Magdalena Bay
Waking in Magdalena Bay on the National Geographic Sea Bird, there was only one question, “Are we going to see whales today?”
The air was cool before the sunrise and during stretch class we began to sight blows in the distance—there were gray whales right off the starboard side of our ship! Soon, we lowered the Zodiacs and began two rounds of Zodiac tours. It’s hard to imagine that these gray whales travel over 5,000 miles from the Bering Sea to Magdalena Bay, as it provides a nursery for mother whales and their calves.
In the morning, some saw three rambunctious adult gray whales. Also, we explored the edges of Magdalena Bay, poking our nose into thickets of mangroves. These saltwater-adapted trees play host to numerous species of birds and juvenile fishes. We also encountered various species of beautiful butterflies and a pod of bottlenose dolphins.
After lunch, we went ashore at Boca de Soledad to explore the dunes and coastal wonders. Hikers there saw royal terns, white ibis, and magnificent frigate birds. We also found an enormous vertebra of a whale. As we returned to the ship with sand in every orifice, a large male California sea lion swam close to the Zodiacs.
After a challenging morning searching for whales, the afternoon gave us perfect light and relaxing accompaniment of mother and calf traveling alongside our Zodiacs. Camera shutters and “ahhh’s” traveled across the ocean’s surface, as we floated nearby this frolicsome calf and its stolid mother.
As the sun set, three local musicians (a mariachi band from Lopez Mateos) “Los Tres Coyotes,” arrived on their Zodiac and delivered live music, which accompanied our Mexican fiesta dinner.
Today proved that anything is possible when it comes to Mother Nature. Baja is truly wild; you can never predict what wonders will happen.
