Argentina

November 6-29, 2009

November 12: Punta Ninfas: Punta Flecha

By the time we had lunch and started heading back to Puerto Madryn it was getting pretty late. We debated on whether to stop and see the sea lion colony but opted instead to try and spot one of the famous right whales from an observatory on shore at Punta Flecha, just north of Puerto Madryn.

There were lots of people at the observatory, but no one seemed to have see much. We stayed for a bit and walked along the cliffs where we had a lookout over the beach. And lo and behold, in the distance we spotted a whale breaching the water! We were quite far away still... too far for the kids to make it out. What impressed us was how close to the beach the whale was... the people on the beach probably got an excellent show! Declared municipal protected area in 2001, El Doradillo beach shelters the land and sea landscapes along 30 kilometers of coast. This is one of the few places where southern right whales may be watched from the shore. On the beach, chosen for its calm and warm waters, the females give birth to their young and breast-feed them between June and November. The whale calves do not develop the fat layer that enables them to float until they are from 30 to 40 days old. Therefore, their mothers carry them around on their fin in the area near the shore and have a rest on the pebble bed. The ideal time to see the whales is when the tide begins to rise.

More info:
The southern right whale (ballena franca austral) comes to the sheltered wates of the Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José to breed. Weighing up to 50 tonnes and measuring up to 18m (the females are larger than the males), these gentle leviathans are filter-feeders, deriving nutrients from the plankton they sift from these as with their baleen plates. Once favoured targets for the world's whalers - they were the 'right' whales to harpoon, as they were slow, yielded copious quantities of oil and floated when killed - they have now been declared a National Natural Monument since 1984, and are protected from the moment they enter Argentine territoral waters. This foresight has enabled the present tourist industry to develop, reinforcing the economic value of keeping these creatures alive; their charming curiosity - a trait that once put them in danger - now makes them one of the most enjoyable cetaceans to view in the wild.

Females reach sexual maturity between 5 and 6 years. They have a slow reproductive cycle and have a single offspring only once every 3 years with gestation estimated at 12 months. No one has observed the birthing of a southern right whale.
Calves can swim and dive in shallow waters shortly after birth.
After weaning and until maturity individuals are not accompanied by their mother and are called sub-adults.

On our way to Punta Flecha.

Although I think the morning at Punta Ninfas already has had its toll on Christopher!

Tower at the Punta Flecha Observatory.

In 1984 the southern right whales (ballena Franca Austral) was declared a National Natural Monument and was put under the maximum protection that the law can afford a species.

The whales have clearly defined areas of thickening of skin at birth distributed mainly in the area of the head called "callosities". These crack over time and are colonized by small crustaceans. The permanence and stability in the configuration of calluses they can be used to identify individuals.

After a deep dive, the right whales emerge almost vertically, raising two thirds of the body outside the water to fall on their backs and then eventually on the sides. It is believed that whales use the sound it makes when it leaps to communicate with each other, or to remove parasites attached to the skin.

The location of the external respiratory orifices of the whales is one of the adaptations of these animals to their environment. These spiracles are located on the top of the head and backwards. They have powerful muscles that close the holes and prevent water entering into the lungs. When the whales exhale they fire off two columns of moist air and steam particles together with secretions from the airway and lungs. These columns or clouds rise, forming a "V" that can reach 5 feet. The way of blowing can distinguish a right whale from other species.

The view towards Playa Doradillo.
Whale watching from shore is strongly encouraged as it does not impact the breeding whales.

People watching (im)patiently for whales.

From this viewing station biologists count the whale population that approach the Nuevo Gulf every year. From this control post, the arrival of the first specimens is observed in May and they can be watched all along the coast until December.

Bored of whale watching, Christopher checks out the bird identification sign... that's the one!

Long-tailed meadowlarks (sturnella loyca) are easily identified by the scarlet red on the breast, which is brighter in males. The rest of the body is greyish brown. They are often seen in low areas and scrubland. They feed on seeds.

View of the beach from the cliff.

OMG! There's a plume of water coming out of the water from a whale unbelievably close to shore!

You can barely make out where the whale is, even with the zoom...
we were very envious of the folks sitting on the beach who were getting an amazing show.