Magdalena Bay, Baja California
This first day of spring was different than any most of us had spent before. And, every part of the day was different than the others . Those of us who are early risers (or who decided to masquerade as early risers for the day) enjoyed the clear, moonlit morning skies as we rose before dawn. By sunrise, all had changed. The fog had joined the scene. We did not let that stop us. Off we went in our flotilla of Zodiacs to search for gray whales in a world of gray water and gray sky. Although at first it seemed like a needle in a haystack search, we were well rewarded for our efforts. It was hard to say who saw who first, we humans bobbing and pointing from our boats or the whales spyhopping out of the mist for, perhaps, a look around.
After our morning rounds of whale watching we went ashore on the north end of Magdalena Island to explore the dunes. Natural history walks, wildlife watching, contemplative solo time, and running on the beach kept us busy. Among the bare, rippled and sculpted dunes were slightly more stable ones, held in place by plants that must race to keep their vegetation from being buried by the traveling sands. Tracks in the damp sand left stories of the local residents – coyotes, crabs and jack rabbits.
Our late afternoon excursions brought us once again in close contact with the “beings with itchy faces” (the Makah Indian name for gray whales). The itchy faces may be from the barnacles that adorn their heads, or maybe from the scattered hairs on their faces. Our observations and interactions today will stay with us long into the future. It is amazing that these whales accept us into their home as friends. We feel fortunate to have entered their realm today.
This first day of spring was different than any most of us had spent before. And, every part of the day was different than the others . Those of us who are early risers (or who decided to masquerade as early risers for the day) enjoyed the clear, moonlit morning skies as we rose before dawn. By sunrise, all had changed. The fog had joined the scene. We did not let that stop us. Off we went in our flotilla of Zodiacs to search for gray whales in a world of gray water and gray sky. Although at first it seemed like a needle in a haystack search, we were well rewarded for our efforts. It was hard to say who saw who first, we humans bobbing and pointing from our boats or the whales spyhopping out of the mist for, perhaps, a look around.
After our morning rounds of whale watching we went ashore on the north end of Magdalena Island to explore the dunes. Natural history walks, wildlife watching, contemplative solo time, and running on the beach kept us busy. Among the bare, rippled and sculpted dunes were slightly more stable ones, held in place by plants that must race to keep their vegetation from being buried by the traveling sands. Tracks in the damp sand left stories of the local residents – coyotes, crabs and jack rabbits.
Our late afternoon excursions brought us once again in close contact with the “beings with itchy faces” (the Makah Indian name for gray whales). The itchy faces may be from the barnacles that adorn their heads, or maybe from the scattered hairs on their faces. Our observations and interactions today will stay with us long into the future. It is amazing that these whales accept us into their home as friends. We feel fortunate to have entered their realm today.
