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Great First Day on the Water out of Barra de Potosi!
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Hello, friends and fans of the Whales of Guerrero Research Projec

We are in the thick of it now!

Science!
On the whale population, identification and distribution front, we've been on the water five days a week, from Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM. We've been seeing humpback whales about 60% of the time, turtles and dolphins almost every day and recording wonderful vocalizations.

Speaking of dolphins, we encountered a group of 6-8 rough toothed dolphins who were showing great interest in a whale which was moving about on the surface in a very interesting manner. It is possible that the whale could have been giving birth or it could have been entangled, or it was just having a weird day. Of course, this was the day that I went diving with our singing biology teacher (more about that later), so didn't get to witness this event, but man, have we got some beautiful rough toothed dolphin pictures for you. We also saw a group of about 10 rough toothed dolphins two weeks ago - one of them seemed very pleased about the yellowtail fish it had in its mouth from the way it was showing it to its companions and us. This is really special because little is known about rough toothed dolphins and when they are encountered, they are generally beyond the continental shelf. These groups were within two kilometers of the shore, making this a potentially promising area for rough toothed dolphin studies in the future.
Notice the white lips of these rough toothed dolphins. They are considered the ugly ducklings of the dolphin world but we think they're gorgeous.
Baby whales are getting breachier, mama whales are getting splashier, males are singing like crazy. It is going to be a super fun February on the water.

Education!
I played some of my whale vocalization recordings to a group of kids at the local village library. I wish you could have seen the wonder written all over their faces when they heard whales singing for the first time. Now, when I walk through the village, they zoom along beside me on their bikes making whale songs. I am flattered. This week we'll hold a second workshop and share the 13 (!) fluke IDs we've collected so far and begin to teach the village about fluke identification and start the local catalog of humpback whale fluke IDs.
The visiting English teacher and librarian from Germany has been doing a wonderful job teaching the kids about whales and local marine wildlife in spirit of our project.
We have a map and calendar up on the kindergarten wall, which is in the center of the village, and every day, I fill out our sighting numbers and locations and now many people ask me what we saw and tell me when and where they saw whales. The whale spotting network is starting to work!
Andy Wex, a marine biology teacher from Oregon, joined us for a week and charmed and inspired everyone he encountered with his wealth of knowledge about nature and goofy whale songs. Workshops with Andy included a presentation to the Zihuatanejo Department of Ecology and Education, lots of one on one time with local guides and fishermen, a science walk with foreigners and another one in the village. Andy got to see the lagoon (where roseate spoonbills are just starting to nest while over a hundred other bird species also are doing their birdy things), make friends with a pufferfish and see the diverse marine life underwater in our bay, and spent four days looking for whales with us. He will share what he learned with his students back home and begin to build a cultural interchange between his class and this place and the people here.
Kids are clamoring to go whale watching. Very few of them have ever seen a whale or dolphin up close in the wild even though they are right here. As kindergarteners, they get to go to the Delfinarium in Ixtapa to touch dolphins, but we have wild dolphins, right here, in this Bay. I want these kids to witness the bottlenose dolphin's wild and free cousins, and so we will begin taking 1-2 kids with their parents out on the water with us for shorter periods as a part of the educational component of this project.

Outreach!
Have you liked us on Facebook yet? (http://www.facebook.com/whalesinmexico). If you need more whales in your newsfeed, I recommend you do. I have been posting our updates and juicy pictures of whales and other megafauna that I love for your enjoyment.

Last Sunday, Teri Jackson-Sattler, a project supporter (and incredible chef) who lives in Troncones, a village about an hour north of here, held a fundraiser to expand the project to their region starting next year. The food and setting was exquisite and we received 9600 pesos that day in support of the project. Our whales travel back and forth between these two areas and beyond, so we hope to be able to get enough funding to run three studies concurrently next year, in Bahia de Petatlan, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa and Troncones, develop a solid whale spotting network and keep bringing great scientists and educators down here to teach people about whales, safe boat practices around them and the marine naturalist's paradise that we are so lucky to be a part of.

Speaking of fundraising, I built the budget for next year's project and you can see what we hope to do next year and how much we need to be able to accomplish our goals here: http://www.whalesinmexico.com/donate.htm

So many of this project's victories have been intimate and kept me smiling all day. Chats on the porch about whales, ecotourism and how it can help to protect this area, surprise text messages reporting whale sightings from fishermen and people who live on beaches who I have never met before, little kids running down the street after me to tell me how excited they are to learn more about whales next week at the library. It is really good that I get to be here, staying in this village and available for interactions like these. Thanks again to Laura Kelly of Casa del Encanto for donating the room so that I can be here.

Up Next:
In addition to this week's workshop at the library, Pablo Mendizabal and I are getting ready to present the project to the boat operators, fishing and tour guides of Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. This will help us to develop a whale spotting network, generate awareness about best boat practices around whales and the work we are doing on the water. I am also getting ready to have a whale themed event one night in the village, which will include underwater footage of humpback whales, whale songs, and lots of information.

Things are happening, guys. This project is taking place at the right time and the right people keep appearing to help it move forward in such a good way. None of this would be happening if it weren't for your support. It takes a village like you to save a village and an ecosystem like this. Thanks again for all you do to make this project a reality. Come visit!

Katherina

http://www.whalesinmexico.com
Phone in Mexico: 755-127-1583

 
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