Isla Magdalena, Baja California Sur
Our final day on the Pacific coast unfolded to reveal an amazing array of fascinating creatures. Beachcombers discovered a jackrabbit, tiny seashells, and the carapace of a sea turtle. They watched two coyotes that sat up, stretched, then strolled off through the dunes.
Of course nothing could capture one’s imagination like the gray whales. We watched them spy hop, breach, roll over, and fluke, all the while listening to the rush of air as they exhaled then inhaled almost instantaneously. Cow/calf pairs such as the one in the photo far outnumbered the single animals. These cetaceans create so little disturbance as they surface that it is hard to believe an adult can weigh 35 tons. The youngsters grow quickly on a diet of fat-rich milk, gaining strength for their impending migration north.
Other migratory species busily fuel up here as well. We spotted hundreds of shorebirds along the mudflats, including marbled godwits, whimbrels, and long-billed curlews, all probing the intertidal region for invertebrates prior to their departure for northern breeding grounds.
The tranquil, sheltered waters are enriched by nutrients from falling mangrove leaves and bird guano, creating a productive nursery for not only invertebrates and birds but also for fish and dolphins. We passed local fishermen handling their nets, attended by seabirds waiting for any escaping scraps. As we left Magdalena Bay, Pacific white-sided dolphins raced beside us amidst the whale spouts, a fitting farewell to this biological sanctuary.
Our final day on the Pacific coast unfolded to reveal an amazing array of fascinating creatures. Beachcombers discovered a jackrabbit, tiny seashells, and the carapace of a sea turtle. They watched two coyotes that sat up, stretched, then strolled off through the dunes.
Of course nothing could capture one’s imagination like the gray whales. We watched them spy hop, breach, roll over, and fluke, all the while listening to the rush of air as they exhaled then inhaled almost instantaneously. Cow/calf pairs such as the one in the photo far outnumbered the single animals. These cetaceans create so little disturbance as they surface that it is hard to believe an adult can weigh 35 tons. The youngsters grow quickly on a diet of fat-rich milk, gaining strength for their impending migration north.
Other migratory species busily fuel up here as well. We spotted hundreds of shorebirds along the mudflats, including marbled godwits, whimbrels, and long-billed curlews, all probing the intertidal region for invertebrates prior to their departure for northern breeding grounds.
The tranquil, sheltered waters are enriched by nutrients from falling mangrove leaves and bird guano, creating a productive nursery for not only invertebrates and birds but also for fish and dolphins. We passed local fishermen handling their nets, attended by seabirds waiting for any escaping scraps. As we left Magdalena Bay, Pacific white-sided dolphins raced beside us amidst the whale spouts, a fitting farewell to this biological sanctuary.
