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Feb 11, 2018 - National Geographic Sea Bird
The National Geographic Sea Bird plied the waters near Isla del Carmen as we searched for marine life within the boundaries of Loreto Bay National Marine Park throughout the morning. In the afternoon, we anchored in a quiet bay on the coast of the Baja California Peninsula for walks ashore and for the chance to kayak, paddleboard, and snorkel.
Gretchen became intrigued by plants, animals, and the out-of-doors at an early age while growing up in the San Francisco Bay area. Tolerant and encouraging parents permitted almost any pet imaginable, which provided excellent opportunities for her to observe animal behavior. Later, at the University of California, Davis, she focused her studies on zoology before completing a Master of Science degree in wildlife biology at Humboldt State University. As a graduate student, through a U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant, she researched the feeding ecology of mallards and northern pintails, a project that combined her interests in ornithology, botany, and invertebrate zoology - all lifelong passions that she still pursues today.