Believe in big blue...

There is a joke in my family that blue whales don't exist.  I now know that that isn't true. Because I SAW ONE! <Insert high-pitched squealing here>.


Wednesday night we got word that there had been a possible sighting of a blue near Pamilacan, so we headed out on Thursday morning to check it out.  Blue whales are rare around the world (listed as endangered by the IUCN red list- the global listing for wildlife species), but are particularly rare in the Philippines.  There has only been 4 confirmed sightings EVER, with the earliest only being in 2004.  Now of course, it doesn't mean that blues didn't exist here before last decade, but there hasn't been a whole ton of cetacean research done in this area, and therefore, little is known about what could have/should have/would have been here prior to massive global whaling that targeted species like blues.

The survey started out by finding our friend the Bryde's whale- the same animal we had spotted in the area last week.  We hung out with it for a bit to collect some more information on it's diving pattern and take a few ID shots to confirm it was the same individual before heading off in search of something else.  The waters seemed suprisingly quiet and just as our concentration was starting to waiver, one of the boat crew spotted a blow wwwaaaaayyyyy in the distance.  It was a BIG blow and as we got closer we realize it was a BIG animal.  (Please note that most of these pictures are cropped, but some of these pictures are closer than 100m, which is the guideline for approach not only in Canada, but the Philippines as well.  We are under a research permit, and also had the engines off when the close photos were taken).

Blue with Pamilacan in the background (Physalus 2012)

Needless to say, there was a bit of scrambling for cameras, video cameras, data sheets and the rest when we finally realized what we were looking at.  I think I was actually in disbelief for a bit- I was looking at a creature that was almost somewhat mythical to me.  The biggest creature to EVER to live on earth.  EVER.

This blue wasn't actually that large for a blue whale.  We estimated about 20m (large individuals can break 30m), but it was still impressive.  It is possible that the blues seen here in the Philippines are of the pygmy variety (like those found in Sri Lanka), or this could have just been a smaller/younger animal. The one feature that really struck me was the 'splash guard' around the blowholes- huge compared to something like a humpback. 

Starting down a nose of the blue, who had just changed directions.

Splashguard in profile.

The whale was also covered in remoras, which are essentially hitch-hiker fish that have a specialized suction cup on their heads to attach to larger animals for a lift!

Remoras on the flank under the dorsal fin.

Surreally, as if the sighting could get any better, it did!  A group of spinner dolphins all of a sudden mobbed the whale (why dolphins do this to large whales is unclear, my theory is that they are just jerks). The whale took off with the dolphins in hot pursuit.  Imagine the scene, a blue whale booking it as fast as it could and a group of about 100 spinners flying through the air at their top speed to keep up!  Our little banca boat couldn't match the pace, they were moving so quickly!

Blue with spinners close behind

Spinners in pursuit!

The dolphins eventually moved off and the whale slowed down, but unfortunately, we had to end our  encounter.  Leaving the scene, it all still felt a bit unreal- I'd just seen a blue whale.  They do exists, Rob...  ;)

PS.  This was my "I just saw a blue whale" face. 

An afternoon roadsie...

A few days ago, we decided to take a bit of an afternoon break from survey protocols, paper reviewing and program planning to embark on a mini-roadsie into the interior.  Seven of us smooshed into the little green beast (our most awesome mobile), and headed north to find waterfalls and rice terraces.

It was a beautiful, if somewhat bumpy, drive.  Banana trees, palms, bamboo and a scattering of domestic beasts (pigs, goats, cows and carabao!) provided the scenery.

Our first stop was a set of tiered waterfalls.  We slipped among the rocks to get a better view of the cascading water that ended in a milky blue pool. The ground was muddy and the rocks slimey, so the flip- flops I wore were a bad choice of footwear.  I should learn from my mother: always wear sensible shoes.

We then took the long road home, stopping periodically to scope out the stunning rice terraces that take advantage of the hilly terrain in the area. The rice shoots are still green right now (apparently they get golden brown later on) and the sculptured steps looked like lush carpet.

 Once the rice is harvested from these fields, it is dried along the side of the road on large tarps.  I can't even imagine how much rice is produced in the entire country seeing how much is cultivated in just this one area. Philippinos love their rice, eating it for every meal of the day.  One of the Filipinas I've met told me she just doesn't feel right if she hasn't had any with her meal, that she will become devoid of energy.  At brekkie, it's often garlic rice and at other times of the day plain.  At the evening food stands near the market, you get sticky rice in bamboo wrappers that you dip in soy sauce with chili.   All good for me though, I have always been a rice fan.  Now, time for dinner.  Rice, anyone?

