Isla San Pedro Martir & at Sea
During the night the National Geographic Sea Lion reached its anchorage beside a remote island that attracts tens of thousands of nesting birds each year. Occasionally a seabird will land on a ship in the darkness. Perhaps it seems like a convenient perch, or possibly the bird becomes confused by the lights. Once on deck, it is nearly impossible for many of these creatures to take off. They are accustomed to flapping across the water for take-off or to launching off a cliff where they can gain air speed before flying away. The blue-footed booby in the photo knocked on the doors of a couple of guest rooms as it walked pigeon-toed past the 200-level cabins. One guest heard the knocking and opened the door to find a rather short visitor staring up at her. Fortunately, the Undersea Specialist provided assistance. The booby’s bright blue feet made a flop, flop, flop sound as it ran one full lap around the deck before it was captured and tossed into the air, where it gained enough lift so that it could proceed with its more typical booby agenda.
Early morning sunlight crept across the guano-encrusted cliffs of Isla San Pedro Martir. Pelicans and boobies wheeled overhead, patterning the sky. Brandt’s cormorants hauled clumps of seaweed to their nest sites. Boobies provided photographers with a great opportunity for flight photos. They cruised alongside the bow almost within touching distance, taking advantage of the updrafts created by the moving ship. California sea lions barked on shore. Curious youngsters investigated the ship and sprung in arching leaps to keep up with us. One playful adult vaulted from the water into athletic back flips just off the starboard rail. The abundance of life in this nutrient-rich region was almost overwhelming.
The ship pulled away from the island allowing us to set off in search of other things. This gave us a chance to go below for a cup of coffee or to download images. Yet only a short time later, sperm whales appeared on the horizon! We drew closer to a number of cows and calves. These bizarre animals can be identified by their characteristic spout. The blowhole is off-center to the left and aimed forward, so the blow is angled at 45 degrees and directed to the side. The bulbous forehead is smooth, while the brown skin of the body is wrinkled like a giant prune. The ship’s hydrophone picked up distinctive series of clicks emitted by one or more individuals, exposing us to another aspect of sperm whale biology. We devoted the remainder of the morning to observing these magnificent leviathans made famous by the story of Moby Dick.
Throughout the afternoon we traveled south, searching for marine life, reading, relaxing, or sorting through hundreds of images from the last few days.
During the night the National Geographic Sea Lion reached its anchorage beside a remote island that attracts tens of thousands of nesting birds each year. Occasionally a seabird will land on a ship in the darkness. Perhaps it seems like a convenient perch, or possibly the bird becomes confused by the lights. Once on deck, it is nearly impossible for many of these creatures to take off. They are accustomed to flapping across the water for take-off or to launching off a cliff where they can gain air speed before flying away. The blue-footed booby in the photo knocked on the doors of a couple of guest rooms as it walked pigeon-toed past the 200-level cabins. One guest heard the knocking and opened the door to find a rather short visitor staring up at her. Fortunately, the Undersea Specialist provided assistance. The booby’s bright blue feet made a flop, flop, flop sound as it ran one full lap around the deck before it was captured and tossed into the air, where it gained enough lift so that it could proceed with its more typical booby agenda.
Early morning sunlight crept across the guano-encrusted cliffs of Isla San Pedro Martir. Pelicans and boobies wheeled overhead, patterning the sky. Brandt’s cormorants hauled clumps of seaweed to their nest sites. Boobies provided photographers with a great opportunity for flight photos. They cruised alongside the bow almost within touching distance, taking advantage of the updrafts created by the moving ship. California sea lions barked on shore. Curious youngsters investigated the ship and sprung in arching leaps to keep up with us. One playful adult vaulted from the water into athletic back flips just off the starboard rail. The abundance of life in this nutrient-rich region was almost overwhelming.
The ship pulled away from the island allowing us to set off in search of other things. This gave us a chance to go below for a cup of coffee or to download images. Yet only a short time later, sperm whales appeared on the horizon! We drew closer to a number of cows and calves. These bizarre animals can be identified by their characteristic spout. The blowhole is off-center to the left and aimed forward, so the blow is angled at 45 degrees and directed to the side. The bulbous forehead is smooth, while the brown skin of the body is wrinkled like a giant prune. The ship’s hydrophone picked up distinctive series of clicks emitted by one or more individuals, exposing us to another aspect of sperm whale biology. We devoted the remainder of the morning to observing these magnificent leviathans made famous by the story of Moby Dick.
Throughout the afternoon we traveled south, searching for marine life, reading, relaxing, or sorting through hundreds of images from the last few days.
