one pushed! It was a really pretty city, and I hope to get the chance to spend more time there in the future.

the girls: Laura, Yutsul, Alumine, Marlu

Yutsul & I overlooking Alamos

Local crafts

Central Plaza

Opera house

Birds eye view of the houses with courtyards inside

Back to the Desert

I am always perplexed how sometimes life moves by at such a slow pace that you can almost count each day in minutes passed, while at other times it moves so quickly it’s as if it never happened. For me, the month of December was an intricate combination of the two. After the students went back to Prescott early in the month and the fellows returned to having the station to themselves, it felt oddly quiet. Shortly after, the fellows began heading home in rapid succession. Despite having a bit of field work left to do, I was struggling to stay on track as I eagerly awaited my turn to spend my first Christmas at home in three years.

Finally my day came and I made it back to the Cape. There were even some welcoming flurries on our drive to remind me what snow looks like. My time at home was a blur of yummy food, spending time with family, catching up with friends, and of course, seeing my dog Finn. I couldn’t believe how small he looks in comparison to Ocotillo (my Mexican pup) who is over 40 lbs now!

Next up I jetted back to Phoenix to meet Neil for a whirlwind tour of Arizona. The red rocks of Sedona were stunning, as was the Grand Canyon as inspiring as I could have imagined. The trip sped by and before I knew it we were on the bus heading back to Kino Bay… however, this part was pretty brutal as the already long journey was extended by many hours due to our bus breaking down.

I’ve been back at the station for almost 2 weeks now but in that time I’ve already moved and started various new projects including grant writing and there are Brown Pelican nest’s to monitor. I now live in a small house attached to a boat storage facility due to a huge influx of students this quarter. It’s simple, yet very comfortable. Ocotillo is enjoying his new bed I lugged with me all the way from Phoenix, and I am enjoying having a little more independence. My commute to work is a three minute walk and I even have an ocean view if I sit at the dining table just right. Muy tranquilo. 

nueva casita

living area with Ocotillo enjoying his new bed

cocina

Sedona AZ

Grand Canyon

Montezuma's Castle AZ

A week in my shoes

I have fallen a bit behind on keeping up with my blog, so instead of writing I thought this time I would showcase what I have been doing over the last week or so with some photo highlights.

Helping out the Environmental Education Class design their "ideal bird"

Presenting at the CafeCientificoCommunitario (a Local Lecture and Discussion Series) along with Hector, Greg, and Caro about the importance of Estuaries

Taking a break to hike in the nearby canyons with some students and the dogs of course!

Watching the "Dia la Revolucion" Parade in town to support the Ecology clubs

This picture was taken on the beach right in front of the station. There were 7 shrimp trawlers offshore seeking refuge from high winds

I conduct a census of nesting Double Crested Cormorants on  Isla Alcatraz twice a month: this was the first week I got a good look at the chicks!

I also was really excited to see 3 pairs of American Oystercatchers feeding on Isla Alcatraz

Estero Sargento

The pace has really picked up lately! In addition to my normal field work and assignments, I have been participating in some of the courses that the Prescott Students are taking here. Currently, there is a group of 10 students here who are studying introduction to Natural History and Conservation of the Gulf of CA. I have gotten to help out with teaching some of their field work, but more importantly, I am able to tag along on their field trips! It has been great for me because I get to learn more about the area and visit places I normally wouldn’t be able to (free, woohoo).

Last week we went on a 3 day camping trip to Estero Sargento. Sargento is a negative estuary (no regular freshwater influx) which is located in the territory of the Com' Caac (Indigenous tribe in Sonora). In order to visit there, we had to go with a guide. Alfredo, a Com' Caac elder, has been working with students from Prescott for many years. As a member of the Counsel of Elders, he feels it is his responsibility to share information about his tribe and the land. He came with us along with his wife and two grandchildren. He answered our questions and talked about the ways of his people, the threats to the environment, and the changes to his community occurring from development. His family holds the traditional knowledge about plants and he described many medicinal uses to us, but he was also able to talk about the natural history of the animals.

