It is the time of the year that the Grey Whales are making their journey back north migrating some 6000 miles along America`s west coast from Baja California to the Bering Sea. The grey whale is one of the flagship species representing my “B2B – Freedom to Roam” project. They literally migrate the entire distance twice a year. It is the longest migration undertaken by any mammal on the planet. For me it was really important to document this migration story as part of the project.

Thousands of whales return to the lagoon systems of Baja California every year.  It is where the mating takes place and where pregnant Grey Whale mothers give birth to their calves. Over the past 2 years I spent several weeks in the different lagoons of Laguna Ojo de Liebre, San Ignacio and Bahia Magdalena to get  a true insight into this part of the whale`s life. It is magical how the lagoons come to life with the whales.

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SPRING MIGRATION – HEADING NORTH

It is the time of the year now, that the whales are heading back north. Males start leaving the lagoons as early as February, followed by the females without calves in early March and eventually by the females with calves in late March and April. Traveling an average of 75 miles a day the journey back north takes them about 2 to 3 moths.

I had a “slight” change of plans and instead of staying in Baja California until May I am heading north to the Arctic myself. I am planning to photograph arctic wildlife, while the landscape is still frozen and the animals are shown in the arctic elements.

THE WINGED MIGRATION

I have been working on my second Freedom to Roam project ” B2B – The Wild Coast ” for a few years now. This spring I came back again to Baja California to photograph aspects of the massive migration that takes part along America`s West Coast. I was specifically interested in the different shore birds and waterfowl that rely upon a “daisy-chain” of wetlands on their migration to their nesting grounds up north in the high arctic. A lot of the habitats are in tidal zones along the coast. They are facing different pressures from encroaching development and the possibility of significant sea-level rise in the coming decades. For me the migrations symbolize the interconnectedness of the natural world like few other phenomenons.

In comparison to legged land mammals, birds have the incredible advantage of wings that lets them overcame huge distances of unsuitable habitat or developed landscapes. They however cannot master the enormous migrations without adequate reserves of energy. Migratory birds are dependent on important habitat that lets them consume large quantities of high energy food in a short period of time. It is therefore essential we set aside such important migratory bird sanctuaries that allows migratory birds to stop over in the course of their long migrations.

Migration hotspots can be found all along the west coast. One of the most famous locations for the Western Sandpipers is the Copper River Delta near Cordova, Alaska. Several million western Sandpipers make a stopover there before they continue their journey to the arctic.

I have been asked to provide our most striking wildlife image from last year. I wanted to ask around to get a more neutral approach, because I have fallen in love with all of this ones. So I thought writing a blog post might be the best way!

So I just need to know, from your perspective which ones from the following images, you think is the most striking wildlife shot!

Please try to be as selective as possible, that way I already can see what is worth sending and whit what I can spare some time.  If it gets published, I will let you know :0) Just click on the comments below, and you will find a form to send me the # number of your favorite image.

Thanks for your help! Here are the images:

#1 Caribou migration from the air. Alaskan Arctic:

#2 Aerial perspective of Murres swimming over icy waters. Alaskan Arctic.

#3 Munk’s Devil Ray congregation. Baja, Mexico.

#4 Ringed Seals resting over ice caps. Alaskan Arctic.

#5 Aerial perspective of two huge Fin whales launch feeding. Baja, Mexico.

#6 A wild mexican female jaguar patrols her territory close to Calakmul Biosphere Reserve,  Mexico.

click on comments below and send me the # number of your favorite shot! Thanks for your help! My deadline is next Monday

Rudder tighten up, engines off, we stop to listen. Only the pure quietness of a still day rises the possibility of us finding a whale if it happens to be in the vicinity. We’ve searched with the binoculars, but haven’t found anything yet.

We’ve been here for a while,  awaiting patiently. I am taken by the stillness of the place, hypnotized by the infinite blue of this waters and my imagination telling me what might be hidden beneath. Every slight movement over the water is carefully studied by the corner of my eyes.

And then, unexpectedly, like a volcanic eruption reaping the water apart, an immeasurable amount of air awakes me violently. Florian is nervous and we jump out of our place excited, shaky. It is a blue whale and she is few feet from the boat. Stepping into each other’s feet and hesitant as what to do, we stop for a moment to realize what we are truly contemplating. After few seconds of  shock, Florian is finally able to find his camera. 

The sun is setting, faster than we are used to. Here in the south the sun sets faster than in nordic lands, where we have spent more time.Running out of light and few minutes to enjoy the sight of a Blue, Florian needs to make fast decisions. A close up of the fluke is a most, but that is the last you will see of a whale before it disappears again.

Florian loves combining the subject within the landscape: the blow from the distance, with the mountains in the background would make a beautiful composition.

