Boca de la Soledad & Isla Magdalena
We spent the night anchored in the protected waters of the northeast end of Isla Magdalena near the Boca de la Soledad (Mouth of Solitude). Our expedition leader scheduled two morning rounds of Zodiac cruises to search the waters of this bay looking for gray whales. Unlike in previous years, the adult gray whales seem to have detected some temperature and environmental changes. As we passed the southern tip of the peninsula earlier this week we found unusually high numbers of gray whales.
However, cow and calf pairs are enjoying their regular nursing period inside the protected waters of Boca de la Soledad, where they swim together giving to the calves time to practice their skills and grow strong enough to begin the long migration to the feeding grounds in the productive waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas. The young animals will soon learn to start feeding from the sediments of the Ocean bottom.
While some of us were experiencing close encounters with whales on the outside, those on board the National Geographic Sea Lion enjoyed a presentation on the ecology of sea birds.
For the afternoon, we divided activities between beach combing and dune sliding, with a second opportunity to go whale watching. Those who went for the sand came back on board with a little extra weight all over their bodies. The whales behaved perfectly and gave us close views and great encounters.
In years past it was not unusual to register the peak of abundance of whales inside the calving lagoons in Baja California on this day, February 14th. Now things have changed. Peak numbers appear to occur by the end of February, for reasons that are not understood.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
We spent the night anchored in the protected waters of the northeast end of Isla Magdalena near the Boca de la Soledad (Mouth of Solitude). Our expedition leader scheduled two morning rounds of Zodiac cruises to search the waters of this bay looking for gray whales. Unlike in previous years, the adult gray whales seem to have detected some temperature and environmental changes. As we passed the southern tip of the peninsula earlier this week we found unusually high numbers of gray whales.
However, cow and calf pairs are enjoying their regular nursing period inside the protected waters of Boca de la Soledad, where they swim together giving to the calves time to practice their skills and grow strong enough to begin the long migration to the feeding grounds in the productive waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas. The young animals will soon learn to start feeding from the sediments of the Ocean bottom.
While some of us were experiencing close encounters with whales on the outside, those on board the National Geographic Sea Lion enjoyed a presentation on the ecology of sea birds.
For the afternoon, we divided activities between beach combing and dune sliding, with a second opportunity to go whale watching. Those who went for the sand came back on board with a little extra weight all over their bodies. The whales behaved perfectly and gave us close views and great encounters.
In years past it was not unusual to register the peak of abundance of whales inside the calving lagoons in Baja California on this day, February 14th. Now things have changed. Peak numbers appear to occur by the end of February, for reasons that are not understood.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
