Peninsula San Marcial and Isla Monserrat
There is hardly a better way of spending a beautiful morning than walking through the Baja California Peninsula. As our first Zodiacs approached the desert shoreline, the fragrances of the desert transported us instantly from a marine environment to a very contrasting and wonderful arid environment.
Walking through the Baja California Peninsula is different from exploring the islands. Here, there is a greater diversity of plants and animals, and a few hints of human presence. Some of the highlights of the morning were the numerous bird species seen today. An unexpected surprise was to see several of the Xanthus’s hummingbirds, which are unique to the southern peninsula.
One of the subtle hints of human activity are the cow pies that lay dry on the desert sand. There is a fascinating history behind the cattle of the Peninsula. After the disappearance of the Pericu and Guaycura natives, or “Californios”, and the departure of the Jesuits in 1767, the “ranchero” culture was born. Groups of hardy men and women who by their own will remained here to make the hostile peninsula their home. Their main way of subsistence was raising cattle in the desert. Until today, this has been the same strand of cows brought by Juan Maria de Salvatierra in 1698. With all those years for the cattle to adapt to this desert land, they have become one of the hardiest breeds of cattle, and they are locally known as “chinampos”.
On our way to Isla Monserrat, a large group of long beaked common dolphins joined National Geographic Sea Bird for some fun. Hundreds of these beautiful creatures leaped alongside the ship in a playful way. Many of them rode the bow wave several times, giving us the opportunity to look at them almost as if we were in the water with them.
We had a very pleasant afternoon at the north end of Isla Monserrat. Some of us relaxed on the soft sandy beach near yellow cliffs. Others explored on their own through the shoreline and the desert in search of biological treasures like bones, fossils, hermit crabs or desert flowers. Many others snorkeled on the rich shoreline of the island to discover a great variety of colorful and interesting marine creatures.