Friends and Neighbors: Argiope Spider

Time for a confession (deep breath): I am not a huge fan of spiders.  Now, this isn't a very cool thing to admit as a biologist, as we are supposed to think all animals are 'awesome' and show no fear.  Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have out of control arachnophobia.  If I know where they are and they aren't large or hairy or leaping out at me from surprising locations, I am fine with them.  But there are times when I get spider induced heebeegeebees. I blame my Dad (sorry Pere, you are awesome in many ways, but I attribute my dislike of spiders to you).  At some point in my impressionable years, my sister was in her teenage angst phase and moved her bedroom to the basement.  For those of you that know my parents basement, it's not really 'finished' and can, at times, be the denizen of spiders and other such creepy-crawlies.  One morning she schlepped herself upstairs, wearing her housecoat and jammies and was unknowingly accompanied by what I can only describe as a huge-ass wolf spider on her back.  We shrieked, she chucked off her housecoat, and my dad came to investigate what the high-pitched noise was about.  Exhibiting Dad-bravery, he caught the spider in a baseball card case.  Knowing that the case was locked, as a joke (like father's tend to do), he tossed the case (with huge-ass spider inside) towards me.  I lost it- completely terrified.  Now, I could wax philosophical about how society has trained us to hate spiders and how the fear of 'other' has villafied them...but I will spare you. Long story short, spiders = not awesome in my eyes. However, this is my new neighbor and I am ok with it:

Meet an argiope spider.  They are everywhere here.  They are kind of awesome for several reasons.  First, they stay put.  You don't find them creeping around or lurking about places you don't want to see them.  They stay on their web and don't pop out of anywhere unexpectedly (like the creepy huntsmans!).  Secondly, they build a kick-ass web. It's beautiful- I admire their craft. They are an orb spider; apparently this type of spider builds some of the the strongest webs in the spider-world and if undisturbed can last several years!  Thirdly, they exhibit some serious girl power.  The females are huge and powerful, the males are piddly and small (typically 3/4 of an inch to the females inch and a half, see pic above).  Hee hee.  Last, they are stunning.  Really beautiful, don't you agree?

I'll try to introduce you to a few more 'Friends and Neighbors' over the next little bit.  As a teaser, the next edition of FaN will be about the 6 adorable puppies that are currently 20m away (squeeeeeee, puppies!!!!!).

Pamilacan Paradise

I am smitten. Oh Pamilacan, how lovely you are.  Wednesday morning we headed out to spend a few days surveying the waters surrounding this former whaling community.  Up until the mid-1990s the people of Pamilacan were whalers- exploiting the rich diversity of cetaceans that used the area. In fact, a pamilak was the hook-like implement used by the whalers. Sadly, as with many hunts, the whaling wasn't sustainable and the catch declined. Eventually, in approx 1994, whaling was made illegal. Luckily, the cetaceans are starting to return.

Even without the returning whales and dolphins, Pamilacan would still be a paradise.  The waters alternate between varying shades of gemstone: stunning turquoise, jade green and emerald blue.  The sand is white, with thatched huts and homes set back amongst grass that looks as uniform as astroturf thanks to local goats that graze freely.  Plumeria (fragipani) trees are scattered about, dropping down their lovely scented flowers.  Dinner is served al fresco and consists of fresh caught fish, the mandatory rice, and tasty veggie dishes.  There is a fabulous dog named Bogart that greets you enthusiastically with a bow-wow and a rapidly wagging trail. Electricity is only available from 6-11pm.  Windows always stay open and shoes are abandoned as soon as you set foot on the island.  At night, lightening flickers in the muggy skies.  I love lightening.

 

Ten steps from our door and my toes were in the water.  A few fin kicks later, and I was snorkeling amongst some of the most beautiful coral I've ever seen.  I floated over top of huge pieces of soft and hard corals- mesmerized by these impressive colonies of tiny creatures that form such intricate structures.  Amongst the corals was a myriad of reef fish.  I know a few names, but mostly just enjoyed the underwater sights instead of identifying them all.  Some of my faves: a regal angelfish, a chocolate chip sea star, knifefish, pipefish and too many types of anemonefish to count.  While I haven't yet had the opportunity to dive here, snorkeling through the reef made me remember how much I love being underwater.  The only shock was my first view of a kraite- a sea snake!  Eek ( actually shrieked into my snorkel at one point when it was close)!  But also super cool.  It undulated through the coral, coming to the surface for a quick breath, it's black and white stripes contrasting against the blue water.  (underwater pics from my co-worker).

Of course, we were there to work.  Our trip was sponsored by a Filipino nature and travel television show.  They were there to tape an episode about cetaceans and asked our Principal Investigator to be the expert on board.  The whole thingwas a bit goofy, but probably stories better told in person than on the internet.