When the Blue Whale comes up to the surface to breath, they don’t stay very long, and when they disappear, it is for at least 20 to 30 minutes. We are here because we have seen blues before from the air traveling this waters. Only from that far one can truly appreciate their sheer size. Her body is three or four times longer than our boat. Yet, she gently swims by our boat like if we weren’t there.

I hear the rushing train of the camera, trying to capture this moment that escapes our eyes by the second. After this we will be anchoring at night, but been with a blue whale is worth everything.

I have seen the giant, I could not be happier with such a wonderful end of the day.

Ojo de Liebre, San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay are the most important calving lagoons for grey whales in the Baja Peninsula, and documenting them in these places was key to understand the importance of maintaing the sanctuaries protected. Magdalena Bay is famous for its large complex system of mangroves that shelters large stocks of fish, many resident and migratory birds and offers a unique sanctuary for hundreds of grey whales. 

And it is here where only few centuries ago Grey Whales were slaughtered without mercy, and were brought to the brink of extinction.

The grey whale has a along story of survival, it represents an icon of hope for the future of other whale populations. It is difficult to believe that today, one can glide over the waters of Magdalena Bay and have close encounters with this enigmatic, gentle creatures. 

One early morning, right before sunrise, Florian rides on a panga and goes searching for whales. Soon he realizes, it was his lucky day. A calm windless morning welcomes him over the water as they approach the mouth of the bay. There, he tells me, blows of many whales fill the horizon in a unique harmony of silence and blow. 

They turned off the engines, drifting quietly, awaiting for the whales. And just like that, after a short period of time the whales swam toward the boat. One whale soon became three… and more! Up to six whales were counted surrounding the panga. With an inquisitive behavior that makes of these mammals the most sociable and curious of all, the whales went gliding sideways right below the boat to take a closer look. Swinging their flukes slowly, they approach the boat with care. 

Once called “devilish” because of their fierce behavior while protecting their young during the massive hunting of the 1800′s, it is astounding that today this incredible being is able to forget -or shall I say, forgive- our terrible behavior and reward us once again with their trust.

There are many ecological issues that could threaten the future of Magdalena Bay, thus jeopardizing the future of the whales. The most concerning one is the large scale housing development the peninsula has experienced in the last decade. If it continues to grow at today’s rate, the bay might be facing serious ecological problems and whales could be confronting difficult challenges to survive.

After  traveling for months on a ’84 WV Westfalia with 24 feet of sitting space, one can understand why we are so excited about those extra 3 feet that makes our 27′ trimaran a cozy home.  Many people think having a boat is a luxury.  ” Trust Me” is far from that, with no restroom, no shower, a tiny living room without tables, and few feet for me to stand up and cook, her role is more important than providing comfort. She is a tool. With Trust Me we plan to reach wild remote areas within the Baja to Beaufort ecoregion, that need to be documented. With her ability of folding up and been trailerable, we can take her on the road and pretty much go anywhere.

With her great sailing features, her shallow draft, she is light and fast! If you have the sails in the right position and some breeze, she will go. It makes it all so much smoother, quite and environmentally friendly.  Although I must accept that it has taken Florian many hours of kind words and encouragement to convince me that sailing is easy to learn and is a good thing.

“Trust Me” has great extra features, including, solar panels, a water-maker (that we are still in the process of fixing), a solar shower (bought in REI) and my favorite: Arthur, the autopilot. When Arthur is on charge, we can enjoy the freedom of not having to hold the tiller all the time allowing us to search for wildlife.

We have now sailed the Loreto National Marine Park, and are planning to sail all the way down to La Paz to over an important area: The Loreto/ Cabo corridor. While on the Loreto waters, we discovered many incredible things including a young Humpback Whale that gave us an spectacular show… but that’s another story.

Been on a boat makes you a lot more aware of your surroundings. You are in the constant look out for hazards and even with Arthur in charge, you still have to continuously keep an eye on the water. Floating logs, rocks under the water, sudden changes in the depths, gusty winds, currents, tides, etc. can easily combine and leave you with a nightmare experience. 

Navigating the Sea of Cortez is more challenging because of the lack of good charts and the fact weather channels are nonexistent. You turn on the radio and soon you hear “Pablo! Pablo!  Andale, contesta!”, then a whole Mexican style conversation unfolds on the most important channel for marine communication: Channel 16. 

We’ve been really lucky with the weather, but you cannot avoid waking up in the middle of the night three or four times to check outside, to look at the GPs and check on the wind. Is the anchor ok or are we dragging? Is the wind picking up? What was that sound? 

It is a restless adventure, a constant challenge, … and we are loving it!