Los Islotes and Isla Espiritu Santo
After sunrise, we arrived at Los Islotes where we were serenaded by a cacophony of voices emanating from the California sea lions. Juveniles, females, and big males, all creating an uproar as we came within reach of their colony. The big bulls attempting to defend territories, the females protecting their one year calves and getting ready for the summer as the next breeding season approaches, and the juveniles, jumping, full of energy and playing with snorkelers young and old alike. We noticed that scientists have been here as we saw some of these magnificent creatures had cold brands in their pelts and tags on their flippers, tools to help study their movements, distribution, and breeding success. The avian life at Los Islotes was also well represented, magnificent frigatebirds soaring up catching the thermals; blue-footed boobies and brown boobies defending territories and displaying courtship behavior for the upcoming nesting season. All around Los Islotes, we saw the familiar brown pelicans, and the predator of the Gulf of California: the endemic yellow footed gull. Perched on a lighthouse: a peregrine falcon, warming up on its perch waiting for unsuspecting birds.
Just before lunch, as we sailed south on our way to Espiritu Santo, the bridge spotted whales just behind Los Islotes. A large blow…another blue whale, the largest of all the baleen whales. We saw it come to the surface several times before fluking as it went down. A few minutes later, another blow was spotted from the bridge, the Seabird approached, and to our surprise, we encountered the largest of all toothed whales, a sperm whale. What a privilege to have these amazing creatures converging so close together for all of us to witness.
In the afternoon, we arrived at Bahia Bonanza on the southern end of Isla Espiritu Santo. Four miles of pristine white beach awaited us as we cruised to shore. Hikers were in search of the black jack rabbit and the antelope squirrel, while the kayakers rode the waves of the Sea of Cortez until the sunset invited us to a bonanza of food and friendship. I immerse myself in the eternal mystery of the islands, the people, the wildlife, and the sea.
After sunrise, we arrived at Los Islotes where we were serenaded by a cacophony of voices emanating from the California sea lions. Juveniles, females, and big males, all creating an uproar as we came within reach of their colony. The big bulls attempting to defend territories, the females protecting their one year calves and getting ready for the summer as the next breeding season approaches, and the juveniles, jumping, full of energy and playing with snorkelers young and old alike. We noticed that scientists have been here as we saw some of these magnificent creatures had cold brands in their pelts and tags on their flippers, tools to help study their movements, distribution, and breeding success. The avian life at Los Islotes was also well represented, magnificent frigatebirds soaring up catching the thermals; blue-footed boobies and brown boobies defending territories and displaying courtship behavior for the upcoming nesting season. All around Los Islotes, we saw the familiar brown pelicans, and the predator of the Gulf of California: the endemic yellow footed gull. Perched on a lighthouse: a peregrine falcon, warming up on its perch waiting for unsuspecting birds.
Just before lunch, as we sailed south on our way to Espiritu Santo, the bridge spotted whales just behind Los Islotes. A large blow…another blue whale, the largest of all the baleen whales. We saw it come to the surface several times before fluking as it went down. A few minutes later, another blow was spotted from the bridge, the Seabird approached, and to our surprise, we encountered the largest of all toothed whales, a sperm whale. What a privilege to have these amazing creatures converging so close together for all of us to witness.
In the afternoon, we arrived at Bahia Bonanza on the southern end of Isla Espiritu Santo. Four miles of pristine white beach awaited us as we cruised to shore. Hikers were in search of the black jack rabbit and the antelope squirrel, while the kayakers rode the waves of the Sea of Cortez until the sunset invited us to a bonanza of food and friendship. I immerse myself in the eternal mystery of the islands, the people, the wildlife, and the sea.
