Boca de Soledad, in Magdalena Bay
Today we watched grey whales in green water. For most of the time we watched mothers and calves swimming in the strong tidal currents near the lagoon’s northern boca, or mouth. Within a few weeks these calves will begin the 5,000-6,000 mile journey north with their mothers. Now is the time to exercise in protected waters, and develop endurance.
It has probably been months since the mothers have had their last meal. After they left the northern feeding grounds, they gave birth to one-ton babies, and nursed them daily on milk that is over 50% fat. As gray whale calves grow, their mothers get thinner, losing 15% - 30% of their weight. For a 40-ton adult female gray whale, that could translate to 13 tons!
Today, while we weren’t whale watching, we were strolling the endless beaches and sand dunes of Isla Magdalena. For most of us, gray whales dominate our thoughts of Bahia Magdalena. But there are other animals here: black-tailed jackrabbits, coyotes, and mice. We saw their tracks in the sand, and spotted the jackrabbits, too. At the water’s edge, polychaete worms waited deep inside their tubes for the tide to return.
Today we watched grey whales in green water. For most of the time we watched mothers and calves swimming in the strong tidal currents near the lagoon’s northern boca, or mouth. Within a few weeks these calves will begin the 5,000-6,000 mile journey north with their mothers. Now is the time to exercise in protected waters, and develop endurance.
It has probably been months since the mothers have had their last meal. After they left the northern feeding grounds, they gave birth to one-ton babies, and nursed them daily on milk that is over 50% fat. As gray whale calves grow, their mothers get thinner, losing 15% - 30% of their weight. For a 40-ton adult female gray whale, that could translate to 13 tons!
Today, while we weren’t whale watching, we were strolling the endless beaches and sand dunes of Isla Magdalena. For most of us, gray whales dominate our thoughts of Bahia Magdalena. But there are other animals here: black-tailed jackrabbits, coyotes, and mice. We saw their tracks in the sand, and spotted the jackrabbits, too. At the water’s edge, polychaete worms waited deep inside their tubes for the tide to return.
