Boca de Soledad, Bahia Magdalena
Whale lice are not necessarily a breakfast topic, but we were seeing and talking about them just after sunrise. The reason? We were following mom-calf pairs of gray whales and were amazed at how quickly the lice had colonized the babies. Gray whales are infested with three species of imbedded lice, one of which, (Cyamus scammoni), is endemic to the gray whale. They usually are found in areas of reduced water flow such as around barnacle clusters, the blowholes, and folds in the skin. The lice, which are actually a crustacean, feed on the whale’s skin and damaged tissue, but overall do not seriously harm their host. In the above photo of a three to four week old calf, the lice are clustered around the margins of the lips as they were transferred from mom to calf during nursing. Whale lice are unable to swim freely in any stage of their life and are passed between individuals during mating or nursing.
When not talking about whale lice, many hours were spent observing the pairs of gray whales from the Zodiacs. We followed these leviathans out to the “boca” with the falling tide and then late in the afternoon they returned past our anchorage with the flooding water. Three pairs of moms and calves spent the last hour before a glorious sunset within two hundred meters of the Sea Bird while being observed by many happy whale enthusiasts.
Some of us did take a break to go ashore during the day and explore the sand dunes and a large cormorant roosting area. Birders were treated not only to three species of cormorants, but also to a “dancing” reddish egret, flocks of Western sandpipers, and a cooperative pair of stunning American oystercatchers. Some of our younger explorers engaged in dune jumping, while the rest were beachcombing for natural treasures, searching the dunes for tracks, or simply whale watching from the comfort of a beach chair. The night was spent with a traditional Mexican fiesta that included fish and lobster tacos from the local restaurant “Ballena Gris,” and songs by “El Maestro y Sus Chavitos.”
Whale lice are not necessarily a breakfast topic, but we were seeing and talking about them just after sunrise. The reason? We were following mom-calf pairs of gray whales and were amazed at how quickly the lice had colonized the babies. Gray whales are infested with three species of imbedded lice, one of which, (Cyamus scammoni), is endemic to the gray whale. They usually are found in areas of reduced water flow such as around barnacle clusters, the blowholes, and folds in the skin. The lice, which are actually a crustacean, feed on the whale’s skin and damaged tissue, but overall do not seriously harm their host. In the above photo of a three to four week old calf, the lice are clustered around the margins of the lips as they were transferred from mom to calf during nursing. Whale lice are unable to swim freely in any stage of their life and are passed between individuals during mating or nursing.
When not talking about whale lice, many hours were spent observing the pairs of gray whales from the Zodiacs. We followed these leviathans out to the “boca” with the falling tide and then late in the afternoon they returned past our anchorage with the flooding water. Three pairs of moms and calves spent the last hour before a glorious sunset within two hundred meters of the Sea Bird while being observed by many happy whale enthusiasts.
Some of us did take a break to go ashore during the day and explore the sand dunes and a large cormorant roosting area. Birders were treated not only to three species of cormorants, but also to a “dancing” reddish egret, flocks of Western sandpipers, and a cooperative pair of stunning American oystercatchers. Some of our younger explorers engaged in dune jumping, while the rest were beachcombing for natural treasures, searching the dunes for tracks, or simply whale watching from the comfort of a beach chair. The night was spent with a traditional Mexican fiesta that included fish and lobster tacos from the local restaurant “Ballena Gris,” and songs by “El Maestro y Sus Chavitos.”
