MZT Whale Video

Always when I go out on the boat, I watch for whales… but I no longer bring my camera. It is SO hard to decently photograph whales from a safe distance. However, if you are “El Debate” and want close-up whale pictures, you pay a panga to get really (dangerously) close and take some spectacular home videos. They are all taken just off the coast here, so sighting whales at play is technically possible. Photographing them is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Click here to go to the video. It’s in Spanish, so you can either mute it or lend an ear. You will be surprised how much you understand when the Spanish is clearly spoken and in technical terms. She does speak quite quickly, but try to relax and catch the jist of what is being said. Then watch the video again.

Fart Facts

Did you know…..

• Fart gas is a natural by-product of digestion.
• On average, a person will fart 14 times a day, unless he/she has been eating beans. Certain polysaccharides in beans are undigestible by humans and so are consumed by gut flora instead. It’s them that produces the extra gas… not you. Doesn’t that make you feel better?
• On average, a persons’ fourteen daily farts will fill a pint sized jar.
• Farts are flammable.
• Farts can exit the body at a speed of up to 7 mph.
• If you are confined in a box, you cannot suffocate yourself with your farts. Now I’m sure you feel better!
• Certain foods do make you fart more:  beans, corn, bell peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, milk, bread, eggs, beer, raisins, brussel sprouts, onions, lentils, leeks, oats, yeast, radishes, sweet potatoes, cashews, rutabagas and turnips are prime offenders.
• Farts are made up of 59% nitrogen, 21% hydrogen, 9% carbon dioxide, 7% methane, 3% oxygen and 1% other crap. If the hydrogen has excess sulfides with which to combine, the farts will stink.
• Nerve endings inside your anus allow you to distinguish between a fart and a poop.
• Generally speaking, the larger the fart, the less smelly.
• Bodies can still fart after death.

Top Ten Farting Machines

#10 – Gerbils

#9 – Carnivorous Humans

#8 – Vegetarian Humans

#7 – Labrador Retrievers

#6 – Elephants

#5 – Cows

#4 – Sheep

#3 – Zebras

#2 – Camels

#1 – Termites.  Termites produce more methane (CH4) than cows and more than all man-made polluting machinery combined. They do not, however, produce any other pollutants or toxic substances.

More Red Tide Info

The other night when we came back across the shipping channel in the water taxi, the red tide had flowed in and was creating a cool phosphorescence in the boat wake. Sometimes, when the little animals (dinoflagellates) that are red tide get disturbed, it causes them to fluoresce. This is called “bioluminescence”. Here is a cool video of what bioluminescence looks like in breaking waves; something we were able to see at the bonfire before last. I was researching this phenomenon and came across another article written a while ago about a red tide episode that occurred in 1996. It is a very good treatise and is in English.  This is the link.

Turtle Nest Movie

Yesterday afternoon, a young Ridley’s Oliveback turtle female came ashore right in front of La Lagunita, made her nest and laid her eggs. The phenomena drew quite the crowd as this single individual performed her ancient ritual. It was quite impressive. The EDM turtle program has made a lot of progress. One can only hope that this individual is a result of EDMs efforts 8 – 10 years ago and that she portends more to come in the future. I am sure that Erendira will well care for her eggs and perhaps we can all be there when they are released next year. What a Solstice Gift! By the way, you can read more about EDMs turtle project on their website. The link is listed on the blogroll, right hand column and down some. The video that I made will also be listed there. But for now, just click on this link to see this wonderful, ancient dance.

http://cloud.muvee.com/openalbum/edm/hHFh9iItIph

Coati Sighting

Have you ever seen an animal with a long furry tail, held aloft like a flagpole? It’s a coati (pronounced co-ahhh-tea). It’s a member of the raccoon family, Procyonidae,  and it’s a common mammal of the Americas’ tropical regions. In Mexico, it’s called Tejon, which also means “badger”. But it’s not a badger. It’s a coati, and they are easily tamed and make good pets. I saw one the other night foraging along the bushes in front of the reception area.

Wikipedia has the following description:

“White-nosed coatis inhabit wooded areas (dry and moist forests) of the Americas. They are found at any altitude from sea level to 3,500 m (11,500 ft), and from as far north as southeastern Arizona and New Mexico to as far south as Ecuador.

 

Feeding habits

They are omnivores, preferring small vertebrates, fruits, carrion, insects, and eggs. They can climb trees easily, where the tail is used for balance, but they are most often on the ground foraging. Their predators include boas, raptors, hunting cats, and Tayras (Eira barbara). They readily adapt to human presence; like raccoons, they will raid campsites and trash receptacles. They can be domesticated easily, and have been verified experimentally to be quite intelligent.

