Isla Santa Catalina
The main site of our adventures today: Isla Santa Catalina! Walking up the sandy arroyo wash we were greeted by a mockingbird perched atop a cardon that was likely over 100 years old. However, this feathered denizen had no taunts for us today, it was a glorious hike. The sun shone in a cloudless sky but gentle breezes continually cooled us. The cheeps and chitters of verdens and black-throated sparrows (shown above) urged us on, the small birds flitting in front of us. Due to its lovely song, the black-throated sparrows are sometimes called the “little bells of the desert” and they were ringing sweetly all around. This island is known for two endemics: the giant barrel cactus and the rattleless rattlesnake. We were lucky enough to see many splendid examples of the former (shown above); sadly the latter eluded us. The giant barrel cactus is the largest barrel cactus in the world, gaining heights of 12 feet. Unlike the cardon and cholla, which have internal woody skeletal structures, the barrel cacti have at most only a woody base. Thus the giant mass of water-swollen plant tissue is supported only by the rind skin of the cactus. Imagine yourself without an internal skeleton. . . . now add an extra hundred pounds. Probably you would sag, and that is exactly what happens with some of these large desert dwellers. However, on these prickly drought-survivors, sags and bags only increase their majestic character, causing straight ribs to twist slightly into lazy swirls. The rains this year have caused riots of blooms—we passed cobalt nightshade and Jacquemontia (a morning glory) as well as cheery sunshine bursts of Cassia. Many of us persevered up the steep incline to achieve the top lookout and the slight scramble was well worth the fantastic view: red rocks dotted with green cardons, giant barrel cacti, cholla, elephant bush and many other vibrant (both in color and in smell) plants set against the glittering blue backdrop of the marine realm. The water was too inviting to be ignored and we plunged in to investigate the ocean. The king angels seemed larger than we had seen them before and damselfish of all kinds swirled in the shallows. The brown bumphead damselfish fixed upon us their piercingly blue eyes. Amongst the spines of the brown urchins, white clouds suddenly began to billow. The urchins were spawning. The hopeful actions of one amorous urchin triggered others to jump into action and join the mating game, each striving to produce the most offspring in these nutrient-rich waters. Our quest for larger aquatic sights produced a fast glimpse of what may have been a pygmy sperm whale and later dolphins joined us briefly to bowride, green flashes of bioluminescence trailing them. We turned in for the night dreaming of larger whales to come.
The main site of our adventures today: Isla Santa Catalina! Walking up the sandy arroyo wash we were greeted by a mockingbird perched atop a cardon that was likely over 100 years old. However, this feathered denizen had no taunts for us today, it was a glorious hike. The sun shone in a cloudless sky but gentle breezes continually cooled us. The cheeps and chitters of verdens and black-throated sparrows (shown above) urged us on, the small birds flitting in front of us. Due to its lovely song, the black-throated sparrows are sometimes called the “little bells of the desert” and they were ringing sweetly all around. This island is known for two endemics: the giant barrel cactus and the rattleless rattlesnake. We were lucky enough to see many splendid examples of the former (shown above); sadly the latter eluded us. The giant barrel cactus is the largest barrel cactus in the world, gaining heights of 12 feet. Unlike the cardon and cholla, which have internal woody skeletal structures, the barrel cacti have at most only a woody base. Thus the giant mass of water-swollen plant tissue is supported only by the rind skin of the cactus. Imagine yourself without an internal skeleton. . . . now add an extra hundred pounds. Probably you would sag, and that is exactly what happens with some of these large desert dwellers. However, on these prickly drought-survivors, sags and bags only increase their majestic character, causing straight ribs to twist slightly into lazy swirls. The rains this year have caused riots of blooms—we passed cobalt nightshade and Jacquemontia (a morning glory) as well as cheery sunshine bursts of Cassia. Many of us persevered up the steep incline to achieve the top lookout and the slight scramble was well worth the fantastic view: red rocks dotted with green cardons, giant barrel cacti, cholla, elephant bush and many other vibrant (both in color and in smell) plants set against the glittering blue backdrop of the marine realm. The water was too inviting to be ignored and we plunged in to investigate the ocean. The king angels seemed larger than we had seen them before and damselfish of all kinds swirled in the shallows. The brown bumphead damselfish fixed upon us their piercingly blue eyes. Amongst the spines of the brown urchins, white clouds suddenly began to billow. The urchins were spawning. The hopeful actions of one amorous urchin triggered others to jump into action and join the mating game, each striving to produce the most offspring in these nutrient-rich waters. Our quest for larger aquatic sights produced a fast glimpse of what may have been a pygmy sperm whale and later dolphins joined us briefly to bowride, green flashes of bioluminescence trailing them. We turned in for the night dreaming of larger whales to come.
