Ensenada Grande, Isla Espirtu Santo
First light this morning found the National Geographic Sea Bird motoring north from our overnight anchorage at Bahia Ballena toward our destination for the day, Ensenada Grande. The Captain dropped anchor just at 0700, as our Expedition Leader’s soft voice came over the PA to awaken us and invite us to join the stretching group on deck and to enjoy the glorious early light on the red volcanic walls of this spectacular bay.
Soon after a hearty and delicious breakfast, we were shuttled ashore in our Zodiacs for a morning of exploring the canyon at the head of the bay. A glorious white sand beach awaited us after the ride in over deep blue and azure waters and we were soon off on one of three levels of hike: long and rigorous, medium with more nature interpretation and leisurely with easy walking and also interpretation. Ensenada Grande is a favorite place for the naturalist staff because of its beauty, peacefulness and diversity of plant and animal species. Thus it is hard for them to contain their enthusiasm for what they are seeing along the way: desert birds such as verdins building their weaver-like nests among the cholla cactus branches and spines; plants like jojoba tracking the sun with the ends of its leaves so as to avoid drying and providing us humans with products like soaps and cosmetics and high grade oils; animals like the endemic antelope ground squirrel that seemed not to be bothered by our presence as it scurried around eating seeds and busying itself going in and out of its burrow or sunning on a rock; melodic calls of the canyon wren echoing off the canyon walls, a cascading series of falling whistles. The blur of metallic purple from the erected gorget of a Costa’s hummingbird; sweet smells of incense from the sap of the copal tree, a new world member of the frankincense family. It was almost as if we had left the beach and been transported to another world for a few hours, one without the familiar sights, sounds, smells and feel of the world we know—a peaceful place without human disturbance, a place in balance and extremely beautiful.
During the afternoon, we went to the water. The hearty snorkelers slipped into the cool waters of the bay right after lunch to check out the underwater world and were rewarded with clear water and many, many fish species. The beautiful guinea fowl puffer with its multitude of white spots on black background was a hit along with over a dozen crown of thorns stars munching away on some of the coral heads. Later in the afternoon we went to the water again, this time in kayaks or Zodiacs for tours along the spectacularly sculpted walls surrounding the bay. In either case, we were treated to a leisurely look at seabirds soaring overhead, shorebirds on the rocks and glimpses of the underwater world through the amazingly clear water. Back aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird in the late afternoon, we began to pack for tomorrow’s departure and prepare for the festivities of the Captain’s farewell cocktail party and dinner. Afterward some of us stole out on deck for our last glimpse of the dramatic outlay of stars that cover the sky in the clear, dry, dark, dark sky.
First light this morning found the National Geographic Sea Bird motoring north from our overnight anchorage at Bahia Ballena toward our destination for the day, Ensenada Grande. The Captain dropped anchor just at 0700, as our Expedition Leader’s soft voice came over the PA to awaken us and invite us to join the stretching group on deck and to enjoy the glorious early light on the red volcanic walls of this spectacular bay.
Soon after a hearty and delicious breakfast, we were shuttled ashore in our Zodiacs for a morning of exploring the canyon at the head of the bay. A glorious white sand beach awaited us after the ride in over deep blue and azure waters and we were soon off on one of three levels of hike: long and rigorous, medium with more nature interpretation and leisurely with easy walking and also interpretation. Ensenada Grande is a favorite place for the naturalist staff because of its beauty, peacefulness and diversity of plant and animal species. Thus it is hard for them to contain their enthusiasm for what they are seeing along the way: desert birds such as verdins building their weaver-like nests among the cholla cactus branches and spines; plants like jojoba tracking the sun with the ends of its leaves so as to avoid drying and providing us humans with products like soaps and cosmetics and high grade oils; animals like the endemic antelope ground squirrel that seemed not to be bothered by our presence as it scurried around eating seeds and busying itself going in and out of its burrow or sunning on a rock; melodic calls of the canyon wren echoing off the canyon walls, a cascading series of falling whistles. The blur of metallic purple from the erected gorget of a Costa’s hummingbird; sweet smells of incense from the sap of the copal tree, a new world member of the frankincense family. It was almost as if we had left the beach and been transported to another world for a few hours, one without the familiar sights, sounds, smells and feel of the world we know—a peaceful place without human disturbance, a place in balance and extremely beautiful.
During the afternoon, we went to the water. The hearty snorkelers slipped into the cool waters of the bay right after lunch to check out the underwater world and were rewarded with clear water and many, many fish species. The beautiful guinea fowl puffer with its multitude of white spots on black background was a hit along with over a dozen crown of thorns stars munching away on some of the coral heads. Later in the afternoon we went to the water again, this time in kayaks or Zodiacs for tours along the spectacularly sculpted walls surrounding the bay. In either case, we were treated to a leisurely look at seabirds soaring overhead, shorebirds on the rocks and glimpses of the underwater world through the amazingly clear water. Back aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird in the late afternoon, we began to pack for tomorrow’s departure and prepare for the festivities of the Captain’s farewell cocktail party and dinner. Afterward some of us stole out on deck for our last glimpse of the dramatic outlay of stars that cover the sky in the clear, dry, dark, dark sky.
