Magdalena Bay
Once again we awoke in the calm, protected waters of Magdalena Bay, but this time to the sounds of the exhalations of gray whales. It is so exhilarating to be surrounded by this once endangered marine mammal that has now returned to approximately its pre-whaling numbers. We boarded the Zodiacs for early morning whale watching and were treated to a probable mating group. We followed the three whales in the glassy smooth water as they frolicked and drifted out with the falling tide. Gray whales typically mate with two males on either side of a female, and while we didn’t see any actual contact, there was a lot of touching, twisting, and turning.
After a late breakfast, the second group boarded the Zodiacs and followed the same trio of whales out to the “boca.” Meanwhile, those of us on the Sea Bird spotted multiple mother and calf pairs approaching with the tide. Word was spread to the Zodiacs and everyone was treated to amazing views of three different pairs of very young, smooth, gray babies, and their ever-attentive mothers. One mother even lifted her young calf out of the water right next to the ship!
We then lifted anchor and started to retrace our path through the Hull Canal, where we were treated to at least four more mother-calf pairs and a great escort of bow riding dolphins. We scanned the sand dunes and nearby mangroves and spotted a plethora of shorebirds, herons, egrets, osprey, and even a lone coyote prowling the dunes. Once we exited the south side of the canal, we put down the kayaks and Zodiacs for some mangrove forest exploration. It is very stunning to see these lush green forests growing in the salt water next to the stark sand dunes, and we were lucky to have the opportunity to explore them up close. Many more herons and egrets were observed, along with belted kingfishers and the mangrove warbler. This little gem is a gorgeous relative of the yellow warbler, with its amazing maroon cap, and is aptly named, as it is restricted to the mangrove areas.
As the sun dipped below the dunes with a crimson blur, we sat on deck and contemplated all the amazing sites and animals the Baja peninsula has shared with us over the past week.
Once again we awoke in the calm, protected waters of Magdalena Bay, but this time to the sounds of the exhalations of gray whales. It is so exhilarating to be surrounded by this once endangered marine mammal that has now returned to approximately its pre-whaling numbers. We boarded the Zodiacs for early morning whale watching and were treated to a probable mating group. We followed the three whales in the glassy smooth water as they frolicked and drifted out with the falling tide. Gray whales typically mate with two males on either side of a female, and while we didn’t see any actual contact, there was a lot of touching, twisting, and turning.
After a late breakfast, the second group boarded the Zodiacs and followed the same trio of whales out to the “boca.” Meanwhile, those of us on the Sea Bird spotted multiple mother and calf pairs approaching with the tide. Word was spread to the Zodiacs and everyone was treated to amazing views of three different pairs of very young, smooth, gray babies, and their ever-attentive mothers. One mother even lifted her young calf out of the water right next to the ship!
We then lifted anchor and started to retrace our path through the Hull Canal, where we were treated to at least four more mother-calf pairs and a great escort of bow riding dolphins. We scanned the sand dunes and nearby mangroves and spotted a plethora of shorebirds, herons, egrets, osprey, and even a lone coyote prowling the dunes. Once we exited the south side of the canal, we put down the kayaks and Zodiacs for some mangrove forest exploration. It is very stunning to see these lush green forests growing in the salt water next to the stark sand dunes, and we were lucky to have the opportunity to explore them up close. Many more herons and egrets were observed, along with belted kingfishers and the mangrove warbler. This little gem is a gorgeous relative of the yellow warbler, with its amazing maroon cap, and is aptly named, as it is restricted to the mangrove areas.
As the sun dipped below the dunes with a crimson blur, we sat on deck and contemplated all the amazing sites and animals the Baja peninsula has shared with us over the past week.
