Boca de Soledad, Magdalena Bay
We awoke this morning to calm seas at our anchorage on the shores of Isla Magdalena, one of the two barrier islands forming the outer perimeter of Bahía Magdalena. We lifted anchor and began our journey through Hull Canal. We headed towards our final destination – Boca de Soledad, the northern area of the bay that is known as the gray whale nursery, or “criadero,” in hopes of getting our first glimpse of a gray whale mom and calf pair. Each year, the pregnant females travel approximately 5,000 miles from their cold, nutrient-rich feeding grounds in the Bering Sea to the warm, protected breeding lagoons of Baja California to give birth to their young.
With spotting scopes on the back deck, we slowly made our way through the winding canal in anticipation of a chance to view the great variety of shorebirds and wading birds that inhabit the mudflats exposed at low tide. Great blue herons were seen at almost every turn – on top of, standing next to or flying over the thick forest of red mangroves that is flanked by vast sand dunes. They were accompanied by tri-colored herons, snowy egrets, great egrets, little blue herons, reddish egrets, white ibis, yellow-crowned night herons, flocks of double-crested and Brandt’s cormorants, soaring brown pelicans, and masses of roosting magnificent frigatebirds – to name a few!
From our afternoon anchorage, some of us embarked upon our first whale-watching excursion, while others enjoyed some quality time on a nearby beach, bird watching and beachcombing. We heard reports from the local fishermen that there were six mom and calf pairs in the area, and sure enough, we encountered one almost immediately after leaving the ship. As the call of a lone coyote echoed across the calm waters, the mom and calf swam slowly in a uniform direction and surfaced in synchrony. At times we could see the calf resting on its mother’s back, as they often do during the first few weeks of their young lives. During the second whale watch outing of the afternoon, the beachcombers boarded the Zodiacs and after a short motor, found themselves surrounded by at least eight whales that were bordering the northern passageway, or the “Boca” from Bahía Magdalena into the Pacific Ocean. The last Zodiac of the day motored slowly back to the Sea Bird, accompanied by a pair of a adult gray whales, as the magnificent sun set behind a cloud streaked horizon.
Back onboard, a restaurant from the nearby town of Lopez Mateo, La Ballena Gris, treated us to a festive traditional meal and we enjoyed the music of a three-man local band – El Maestro y Sus Chavitos.
We awoke this morning to calm seas at our anchorage on the shores of Isla Magdalena, one of the two barrier islands forming the outer perimeter of Bahía Magdalena. We lifted anchor and began our journey through Hull Canal. We headed towards our final destination – Boca de Soledad, the northern area of the bay that is known as the gray whale nursery, or “criadero,” in hopes of getting our first glimpse of a gray whale mom and calf pair. Each year, the pregnant females travel approximately 5,000 miles from their cold, nutrient-rich feeding grounds in the Bering Sea to the warm, protected breeding lagoons of Baja California to give birth to their young.
With spotting scopes on the back deck, we slowly made our way through the winding canal in anticipation of a chance to view the great variety of shorebirds and wading birds that inhabit the mudflats exposed at low tide. Great blue herons were seen at almost every turn – on top of, standing next to or flying over the thick forest of red mangroves that is flanked by vast sand dunes. They were accompanied by tri-colored herons, snowy egrets, great egrets, little blue herons, reddish egrets, white ibis, yellow-crowned night herons, flocks of double-crested and Brandt’s cormorants, soaring brown pelicans, and masses of roosting magnificent frigatebirds – to name a few!
From our afternoon anchorage, some of us embarked upon our first whale-watching excursion, while others enjoyed some quality time on a nearby beach, bird watching and beachcombing. We heard reports from the local fishermen that there were six mom and calf pairs in the area, and sure enough, we encountered one almost immediately after leaving the ship. As the call of a lone coyote echoed across the calm waters, the mom and calf swam slowly in a uniform direction and surfaced in synchrony. At times we could see the calf resting on its mother’s back, as they often do during the first few weeks of their young lives. During the second whale watch outing of the afternoon, the beachcombers boarded the Zodiacs and after a short motor, found themselves surrounded by at least eight whales that were bordering the northern passageway, or the “Boca” from Bahía Magdalena into the Pacific Ocean. The last Zodiac of the day motored slowly back to the Sea Bird, accompanied by a pair of a adult gray whales, as the magnificent sun set behind a cloud streaked horizon.
Back onboard, a restaurant from the nearby town of Lopez Mateo, La Ballena Gris, treated us to a festive traditional meal and we enjoyed the music of a three-man local band – El Maestro y Sus Chavitos.
