RETURN OF NUBBIN – PINELLA – A HUGE BLUE WHALE DAY
Our week 4 guests from New Mexico, England and Florida had to brave some windy weather, but were rewarded with some fabulous sightings on what turned out to be a fantastic week.
The biggest news was the return of Nubbin, a very old male Blue whale that had us all nervous as his last sighting was in 2013. But he returned this past week, and we were both very happy to see him alive, and also to report that he is fat and healthy looking and moving his body along in the same unique fashion he has for many years now. It is always good to see White Eyes, and seeing them both in the same week was a treat.
The other big news was the day we had on march 4th. This remarkable day produced about as many Blue whales as we have ever seen here in one day. 30-35 is the number that was agreed upon with 17-19 different individuals (uploading the notes will give the true number) identified. It almost seemed as if the days before whaling came alive again with Blue whales everywhere we went all day long. On our way home six more were surface feeding just off Nopolo, 5 miles to the south of the Loreto Marina.
The other oddity of the week was seeing both a Bydes and Fin whale with long Pinella on the flanks of their bodies. We know little of these parasitic copepods and had never observed them before. They are striking in appearance while being distasteful and worrisome to look at. As far as we have learned the reddish ones on the Fin whale are unique to Fin whales. We hope both whales survive being the hosts to such large ominous visitors. Both can be seen in this weeks images. The Brydes whales Pinella are black and much harder to see than the bright reddish ones ont he Fin whale. Blue whale numbers are rising as are both Fin and Humpback numbers, and 2017 is shaping up to be a fine year down here.
Stay tuned. We can only guess at what Week 5 will bring. Until next week.
Michael Fishbach
