Gulf of California off Los Cabos & the Pacific Ocean
For some birds it is the end of the line. Migrants from the north instinctively head for tropical climates after their brief, summer nesting season. Most find their way south through the United States and continue through mainland Mexico. Others miss the mark, swinging to the southwest and finding the Baja California peninsula. South they fly, until wow! – nothing but ocean in sight! They may wander east or west along the cape region, many eventually finding the moist, rich habitat of the only major wetland and coastal forest at the tip of Baja California Sur. This is the estuary of a major drainage that empties into the gulf at San Jose del Cabo.
Following a morning of whale watching off the cape, we went to the estuary to look for wayward migrants and to admire the colours and behaviours of other birds that make this their year-round home. It was a perfect day for a stroll along the riverside. Snowy egrets flashing their bright yellow boots were dwarfed by great egret. Black-necked stilts reflected mirror images on calm water, their stick-like legs of red contrasting with elegant black and white plumage. Northern waterfowl – blue-winged, green winged and cinnamon teals, and gadwalls clearly missed the turn in southern California. Most of their wing mates are in Central America by now. A brilliant male vermillion flycatcher was the favourite attraction. The red of his crown is simply indescribably bright. And a zone-tailed hawk, a rare find here, mimicked the appearance of the many turkey vultures tilting overhead in the light breeze.
Colours continued to change through the sunset: back-lighted whale blows through El Arco; high-soaring magnificent frigatebirds over towering Friar Rocks; yellow, orange and red as the sun settled through thin clouds; and a spectacular green flash, followed immediately by a blue flash as the last sliver of sun dipped below the ocean horizon. All illuminated a memorable on-deck cocktail hour.
Most of the important meetings of the World Wildlife Fund had been completed today. Some guests departed for home, but others joined our ship at Cabo San Lucas. It was time for more fun on this journey. Experiencing wildlife was the menu for tomorrow’s entrance into Bahia Magdalena.
For some birds it is the end of the line. Migrants from the north instinctively head for tropical climates after their brief, summer nesting season. Most find their way south through the United States and continue through mainland Mexico. Others miss the mark, swinging to the southwest and finding the Baja California peninsula. South they fly, until wow! – nothing but ocean in sight! They may wander east or west along the cape region, many eventually finding the moist, rich habitat of the only major wetland and coastal forest at the tip of Baja California Sur. This is the estuary of a major drainage that empties into the gulf at San Jose del Cabo.
Following a morning of whale watching off the cape, we went to the estuary to look for wayward migrants and to admire the colours and behaviours of other birds that make this their year-round home. It was a perfect day for a stroll along the riverside. Snowy egrets flashing their bright yellow boots were dwarfed by great egret. Black-necked stilts reflected mirror images on calm water, their stick-like legs of red contrasting with elegant black and white plumage. Northern waterfowl – blue-winged, green winged and cinnamon teals, and gadwalls clearly missed the turn in southern California. Most of their wing mates are in Central America by now. A brilliant male vermillion flycatcher was the favourite attraction. The red of his crown is simply indescribably bright. And a zone-tailed hawk, a rare find here, mimicked the appearance of the many turkey vultures tilting overhead in the light breeze.
Colours continued to change through the sunset: back-lighted whale blows through El Arco; high-soaring magnificent frigatebirds over towering Friar Rocks; yellow, orange and red as the sun settled through thin clouds; and a spectacular green flash, followed immediately by a blue flash as the last sliver of sun dipped below the ocean horizon. All illuminated a memorable on-deck cocktail hour.
Most of the important meetings of the World Wildlife Fund had been completed today. Some guests departed for home, but others joined our ship at Cabo San Lucas. It was time for more fun on this journey. Experiencing wildlife was the menu for tomorrow’s entrance into Bahia Magdalena.
