Isla Santa Catalina
A perfect calm sea greeted us at dawn as the rising sun illuminated the distant mountains of the Sierra de la Giganta on the Baja peninsula to the west. We pulled into a bay at the south end of Isla Catalina, a remote granitic and oceanic island that was never connected to the peninsula that is known for its numerous endemic species. After breakfast we ventured ashore for walks up a picturesque arroyo surrounded by immense cardon cactus (photo). One of the island’s most distinctive plants is the quasi-endemic giant barrel cactus, many of which were sporting showy red blossoms. In addition to the many lovely desert plants, there was also a variety of land bird species to be seen. One of the most noticeable birds was the loggerhead shrike, a small predatory passerine that is quite abundant on this island. There were also northern cardinals seen singing from the tops of cardons, and noisy gila woodpeckers calling loudly as they swooped between the giant cacti. Along the gravel arroyo we encountered several species of endemic lizards; the most colorful of which was an “emerald-tailed” side-blotched lizard found only on Catalina Island.
By midday we were back onboard and cruising in search of marine life. We heard an enlightening presentation by Dr. Gordon Orions about “Assembling Island Biotas.” Shortly thereafter we were treated to another enormous gang of long-beaked common dolphins. There were many hundred of these wonderful animals spread across many miles of ocean around us, and many came bounding over to ride on the ship’s bow wave. Later there were bottlenose dolphins that accompanied us in similar fashion for a mile or more. The grand finale of the day was finding a humpack whale and yet more common dolphins all surfacing in the late afternoon sun streaming down over the nearby mountains of the Sierra de la Giganta, which loomed nearby.
A perfect calm sea greeted us at dawn as the rising sun illuminated the distant mountains of the Sierra de la Giganta on the Baja peninsula to the west. We pulled into a bay at the south end of Isla Catalina, a remote granitic and oceanic island that was never connected to the peninsula that is known for its numerous endemic species. After breakfast we ventured ashore for walks up a picturesque arroyo surrounded by immense cardon cactus (photo). One of the island’s most distinctive plants is the quasi-endemic giant barrel cactus, many of which were sporting showy red blossoms. In addition to the many lovely desert plants, there was also a variety of land bird species to be seen. One of the most noticeable birds was the loggerhead shrike, a small predatory passerine that is quite abundant on this island. There were also northern cardinals seen singing from the tops of cardons, and noisy gila woodpeckers calling loudly as they swooped between the giant cacti. Along the gravel arroyo we encountered several species of endemic lizards; the most colorful of which was an “emerald-tailed” side-blotched lizard found only on Catalina Island.
By midday we were back onboard and cruising in search of marine life. We heard an enlightening presentation by Dr. Gordon Orions about “Assembling Island Biotas.” Shortly thereafter we were treated to another enormous gang of long-beaked common dolphins. There were many hundred of these wonderful animals spread across many miles of ocean around us, and many came bounding over to ride on the ship’s bow wave. Later there were bottlenose dolphins that accompanied us in similar fashion for a mile or more. The grand finale of the day was finding a humpack whale and yet more common dolphins all surfacing in the late afternoon sun streaming down over the nearby mountains of the Sierra de la Giganta, which loomed nearby.
