Isla Santa Catalina
This morning we woke up at one of the most remote and special islands in all the Gulf of California. Isla Santa Catalina is one of the ‘old’ islands of the Gulf, that is to say there has been no land connection between here and anywhere else for many millions of years. Millions of years, so what, what does that mean? It means that most everything on the island looks at least a little bit different than anything else you or I have ever seen. Today we were lucky enough to spot the elusive island rattlesnake. O.K., it looked pretty much like any other rattlesnake, just a bit smaller, a bit shier and, oh yeah, it did not have a rattle, none of them do, in part, because there was never anything here to step on them! There is also a barrel cactus on the island, a common type of cactus that resembles a whiskey barrel. But here, the barrels were for giants or big parties, many of them were over twelve foot tall, each weighing several tons! I cannot describe everything, so perhaps just a little about our first moment ashore. Right from the landing, just off the beach, it was like we had entered some expensive, artfully constructed garden. There were giant cactus, not just barrel cactus, but also the much taller, multi-stemmed cardons, like Arizona’s famous saguaro, only much bigger. There were also smaller, nastier plants: chollas and galloping cactus, as well as weird and knobby, succulent shrubs. These plants were thickly scattered across a steep hillside to our right, all of them were backlit by the rising sun and every living surface was brightly outlined with a golden aura – simply amazing! For the next two hours many of us did not make it much beyond here. Yes indeed, to me, this is ‘hands down’ the most beautiful island in the Gulf. And I’m not alone in this, as the island has recently been adopted by Lindblad Expeditions. Adopted! Yes it has! Lindblad is now working with a number of conservation agencies and local governments to help preserve and, in some cases restore, natural sites in Baja California in a program called “Baja Forever!” Isla Santa Catalina is our first island, as well it should be. Take a walk with someone who knows. “Hey, look there! See that bright little green lizard? It’s a side-blotched lizard and yup, you’re right, it’s not bright green like that anywhere else, just here!” Not only is Isla Santa Catalina beautiful, it is unique!
After some nice long walks (at least long in duration) most us opted to explore the water. No surprises here, the color and diversity topside was mirrored down below. There were hoards, not just a lot, but hoards of fish: big fish, little fish, blue fish, red fish, pretty fish and certainly a few strange fish. The plankton bloom was in and the water had a rich green ting. There were hundreds of fish out and about and eating plankton. The microscopic single-celled algae are the phytoplankton, literally ‘the pastures of the ocean’ and it is grazed by the zooplankton, tiny animals on the menu today (and most of the summer) for much of this fishy crowd, such as the surreal gafftopmast pompano pictured here. Rich indeed, and it is the productivity of these fruitful waters around Isla Santa Catalina that is responsible for the impressive variety and concentrations of whales, dolphins and sea birds so often encountered here. So Lindblad Expeditions has not only adopted the island, it is also helping out with the surrounding Bahia Loreto Marine Reserve. Yes, very good, but why? Well, because… because while walking today I saw the skeleton of a long dead cardon cactus that I recognized. The plant died over 20 years ago. I know this because it died the second year I came here with Lindblad, 1983. It has been a long time and Isla Santa Catalina is much more than just another pretty place to us.
This morning we woke up at one of the most remote and special islands in all the Gulf of California. Isla Santa Catalina is one of the ‘old’ islands of the Gulf, that is to say there has been no land connection between here and anywhere else for many millions of years. Millions of years, so what, what does that mean? It means that most everything on the island looks at least a little bit different than anything else you or I have ever seen. Today we were lucky enough to spot the elusive island rattlesnake. O.K., it looked pretty much like any other rattlesnake, just a bit smaller, a bit shier and, oh yeah, it did not have a rattle, none of them do, in part, because there was never anything here to step on them! There is also a barrel cactus on the island, a common type of cactus that resembles a whiskey barrel. But here, the barrels were for giants or big parties, many of them were over twelve foot tall, each weighing several tons! I cannot describe everything, so perhaps just a little about our first moment ashore. Right from the landing, just off the beach, it was like we had entered some expensive, artfully constructed garden. There were giant cactus, not just barrel cactus, but also the much taller, multi-stemmed cardons, like Arizona’s famous saguaro, only much bigger. There were also smaller, nastier plants: chollas and galloping cactus, as well as weird and knobby, succulent shrubs. These plants were thickly scattered across a steep hillside to our right, all of them were backlit by the rising sun and every living surface was brightly outlined with a golden aura – simply amazing! For the next two hours many of us did not make it much beyond here. Yes indeed, to me, this is ‘hands down’ the most beautiful island in the Gulf. And I’m not alone in this, as the island has recently been adopted by Lindblad Expeditions. Adopted! Yes it has! Lindblad is now working with a number of conservation agencies and local governments to help preserve and, in some cases restore, natural sites in Baja California in a program called “Baja Forever!” Isla Santa Catalina is our first island, as well it should be. Take a walk with someone who knows. “Hey, look there! See that bright little green lizard? It’s a side-blotched lizard and yup, you’re right, it’s not bright green like that anywhere else, just here!” Not only is Isla Santa Catalina beautiful, it is unique!
After some nice long walks (at least long in duration) most us opted to explore the water. No surprises here, the color and diversity topside was mirrored down below. There were hoards, not just a lot, but hoards of fish: big fish, little fish, blue fish, red fish, pretty fish and certainly a few strange fish. The plankton bloom was in and the water had a rich green ting. There were hundreds of fish out and about and eating plankton. The microscopic single-celled algae are the phytoplankton, literally ‘the pastures of the ocean’ and it is grazed by the zooplankton, tiny animals on the menu today (and most of the summer) for much of this fishy crowd, such as the surreal gafftopmast pompano pictured here. Rich indeed, and it is the productivity of these fruitful waters around Isla Santa Catalina that is responsible for the impressive variety and concentrations of whales, dolphins and sea birds so often encountered here. So Lindblad Expeditions has not only adopted the island, it is also helping out with the surrounding Bahia Loreto Marine Reserve. Yes, very good, but why? Well, because… because while walking today I saw the skeleton of a long dead cardon cactus that I recognized. The plant died over 20 years ago. I know this because it died the second year I came here with Lindblad, 1983. It has been a long time and Isla Santa Catalina is much more than just another pretty place to us.
