Islas San Francisco & La Partida
Birders and photographers were on their way to Isla San Francisco just after 6am to take advantage of the early morning light. Golden hillsides glowed as we set out in several directions. We had to be back for breakfast but had enough time to find a Costa’s hummingbird in a nest. Their nests are small, deep cups that appear not quite big enough for the bird. Seemingly smashed into this tiny home, the female’s tail must point straight upward, while her head is set back towards the center of the body. If her legs were long and stuck out the bottom of the nest, she might be able to walk around and look like she was wearing an odd pair of shorts. The nest is formed of bits of vegetation held together with spider webs.
While the birders focused on the same places, the photographers and their cameras all pointed out in different directions. A walk along the high ridge line offered superb views and the chance for an image that conveyed great depth as one looked back along the high trail. On the beach several least sandpipers foraged along the wave-lapped sand. They allowed us to approach quite closely, possibly tired from flying into the wind. Some of these smallest of sandpipers migrate from Peru to the arctic for breeding every year. Perhaps the one pictured in today’s report was in South America a few weeks before.
After breakfast most everyone returned to the beach with the remainder of the morning ashore. The island is small and easy to explore. Some went off on their own, while others concentrated on becoming more comfortable with snorkeling or learning a bit more about the desert plants that thrive here. After lunch the captain set sail, and we made our way south, pushed by a following sea.
The anchor was dropped in Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, a superb place to spend an afternoon. The head of the bay is shallow, and the light-colored sand gives the water uncountable shades of turquoise. Those in kayaks and Zodiacs were surrounded by rugged cliffs of volcanic tuff dotted with green clumps of figs and bursera trees along with several kinds of cacti and agaves. Wind gusts swept down the canyons, roughened the water, and tried to steal our hats. Photographers collected images of wiley sally lightfoot crabs, and pelicans stood judgmentally nearby. The day exposed the best of Baja California - its raw expansive scenery and untouched vistas, dynamic weather and a tiny bird in a little bitty nest.
Birders and photographers were on their way to Isla San Francisco just after 6am to take advantage of the early morning light. Golden hillsides glowed as we set out in several directions. We had to be back for breakfast but had enough time to find a Costa’s hummingbird in a nest. Their nests are small, deep cups that appear not quite big enough for the bird. Seemingly smashed into this tiny home, the female’s tail must point straight upward, while her head is set back towards the center of the body. If her legs were long and stuck out the bottom of the nest, she might be able to walk around and look like she was wearing an odd pair of shorts. The nest is formed of bits of vegetation held together with spider webs.
While the birders focused on the same places, the photographers and their cameras all pointed out in different directions. A walk along the high ridge line offered superb views and the chance for an image that conveyed great depth as one looked back along the high trail. On the beach several least sandpipers foraged along the wave-lapped sand. They allowed us to approach quite closely, possibly tired from flying into the wind. Some of these smallest of sandpipers migrate from Peru to the arctic for breeding every year. Perhaps the one pictured in today’s report was in South America a few weeks before.
After breakfast most everyone returned to the beach with the remainder of the morning ashore. The island is small and easy to explore. Some went off on their own, while others concentrated on becoming more comfortable with snorkeling or learning a bit more about the desert plants that thrive here. After lunch the captain set sail, and we made our way south, pushed by a following sea.
The anchor was dropped in Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida, a superb place to spend an afternoon. The head of the bay is shallow, and the light-colored sand gives the water uncountable shades of turquoise. Those in kayaks and Zodiacs were surrounded by rugged cliffs of volcanic tuff dotted with green clumps of figs and bursera trees along with several kinds of cacti and agaves. Wind gusts swept down the canyons, roughened the water, and tried to steal our hats. Photographers collected images of wiley sally lightfoot crabs, and pelicans stood judgmentally nearby. The day exposed the best of Baja California - its raw expansive scenery and untouched vistas, dynamic weather and a tiny bird in a little bitty nest.
