Isla Espiritu Santo & Los Islotes
With the motion of the ocean delivering us to the grand finale we have been blessed by the perfect day to end our journey through the Gulf of California.
The sun rose over Isla Espiritu Santo and the beautiful bay of Ensenada Grande beckoned us with the beauty of its sculpted rocks and the aquamarine water we will dream of whence we return to northern climes. Little did we know how much was in store for us exploring the arroyo, beach and shoreline of this little piece of paradise. We embarked on hikes both short and long and savored the Sonoran desert in bloom as we knew this would be our last time amongst this arid, yet strangely lush, environment. Leaving the beach we immediately noticed small dune like mounds full of shells on the surface and interior and learned that this site and island was once the location of a pearl farm. This shell midden dated back to the 19th century (if not further) and led our minds to wonder what life must have been like for the Pericu people and Spaniards that followed. The history of resources from salt to gypsum, and copper to pearls, has provided a fascinating backdrop of what the peninsula was like long ago.
Making our way past the white mangroves birders soon found themselves in the company of canyon wrens, verdins, mockingbirds, gnatcatchers, black-throated sparrows, and other elusive canyon dwellers. Challenging and moderate hikers rock-hopped up the drainage passing the occasional vernal pool. The endemic jackrabbit and antelope ground squirrel (easily mistaken for a chipmunk) were sighted as were a variety of butterflies and dragonflies. We feel so fortunate to have been able to experience the desert after rain.
We returned to the ship for lunch, leaving the beach with some resistance as I think many of us could have spent days exploring its surroundings. After lunch we headed to the small islets of Los Islotes where we had the opportunity of a lifetime to swim with California sea lions. Donning wet suits and snorkel gear in the lee of guano covered islands, we immersed ourselves into the underworld of the gregarious pinniped. The dark brown males with a pronounced forehead (weighing up to 860 pounds) were noticeably darker (and larger) than the lighter females. The cavorting that we observed above the sea took place below as we swam amongst the members of the rookery. As small as the islands were, they demonstrated an abundance of life: magnificent frigatebirds, Brandt’s cormorants, blue-footed and brown boobies, microscopic phytoplankton, and even a school of rays (Mobula sp.) that fed in numbers around the perimeter. Hundreds of rays circled Los Islotes feeding on the plankton, taking flight as if to entertain us. What a perfect ending, a school of Mobulas smacking their bellies on the surface of the Sea of Cortez.
As we seek to our find our place in this world and protect the things that move us, we walk away from our experiences aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion with a greater appreciation for the Baja Peninsula, the Sonoran desert and the importance of protecting the precious creatures big and small both here and in the surroundings we call our home.
With the motion of the ocean delivering us to the grand finale we have been blessed by the perfect day to end our journey through the Gulf of California.
The sun rose over Isla Espiritu Santo and the beautiful bay of Ensenada Grande beckoned us with the beauty of its sculpted rocks and the aquamarine water we will dream of whence we return to northern climes. Little did we know how much was in store for us exploring the arroyo, beach and shoreline of this little piece of paradise. We embarked on hikes both short and long and savored the Sonoran desert in bloom as we knew this would be our last time amongst this arid, yet strangely lush, environment. Leaving the beach we immediately noticed small dune like mounds full of shells on the surface and interior and learned that this site and island was once the location of a pearl farm. This shell midden dated back to the 19th century (if not further) and led our minds to wonder what life must have been like for the Pericu people and Spaniards that followed. The history of resources from salt to gypsum, and copper to pearls, has provided a fascinating backdrop of what the peninsula was like long ago.
Making our way past the white mangroves birders soon found themselves in the company of canyon wrens, verdins, mockingbirds, gnatcatchers, black-throated sparrows, and other elusive canyon dwellers. Challenging and moderate hikers rock-hopped up the drainage passing the occasional vernal pool. The endemic jackrabbit and antelope ground squirrel (easily mistaken for a chipmunk) were sighted as were a variety of butterflies and dragonflies. We feel so fortunate to have been able to experience the desert after rain.
We returned to the ship for lunch, leaving the beach with some resistance as I think many of us could have spent days exploring its surroundings. After lunch we headed to the small islets of Los Islotes where we had the opportunity of a lifetime to swim with California sea lions. Donning wet suits and snorkel gear in the lee of guano covered islands, we immersed ourselves into the underworld of the gregarious pinniped. The dark brown males with a pronounced forehead (weighing up to 860 pounds) were noticeably darker (and larger) than the lighter females. The cavorting that we observed above the sea took place below as we swam amongst the members of the rookery. As small as the islands were, they demonstrated an abundance of life: magnificent frigatebirds, Brandt’s cormorants, blue-footed and brown boobies, microscopic phytoplankton, and even a school of rays (Mobula sp.) that fed in numbers around the perimeter. Hundreds of rays circled Los Islotes feeding on the plankton, taking flight as if to entertain us. What a perfect ending, a school of Mobulas smacking their bellies on the surface of the Sea of Cortez.
As we seek to our find our place in this world and protect the things that move us, we walk away from our experiences aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion with a greater appreciation for the Baja Peninsula, the Sonoran desert and the importance of protecting the precious creatures big and small both here and in the surroundings we call our home.
