Today we woke to a beautiful sunrise and clear, glassy waters. Just as we were heading into breakfast, pilot Sergio Camancho drove up in his panga to join National Geographic Sea Bird to guide us through the shallow waters of Canal de Soledad. We saw incredible reflections in the water, and dolphins came to bow ride. We even got to see a bald eagle perched in the mangroves! Once we passed through the narrowest part of our transit, we started to see pairs of gray whale mothers and calves swimming alongside us. After lunch, we got to get out on the water in pangas and get even closer looks at these amazing animals. Those who weren’t whale watching were on nearby Isla Magdalena, exploring the incredible sand dunes. We all joined together again for a beach barbecue at sunset, complete with s’mores and the music of the fantastic Los Coyotes, local musicians from Puerto Adolfo Lopez Mateos. What a day!
3/13/2023
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National Geographic Sea Bird
El Barril
Although it was a bit windy this morning, our intrepid kayakers and standup paddleboarders set out to explore the mangroves of El Barril (The Barrel). Some guests spotted a yellow-crowned night heron and an eared grebe along the way! Three species of mangroves line the shores of the El Barril estuary. Red mangroves are the most dominant; they are found in and along the waterway. Black mangroves are found farther back from the water, and white ones are usually on higher ground with just a bit of moisture in the substrate. Seedpods from devil’s claw (Proboscidea althaeifolia) litter the upland of the beach at El Barril. This prostrate plant with fragrant, snapdragon-like flowers has mature fruit capsules with two apical hooks. These hooks are very sharp and can easily catch your shoes or the nostrils of browsing cattle! Our day ended with an outing on Magdalena Island. Here our Global Explorers took full advantage of the huge barchan dunes by jumping and cartwheeling on them and then using boogie boards for a sand surfing contest down the side of the dunes!
