Orca Watching PDF for Distribution

I'm posting a pdf of my column on the risk to Southern Resident Killer Whales from whale-watching boats and the alternative -- land-based whale-watching. Feel free to print and distribute it to anyone who might be interested.

Orca Watching -- with No Harm Done

Orca Watching with No Harm Done

This summer, I had the time of my life on a whale-watching boat trip to see orcas around San Juan Island. The orcas I saw are known as Southern Residents -- a sub-group or maybe even sub-species of killer whale (the other name by which orcas go). Much to my chagrin, I later discovered.that the presence of the boats can harm this endangered population -- not just from collisions as you might guess, but from air and sound pollution, as well as other factors.

Altogether, there are 80 to 90 Southern Residents, distributed among three pods, or extended family groups, known as J Pod, K Pod and L Pod. Each whale has distinctive markings by which it can be recognized. Scientists have used these markings to identify and name the individuals. They have also drawn up genealogical charts showing who is related to whom.

When whale sightings occur, naturalists are able to say which animals they are -- whether J1 (born 1951) or J2 (born 1911) and so on. Many of these animals also have English names.

You can imagine what if feels like to return from a whale-watching ride in awe from seeing "Mike" breach, only to learn that your boat may have put Mike's very health and safety at risk.

Does this mean you should give up the idea of ever whale-watching for orcas in the Pacific Northwest? Not at all! Just don't take a boat to do it. There are excellent locations for watching whales from land along the Washington and Oregon shores, including Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island.

Read Orca Watching, my October 2009 This Green Life column to learn more. You may also enjoy In the Bay of Whales, a kiss-and-tell story about gray whales at Laguna San Ignacio in Baja, where, by the way, stricter regulations of whale-watching boats exist to protect the whales.

Favorite nature spots

About 14 months ago, I had the idea of sharing favorite nature spots among readers of This Green Life using Google Maps as the vehicle. This nature map has received some 300 odd contributions and is still going strong today. It includes recommendations of many amazing places I'd never even heard of.

Finding them isn't always easy. Google, as fabulous as it can be in some respects (not least for making it possible to create your own maps for free), provides no way for me to organize the list of spots down the side, which means viewers just have to hunt and peck to find places that speak to them.

So I decided to advertise a few interesting places in my June NRDC column, "Vacation Ideas for Nature Lovers." They are not so much the best of the lot (though they are wonderful) as they are a representative sampling. At the same time, there are some parts of the world left glaringly out. All of Canada, for instance, and Hawaii. But space was limited and I thought it was important to highlight a few less obvious sites.

Spyhopping gray whale at Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California, Mexico

Please consult the map to see the full range of recommendations -- and add your own. (See instructions below in the right column.) People all over the world see the pop-ups when they search on the place names. So get your best-loved places out there -- and include pictures if you can.

You are also welcome to comment here on your favorite nature spots.

My own all-time favorite is Laguna San Ignacio in Baja California where gray whales congregate in winter to mate and give birth. Read my kiss and tell story from my visit there in 2006.

Baby pigeons

My daughter has two new charges, given to her for foster-parenting by the Wild Bird Fund. Unlike Pidgie, these pigeons were not injured, just orphaned and malnourished.

Here's what they looked like the first day. The somewhat older one, Buddy, who is standing, was already doing a great deal of wing-flapping and making flight attempts a few inches here or there. Max, the real baby, would just follow Buddy around by foot.



After a couple of weeks, they could both fly, but Buddy was able to go higher. Their favorite place quickly became the bookshelf. I guess they liked the height. Buddy would go to the highest shelf he could manage and Max, who continued to follow Buddy around, would settle in a couple of shelves below. One day we decided to make him happy and put him on the same shelf.



By now -- about a week later -- they can both get to the top and are almost ready for the big wide world.

My Daughter Saved the World!

Watch this video to see how -- and read my companion piece on NRDC's This Green Life, where I make the connection between saving city pigeons and saving wild wolves, who are now facing government sponsored hunts in the west. Save the wolves and save a world, too.



By the way, the group where Rita, the wildlife rehabilitator my daughter speaks about, volunteers to help injured birds (not just pigeons, by any means) is the Wild Bird Fund. Check them out and if you're so moved, please contribute a little something. They do great work.