Searcher Natural History Tours

Get your bids in early for a spot on our Labor Day 5-day pelagic birding tour! The silent auction is OPEN now!

Kuyima Tours has shared their gray whale census numbers for this week in Laguna San Ignacio!

San Diego Bird Festival's silent (virtual) auction is now OPEN! Great opportunity for birding related items...including a free spot on our 5-day Pelagic Birding Tour! Searcher Natural History Tours

Are you wondering how gray whales are doing in Laguna San Ignacio this season? So are we!

TODAY!! Tune in! The American Cetacean Society @americancetaceansociety will be hosting a Virtual Conference Date: Saturday, January 30 (9:30am to 5pm*).

Last day of trip was a full one on Cortez Bank. Thank you Todd McGrath David Pereksta and Dave Povey

Good day of sightings out west! Todd McGrath Alisa Schulman-Janiger David Pereksta and Dave Povey

Day 2 in the Channel Islands!

Pelagic Tour is off and birding! First afternoon's report just posted. Trip leaders are: Todd McGrath, David Pereksta and Dave Povey Thanks to Tom Blackman for use of his photos!

Longing for some spacing, the great outdoors, fresh ocean air, and marine wildlife? Our annual September pelagic birding/whalewatching tour has that "space" and a spot for you! With leaders @Todd McGrath, @Dave Pereksta @David Povey https://www.bajawhale.com/pe/pelagic-birding-tour-2018-2-2/

Mystery Monday revealed! The answer is: Sperm Whale by Sally W. and by Mike W. ... Paul A. Jones, Searcher naturalist, gave us the following sightings report from a recent trip: "On March 18 aboard Searcher we found a group of about 20 sperm whales just east Isla Espiritu Santo in the Gulf of California. We had 20 animals that surfaced very near Searcher in 5-7 smaller groups. One whale swam straight toward Searcher affording a great view of its asymmetric blowhole before it fluked up and dove. Others bobbed at the surface for long periods as they recharged their muscles with oxygen, providing excellent opportunities for passengers to take photos of these impressive, deep-diving whales." paul jones bio: https://www.bajawhale.com/naturalists/paul-jones-n/ https://youtu.be/2nReXeB39Zc

Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess this animal? We decided to make it a bit harder this week. This photo was taken on one of our trips in Baja. We'll reveal the answer on Friday, so stay tuned for the answer and more from the field! by Team Searcher

Mystery Monday revealed! The answer is: Humpback by Mark W.

Mystery Monday revealed! The answer is: Sea Turtle That Monday mystery creature is, as far as I can tell, a green sea turtle. The animal in the Friday reveal is a loggerhead sea turtle. On Searcher trips in Baja we see both of these species regularly and can also spot Pacific Ridley's and hawksbill turtles, though rarely. Leatherbacks are also possible, but I have only seen them up north. In any case, it's difficult to identify them at sea and we rely on an ID key created b...y Seaturtle.org (http://www.seaturtle.org/documents/ID_sheet.pdf) and good photographs. We look for the number of prefrontal scales as well as the nuchal and costal scute patterns. Green sea turtles lay eggs in Baja's lagoons as well as in the upper part of the Gulf of California. Loggerheads are fascinating in that they forage in our waters but don't nest locally. Instead, they migrate all the way back across the Pacific Ocean where the females lay their eggs primarily in eastern Australia and Japan. Paul Paul A. Jones See more

Mystery Monday revealed! The answer is: Long-beaked Common Dolphins Thanks to this gorgeous slow-motion footage from Paul A. Jones, Searcher naturalist, we can see why common dolphins are such a treat to witness while aboard Searcher in Baja. Common dolphins are strikingly marked and are often found travelling together in large groups or pods, sometimes up in the thousands. They are a joy to encounter as they often leap, splash back on their sides, and, as seen in this video..., "bow ride" in the pressure wave made as the boat moves forward. This footage captures the precision, athleticism, and agility of these dolphins as they quickly swim, surface, feed, and even socialize all while maneuvering in the bow of the boat. We often see very young calves swimming alongside mothers, both keeping up the pace! Also in this video you can see remoras attached to some of the dolphins. These are suckerfishes that attach themselves via a flat sucking disk on their heads to larger marine animals such as whales, sharks and other fishes.