There were rocks in the windows. Not literally, but for many of us our first view outside was filled with the granite mass of Land’s End. Our Captain maneuvered the Sea Bird close to this famous land mark, and we could easily study it as well as an assortment of birds perched on the steep slopes, all as we leisurely sipped coffee on the outer decks. Greetings came from an assortment of feathered and furred residents. Brown pelicans were not the early risers, and mostly stayed put with their beaks still tucked in from the evening. Magnificent frigate birds were in the air, searching for thermals and the effortless flight they afforded. Great blue herons, hunkered down in sinister profile, blended with the landscape and tested our skills of observation amongst the early morning play of light and shadow. California sea lions barked and belched their greetings, neither shy nor sleepy-eyed.
In the past two days we have observed the gray whales of Magdalena Bay in great detail. Today, we had the options of observing and experiencing different residents in entirely different habitats. One offering was a walk in an area described as semi-tropical thorn scrub. Our walk had much more to offer than simple identification of species. We inhaled pungent scented Bursera leaves, heard the harsh rasp of cactus wrens, and found colorful jewels sprinkled throughout the landscape such as the Campanilla flower, a member of the morning glory family, pictured above. Those choosing to snorkel or dive found a colorful assortment of finned residents within their undersea environment. The afternoon found us back aboard the Sea Bird navigating east and north towards the Sea of Cortez. Our transit was beset with repeated delays caused by the activities of several humpback whales. At one point four whales were observed cavorting at the surface with tail lobbing, chin slapping, pectoral slaps, belly rolling and numerous attempts at full body breaching.
Once again, an incredible day of experiences. Leaving us to ask for the fourth day now, “What could tomorrow possibly bring to top this?” We’ll just wait and see...
