Isla Magdalena and Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Climbing a 60-foot high dune in the northern point of Isla Magdalena was just another adventure. Through out the morning, we had taken Zodiac tours in the calm waters of Bahia Magdalena, to watch the mother-and-calf gray whales. These animals are very numerous at this time of the year, and are sometimes interested in our boats. We had good opportunities to see them up close, slowly cruising the waters of the bay, along with their calves, now on the right side, now on the left. In the photograph, we can see the two blowholes, typical of a balleen whale, through which air is expelled at a great speed, along with some water that was sitting above the two blowholes. This is the "spout" we can see. The whole process may last less than two seconds!
Whale calves are born mostly during January and early February, in this 100-kilometer long narrow bay in southwestern Baja California. Other interesting animals in the shallow bay were the highly intelligent bottle-nosed dolphins, which even bow-rode our Zodiacs! Isla Magdalena is a barrier island, formed mostly of lovely light brown sand dunes, quite firm, slowly advancing to the southeast. Little vegetation is to be found in the northern point, but three species of mangroves (white, red and black) are quite common on the lagoon's shores. A few clumps of iodine bush, pickleweed, sand verbena and sea purslane, each sitting atop its own little dune. Coyotes and jackrabbits were seen, running full speed. Many seabirds crossed the sky and foraged for nice, delicious worms in the shallows… Among them were magnificent frigate birds, pelicans, cormorants, gulls, terns and different species of herons and egrets.
As the day came to an end, we all returned to our ship, and enjoyed a Mexican Fiesta, with a group of local Lopez-Mateos singers (with their guitars and a guiro), and had a Mexican dinner of lobster, grouper, and refried beans, laced with a fresh "rooster beak" (fresh chopped tomatoes with onion, cilantro and green chiles), all served on hot hand-made flour tortillas!
Climbing a 60-foot high dune in the northern point of Isla Magdalena was just another adventure. Through out the morning, we had taken Zodiac tours in the calm waters of Bahia Magdalena, to watch the mother-and-calf gray whales. These animals are very numerous at this time of the year, and are sometimes interested in our boats. We had good opportunities to see them up close, slowly cruising the waters of the bay, along with their calves, now on the right side, now on the left. In the photograph, we can see the two blowholes, typical of a balleen whale, through which air is expelled at a great speed, along with some water that was sitting above the two blowholes. This is the "spout" we can see. The whole process may last less than two seconds!
Whale calves are born mostly during January and early February, in this 100-kilometer long narrow bay in southwestern Baja California. Other interesting animals in the shallow bay were the highly intelligent bottle-nosed dolphins, which even bow-rode our Zodiacs! Isla Magdalena is a barrier island, formed mostly of lovely light brown sand dunes, quite firm, slowly advancing to the southeast. Little vegetation is to be found in the northern point, but three species of mangroves (white, red and black) are quite common on the lagoon's shores. A few clumps of iodine bush, pickleweed, sand verbena and sea purslane, each sitting atop its own little dune. Coyotes and jackrabbits were seen, running full speed. Many seabirds crossed the sky and foraged for nice, delicious worms in the shallows… Among them were magnificent frigate birds, pelicans, cormorants, gulls, terns and different species of herons and egrets.
As the day came to an end, we all returned to our ship, and enjoyed a Mexican Fiesta, with a group of local Lopez-Mateos singers (with their guitars and a guiro), and had a Mexican dinner of lobster, grouper, and refried beans, laced with a fresh "rooster beak" (fresh chopped tomatoes with onion, cilantro and green chiles), all served on hot hand-made flour tortillas!