Behavior

They are primarily diurnal, retiring during the night to a specific tree and descending at dawn to begin their daily search for food. However, their habits are adjustable, and in areas where they are hunted by humans for food, or where they raid human settlements for their own food, they become more nocturnal. Adult males are solitary, but females and sexually immature males form social groups. They use many vocal signals to communicate with one another, and also spend time grooming themselves and each other with their teeth and claws. During foraging times, the young cubs are left with a pair of babysitters, similar to Meerkats. The young males and even some females tend to play-fight. Many of the coatis will have short fights over food.”

While I have commonly seen a troop of coatis on the way down to Stone Island, I have never seen one on the developed part of the EDM property until last week; there was one across from Deb & Jack’s place heading towards the 5th green. Imagine my surprise when I saw this little guy looking for lunch in our patio area. I can’t imagine they will do much harm, but they may leave little “packages” for me to scoop up on my weekly patrol for cat “packages”. They are not aggressive like some  raccoons but they are attracted to food, especially cat food. So beware and don’t be surprised if you see our little friend.

 

Cool Video

Group Releases 478,000 Turtles

The Noroeste newspaper recently published an article concerning the “Grupo Tortuguero de Sinaloa”. There was a meeting and a workshop down at the Mazatlan Aquarium. Estrella’s own Erendira González Diego ( head of the Star of the Sea turtle camp), as well as Cecilia Garcia Chavela and Hugo Sarmiento (representatives of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas) attended. Also attending was Ingmar Sosa, a member of the camp Playa Ceuta and representatives of the other nesting camps. The Grupo Tortuguero announced that during the 2010 season,  four hundred seventy-eight thousand sea turtles were released off the coast of Sinaloa state. The results reflected data from seven different  nesting areas, Ceuta, Celestino Gasca, El Verde Camacho, Acuario Mazatlan, Estrella del Mar, El Caimanero and  Cacaxtla. Problems that affect turtle populations were discussed and have been identified with the leading causes of mortality and morbidity being poaching, bycatch (accidently getting caught in a net without a turtle release mechanism), resort development (grooming the beaches), unregulated pollution, and entry of motor vehicles in nesting areas. Riding horses in the nesting areas are also a leading cause of nest destruction as is disturbance by predators such as dogs, cats and coatamundis. Poaching was the leading cause of mortality but the members of the Grupo Tortuguero specifically called for more regulation of motor vehicle access to the beach area. In this regard, Ángel García Contreras, director of Ecology, has undertaken to review the situation in coordination with public safety. Additional participants included Raquel Briseño, researcher at the Institute of Limnology, UNAM; Alan Savala, representative of IDRC Guasave, Hector Contreras, turtle camp of El Rosario, Angeles Cruz and Jose Barron Mazatlan Aquarium. Other authorities attending were Alejandro Camacho Mendoza, Profepa State Delegate; Alejandro Lechuga, coordinator of the southern Profepa and Angel Garcia Contreras, director of Ecology.

RESULTS
Representatives of the turtle camp figures presented their work.
Nests found: 7, 188
Incubated eggs: 673, 364

Turtles released: 478, 980
Poached nests: 372
Adult turtles killed: 17 

Today’s Visitors

I brought an oriole feeder with me when I returned from LA last month and have really been enjoying my new visitors. I have two species of orioles (streak-backed & black cowled) and a Colima warbler (not pictured) who are very much enjoying the blackberry jelly that I offer them. They have turned into little feathered pigs, however, requiring me to refill the feeder daily. I thought you might enjoy the photos that I took.  I hope you have all taken the time to view the link that Robert Ross shared with us last week. I watched it again today and enjoyed it just as much. I managed to get another photo of the little painted buntings that have been hanging around when the male came to the grass growing at the base of the seemingly dead plumeria tree on my patio. He was just stunning!!

Slideshow of Birds at Estrella del Mar – by Robert Ross

Robert Ross was visiting here at Estrella last month. Perhaps you saw him about with a very large camera lens? I asked him to share some of his photos with us and he sent me this link.  I cannot view them on my brand new Mac, but those of you with PC, please cut and paste the link below and enjoy.  I was able to see them on my half-dead PC and it it VERY WELL worth it to go look…. especially if you also like Strauss……. Enjoy!

http://www.photodex.com/share/Robert_M_Ross/x8499mg4

Courtesy of Robert and Deanna Ross

ross.seascape@shaw.ca

Peregrinations

It’s time. It’s time for the butterflies to hatch, fly, mate and die. It’s time for the birds to display, mate and nest. The little frogs in the drain at the clubhouse are urgent with their mating calls. It’s almost time to go back; to leave “the bubble”. So much is going on right now in Mazatlan. A local union president is calling the US State Department warning “an act of terrorism”, emphatically stating that it is not warranted. The hotels, some only 40% occupied, are starting to shut down. The pulmonias can’t afford to buy gas. The fishermen can’t seem to get it together and are all blaming each other for the collapsing fishery. But when I see all those butterflies out on 12, 13 and 14, I forget almost everything.