Despite the silly made-for-tv moments, we had a productive few days.  The seas were flat calm- great sighting conditions.  We spotted spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, melon-headed whales, Fraser's dolphins (another new species for me), and most excitingly, a Bryde's whale.  Bryde's whales are large rorquals, in the same family as fin whales and minkes, though mostly found in the tropics.  They were targeted by the whaling activity in the area, with the last one landed in the mid-1990s.  After exploitation, sightings had been virtually non-existant until the past few years.    Our sighting (same animal on two days) lends hope that they may be making a comeback- reminisant to the humpback comeback we've witnessed in Johnstone Strait over the past decade.  As Bryde's are still a very under-studied species, we stuck with it for a few hours taking it's inter-breath and dive intervals as it meandered in circles in the same spot.  It's amazing how consistent the animal was, 12 breaths about 30 seconds apart and then a 5 minute dive.  With the engine off, we could hear the huge whoosh of breath, but unlike the chilly conditions of home where blows hang in the air, the blow dissipated quickly in the humidity.  Upon closer inspection for photo-ID, we could also detect huge numbers of cookie cutter shark scars- perfectly oval bites dotted the flanks of the animal, which appeared bronze in colour (diatoms?). 

On top of the cetaceans, we were also there to look for whale sharks.  We are collaborating with several groups to better understand whale shark distribution and abundance in the Philippines.  In Pamilacan, they are known to arrive just outside the Marine Protected Area at dusk.  The first night we stopped by the area and there were two sharks!  Unfortunately, we were a bit late, and it was already quite dark (the sun goes down very fast here).  Two of our team hopped in anyway, and our PI lucked out and was able to get a biopsy sample (to be added to a global genetics study out of the University of Chicago) when a shark passed by closely.  Those of us on the boat could just make out the tips of the dorsal fin and tail cutting through the water as the shark fed on zooplankton near the surface.   The next evening we headed back to the area a bit earlier, but the sharks were lower in the water column and we weren't able to have an encounter. Bizarrely, at one point on our second day of surveying, in the middle of the day, while sitting in a wide open area with our engine off observing the Bryde's at a distance on our port side, we were surprised by a huge splash on our starboard side.  A whale shark had just run into our boat.  WTF!?  It disappeared before we could react (they often dive deeply), but considering we were sitting still, in a big area, it was a bit of a freak encounter.

Sadly, we had to leave on Friday afternoon.  Zipping back along the clear water in a little white bangka, flying fish darting around us, I was feeling so lucky to be here.

Three for three!

This post isn't going to be very poetic as I am feeling really tired and a bit sunstroked, but I am going to take a quick moment to extol the AMAZINGNESS that is the Bohol Sea.  Today we rented a local bangka (ie a funny boat that looks like a skinny canoe with bamboo pontoons out the side for stability), to do a little exploratory survey.  We spent thee hours on the water and I added THREE new species to my cetacean life-list (yes, I am a nerd).  Three species, three hours. In fact, it was even less than three hours spent looking for cetaceans, as the first hour we stayed really close to shore looking for whale sharks (none!), so really it was two hours.  INCREDIBLE.   The pics, slightly less incredible.  The ol' D40 of 6 years ago isn't quite the camera I want it to be.  Oh well.  

Dwarf sperm whales!

Melon headed whales!

Spinner dolphins!

I am spoilt...

Getting festive in Anda

On Sunday and Monday, we traveled northwest an hour to the community of Anda to participate in a local festival.  It was their 'Foundation Day', celebrating the 137 years of the town (I know, 137 seems a bit of an odd number to hold a big festival for, but hey, everyone likes a party).  The event consisted of displays from all of Anda's barangays (quarters/neighborhoods), dancers, a parade, food, and the funniest triathalon I've ever witnessed. Most of the participants walked the swim, wore what appeared to be baseball batting helmets for the bike, and one did the run in some teva-esque sandals (Scott Anderson- a possibility for the Boston Marathon?).

Our participation included a booth on the marine wildlife of bohol (hmmmm...this seems familar somehow):

Which included entertaining a whole whack of kids for most of the afternoon. They were asked to draw pictures of marine wildlife, and my new buddy,  Arvin, did my favorite picture of all:

We also got to participate in the parade, which was also sort of funny since pretty much everyone in the entire town was in the parade, so there really wasn't anyone around to watch it.   I had an awesome posse of school girls accompany me along the entire route:

As I mentioned, part of the festival was a cultural show with dancing and singing:

 The bamboo poles in the picture are later used for a dance that looks a bit like double dutch, but instead of a skipping rope, they clack the poles together along the ground and the girls dance in and out of them.

The boys use coconut shells that they hold to drum against the coconut body gear they are wearing. And yes, it does look like a coconut bra (teehee).

It was a great way to learn a little bit more about local culture and to have some fun with local kids.  Later in my stay we will be putting on two large events ourselves and I am already scheming up activities and events for them.  Wishing my cetacean ladies were here to help (I'm looking at you whale girls!)!!