While I can’t explain the experience in such a short blog, I will say that Sargento made my list of most beautiful places. I slept under the stars on the beach and woke up to the birds feeding in the golden shimmer of the sunrise. It was incredible to be surrounded by such distinct ecosystems. On the one side you have harsh, dry desert with sprawling mountains, then you have the ocean, dunes, and mud flats, and finally the channels with white, black, and red mangroves. There were so many things to discover. I hope I have the chance to go back and appreciate it more.

Unfortunately, the trip had a somber cloud hanging over it. Despite the beauty of the place, and its importance as a protected area and nursery for so many creatures, it is still being exploited. Estero Sargento is one of the very few remaining estuaries closed to shrimp trawling because the land is actually owned by the Com' Caac and not the Mexican government. There were 11 illegal shrimp trawlers fishing in the estuary when we were there! Apparently, they are paying off the Com' Caac governor to be there. Additionally, there is a 4 lane highway being built through their territory which is largely opposed by the Com' Caac people, but again, the top players are being paid off. And finally, we saw at least 8 dead Green Sea turtles (which are legally protected) that had been hunted. While there are protections in place, there is just so much corruption. Sometimes conservation work just seems like you are up against too many negative forces, but it was inspiring to hear from Alfredo that he opposed all of these things and was worried for the future of his land and his grandchildren.

Tepupa Mountain

The class hearing stories

crazy sand dunes

my room

the morning view

Snowy Egret

oh Halloween

Since my favorite holiday is Halloween, I am always a bit sad when it comes around and I am out of the country. It’s just not the same. I always dress up anyway and try to get my hands on some type of pumpkin resembling squash to carve and cook the seeds, but I miss the days of trick or treating around Cachalot Lane with the neighbors. I miss making special treat bags with my Mom and watching the little kids come to the door. But most of all, I miss the never-ending candy!

This year was a little more like home because since the Prescott courses started again, there are a bunch of Americans. We ended up having a costume potluck which more resembled Thanksgiving than anything else. I made some buttery caramel popcorn and enjoyed every bite. Some of the other fellows and I had ventured to the next town over to check the secondhand stores for costumes. It was tough going, but I ended up finding some fake rabbit ears, which gave me the idea to be a taxidermy specimen (trying to teach and have fun!). There are these amazing Antelope Jackrabbits around Kino which have HUGE ears and lanky legs. I see them in the early morning when I’m out walking Ocotillo, but have yet to be quick enough to get a picture of one. Anyway, with my limited resources I made it work, and was an Antelope Jackrabbit specimen for the party. We also bobbed for apples. If only I could make Apple Cider Doughnuts….

Me as an Antelope Jackrabbit

Los Becarios (The fellows from bottom L: Yutsul, Marlu, Me, Laura, Caro, and Hector)

Caro as the witch with Cosmo the kitten

Whole Lot of Fabric

Despite living in a gorgeous location, sometimes boredom sets in when you haven’t left town in awhile. Last week I was excited to get out of Kino to the capital of the state, Hermosillo, to support one of the staff at an event. She is a member of a dance group in town that performs traditional Sonoran (the Mexican state I live in) dances. There was an exhibition in the city with performers from all over the area. The groups were usually male and female, and dancers were as young as about 5 to people in their 70’s! The performances took place on the walkway outside the library so that both the audience sitting on the steps and the drivers passing by could get a good look. It was really cool to see everyone all dressed up. The women wear elaborate dresses that have tons of extra fabric. As they move they are constantly swinging their arms around in a graceful manner that looks kind of like a butterfly fluttering about. The dress that our friend wore used about 20m of fabric to make! There is a definitely a Spanish influence in the dresses and the men dress as vaqueros (cowboys). Some of the dances even seem like country line dancing which I found pretty amusing.

Lily Dancing

The Kino Dance Group

Vaquero's dance