Magdalena Bay, Baja California
The sun pierced a thin shroud of fog as we made our way outside to greet our first morning on board the Sea Bird. Brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, a variety of gulls, terns, cormorants and other sea birds and one gray whale captured our early morning’s attention.
After a safety drill we made our first foray ashore. Sand Dollar Beach, on Isla Magdalena, appeared through the mist. Walking along the shorelines of both Magdalena Bay and the Pacific and trekking across the extensive sand dunes, we made countless discoveries, big and small. Plants, many in flower, uniquely adapted to this desert habitat; a surprising variety of birds; black-tailed jackrabbits; shells of countless shapes and forms; coyote tracks and skeletons of birds and dolphins were just a few of our sightings. Throughout the morning, the fog burned off to create striking views and delightful warmth.
Hull Canal is a natural aquatic passageway lined by sand dunes and mangrove mazes. It leads from the main body of Magdalena Bay to Boca de Soledad where we plan on spending the succeeding few days. Our local pilot, Alejandro Comacho, maneuvered us through this winding series of channels, relying upon knowledge gained from his father, Modesto, and from a lifetime of fishing in these waters. Alejandro and Modesto have guided Sea Bird in this region for decades. Alejandro, along with his son Eduardo who is training to continue the family legacy, disembarked at the small fishing village of Puerto Aldolfo López Mateos, his home.
During this transit, ibis’, egrets, herons, frigatebirds, curlews, ospreys and a caracara were among the dozens of species of birds that we enjoyed. From time to time, we sighted coyotes patrolling the dunes and beaches. Bottlenose dolphins thrilled us when they jostled one another in our bow wake. Surely, the highlights were our first encounters with gray whales. Numerous mothers and their new calves accompanied us in these calm waters. The massive mothers’ blows were big and bushy, while the calves had seemingly small puffs for breathes. Given their multiple tonnage, the calves seemingly small blows were just an illusion.
A fine dinner and dreams of wonderful whale experiences led us to the end of a fine day of explorations.
The sun pierced a thin shroud of fog as we made our way outside to greet our first morning on board the Sea Bird. Brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, a variety of gulls, terns, cormorants and other sea birds and one gray whale captured our early morning’s attention.
After a safety drill we made our first foray ashore. Sand Dollar Beach, on Isla Magdalena, appeared through the mist. Walking along the shorelines of both Magdalena Bay and the Pacific and trekking across the extensive sand dunes, we made countless discoveries, big and small. Plants, many in flower, uniquely adapted to this desert habitat; a surprising variety of birds; black-tailed jackrabbits; shells of countless shapes and forms; coyote tracks and skeletons of birds and dolphins were just a few of our sightings. Throughout the morning, the fog burned off to create striking views and delightful warmth.
Hull Canal is a natural aquatic passageway lined by sand dunes and mangrove mazes. It leads from the main body of Magdalena Bay to Boca de Soledad where we plan on spending the succeeding few days. Our local pilot, Alejandro Comacho, maneuvered us through this winding series of channels, relying upon knowledge gained from his father, Modesto, and from a lifetime of fishing in these waters. Alejandro and Modesto have guided Sea Bird in this region for decades. Alejandro, along with his son Eduardo who is training to continue the family legacy, disembarked at the small fishing village of Puerto Aldolfo López Mateos, his home.
During this transit, ibis’, egrets, herons, frigatebirds, curlews, ospreys and a caracara were among the dozens of species of birds that we enjoyed. From time to time, we sighted coyotes patrolling the dunes and beaches. Bottlenose dolphins thrilled us when they jostled one another in our bow wake. Surely, the highlights were our first encounters with gray whales. Numerous mothers and their new calves accompanied us in these calm waters. The massive mothers’ blows were big and bushy, while the calves had seemingly small puffs for breathes. Given their multiple tonnage, the calves seemingly small blows were just an illusion.
A fine dinner and dreams of wonderful whale experiences led us to the end of a fine day of explorations.
