Boca de Soledad, Magdalena Bay
After a very pleasant night at anchorage inside the bay of Lopez Mateos, we ventured for the day into two different activities. Beach walkers rounded sand dunes and mangroves over Magdalena Island, sighting cormorants, pelicans and magnificent frigatebirds, as well as a coyote and several jackrabbits. In our Zodiacs we went for whale watching activities as well. Being there, we could appreciate the cow and calf pairs going in and out along this natural channel. Single adults were also observed in their frenzied wandering for mates, and many eventually showed their flukes, breached, or spy-hopped.
Gray whales spend their summers in the high arctic, feeding on benthic amphipods that thrive in the soft sediments on the ocean bottom. Then by the fall they start heading south with plenty of energy and with the reservoir necessary to make one of the longest migrations in the aquatic world of about 11 thousand miles round trip. Pregnant females, young animals, and breeding adults make their way along the coast of North America, down south to the breeding lagoons of Baja California Sur. Ojo de liebre, San Ignacio and the Magdalena Bay complex, are the lagoons where they establish their “whaling stations” for the winter.
We finished our day with a savory locally-prepared fish and lobster dinner aboard the Sea Bird, and delightful Mexican songs performed by Los Coyotes de Magdalena, a couple of local musicians. Under the light of the stars we keep dreaming of having more close encounters tomorrow with these magnificent and peaceful giants of the sea.Octavio Maravilla, Naturalist; Photo: Rabbit - Rick Hyde and Judy Bogart, Sea Bird Guests
After a very pleasant night at anchorage inside the bay of Lopez Mateos, we ventured for the day into two different activities. Beach walkers rounded sand dunes and mangroves over Magdalena Island, sighting cormorants, pelicans and magnificent frigatebirds, as well as a coyote and several jackrabbits. In our Zodiacs we went for whale watching activities as well. Being there, we could appreciate the cow and calf pairs going in and out along this natural channel. Single adults were also observed in their frenzied wandering for mates, and many eventually showed their flukes, breached, or spy-hopped.
Gray whales spend their summers in the high arctic, feeding on benthic amphipods that thrive in the soft sediments on the ocean bottom. Then by the fall they start heading south with plenty of energy and with the reservoir necessary to make one of the longest migrations in the aquatic world of about 11 thousand miles round trip. Pregnant females, young animals, and breeding adults make their way along the coast of North America, down south to the breeding lagoons of Baja California Sur. Ojo de liebre, San Ignacio and the Magdalena Bay complex, are the lagoons where they establish their “whaling stations” for the winter.
We finished our day with a savory locally-prepared fish and lobster dinner aboard the Sea Bird, and delightful Mexican songs performed by Los Coyotes de Magdalena, a couple of local musicians. Under the light of the stars we keep dreaming of having more close encounters tomorrow with these magnificent and peaceful giants of the sea.Octavio Maravilla, Naturalist; Photo: Rabbit - Rick Hyde and Judy Bogart, Sea Bird Guests
