Boca de Soledad, Bahía Magdalena
Although still breezy, this morning dawned calmer than yesterday. So, we donned our windbreakers, and ventured out in the Zodiacs for two more rounds of gray whale watching. This late in the season, the calves can be very curious and their moms seem to allow them more freedom to investigate our small boats. Throughout the morning, we had wonderful close looks at several gray whale calves and their mothers. Some approached the Zodiacs, others spyhopped and breached directly ahead of us. By late morning, many of the mother / calf pairs were “treadmilling”, or swimming against the strong current flowing out of the Boca de Soledad.
As the breeze picked up in the afternoon, we opted to spend time on shore, hiking the dunes and beach at the northernmost end of Isla Magdalena. Hikers dispersed in various directions, learning about the flora, fauna and geology of the place from their naturalist guides. We watched small sand avalanches flow down the slip faces of exquisitely sculpted Barchan dunes. Binoculars were trained on double-crested cormorants carrying twigs to renovate their nests, as well as on a bold black-tailed jackrabbit that posed for close-up photos.
In the evening, a trio of local musicians called Los Coyotes de Magdalena played for us. The sounds of “Cielito Lindo” and “La Bamba” mixed with laughter and stories of the day, as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Although still breezy, this morning dawned calmer than yesterday. So, we donned our windbreakers, and ventured out in the Zodiacs for two more rounds of gray whale watching. This late in the season, the calves can be very curious and their moms seem to allow them more freedom to investigate our small boats. Throughout the morning, we had wonderful close looks at several gray whale calves and their mothers. Some approached the Zodiacs, others spyhopped and breached directly ahead of us. By late morning, many of the mother / calf pairs were “treadmilling”, or swimming against the strong current flowing out of the Boca de Soledad.
As the breeze picked up in the afternoon, we opted to spend time on shore, hiking the dunes and beach at the northernmost end of Isla Magdalena. Hikers dispersed in various directions, learning about the flora, fauna and geology of the place from their naturalist guides. We watched small sand avalanches flow down the slip faces of exquisitely sculpted Barchan dunes. Binoculars were trained on double-crested cormorants carrying twigs to renovate their nests, as well as on a bold black-tailed jackrabbit that posed for close-up photos.
In the evening, a trio of local musicians called Los Coyotes de Magdalena played for us. The sounds of “Cielito Lindo” and “La Bamba” mixed with laughter and stories of the day, as the sun dipped below the horizon.
