Magdalena Bay
first day aboard the Sea Lion was full of beauty and activity. No time was wasted in our introduction to kayaking and mangrove ecology. Everyone had the opportunity to explore the area known as El Barril in the mode that most suited them. The tide was rising but we were able to identify a variety of birds that used this productive and protective area to secure food and shelter. Among them were a number of herons and egrets (including the diminutive and secretive green heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, pictured here), white ibis, long-billed shorebirds, cormorants, brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, and western gulls. We were also lucky to get glimpses of the elusive mangrove warbler, belted kingfishers, and western scrub jays.
Later we transited to the north through the narrow and scenic mangrove-lined Hull Canal to reach the upper part of Magdalena Bay. Here we started seeing a few gray whale mothers with their calves, and some bottlenose dolphins that were interested in riding the pressure wave of our ship.
We anchored and went ashore to stretch our legs on the sand dunes of Isla Magdalena. This island is fifty miles long and is one of two major islands that bound and create Magdalena Bay. The afternoon light cast interesting shadows, which meant good photography amongst the wind-sculpted patterns created in the sand. Ephemeral tracks in the sand tell many stories of the seldom-seen animal life that inhabits the island. It was fun to try to recreate the scenes that occurred here the night before. We did spot a coyote running through the dunes, and vigorous beetles scuttling through the sand, but only scant evidence remained of jackrabbits, mice, birds, and hermit crabs, whose paths may have unknowingly crossed at different points in time. The wind and waves would soon obliterate these signs. Only a few species of plants can eke out a living here. Their extensive but fragile superficial roots tenaciously grasp the shifting sand, and create islands of conical mounds. Some people sought a solitary or romantic experience in the expanse of the dunes; others joined naturalists to learn about intriguing objects found along the way.
A distant roar beckoned us to the other side of this narrow island. A mile across the dunes we reached a seemingly endless sandy beach at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, where beachcombing turned up many fascinating shells and bones. We were especially drawn to the bleached remains of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) scattered along the tide line. The massive skull and still-intact upper jaw were partially buried in moist sand. A search of the surrounding area turned up the left lower jaw. It took several people to carry it back to place near the skull. Time did not permit collection of the entire skeleton but its comparative size was still put into perspective and gave us an appreciation of this medium-sized whale. It was quite humbling and awe inspiring.
Signs of the cycle of birth, life, death, decay and rebirth were all around us today. Existence is both transient and enduring. Tomorrow we hope to be close to newborn gray whale calves and their mothers, and filled with wonder about how our lives are interwoven with theirs.
first day aboard the Sea Lion was full of beauty and activity. No time was wasted in our introduction to kayaking and mangrove ecology. Everyone had the opportunity to explore the area known as El Barril in the mode that most suited them. The tide was rising but we were able to identify a variety of birds that used this productive and protective area to secure food and shelter. Among them were a number of herons and egrets (including the diminutive and secretive green heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, pictured here), white ibis, long-billed shorebirds, cormorants, brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, and western gulls. We were also lucky to get glimpses of the elusive mangrove warbler, belted kingfishers, and western scrub jays.
Later we transited to the north through the narrow and scenic mangrove-lined Hull Canal to reach the upper part of Magdalena Bay. Here we started seeing a few gray whale mothers with their calves, and some bottlenose dolphins that were interested in riding the pressure wave of our ship.
We anchored and went ashore to stretch our legs on the sand dunes of Isla Magdalena. This island is fifty miles long and is one of two major islands that bound and create Magdalena Bay. The afternoon light cast interesting shadows, which meant good photography amongst the wind-sculpted patterns created in the sand. Ephemeral tracks in the sand tell many stories of the seldom-seen animal life that inhabits the island. It was fun to try to recreate the scenes that occurred here the night before. We did spot a coyote running through the dunes, and vigorous beetles scuttling through the sand, but only scant evidence remained of jackrabbits, mice, birds, and hermit crabs, whose paths may have unknowingly crossed at different points in time. The wind and waves would soon obliterate these signs. Only a few species of plants can eke out a living here. Their extensive but fragile superficial roots tenaciously grasp the shifting sand, and create islands of conical mounds. Some people sought a solitary or romantic experience in the expanse of the dunes; others joined naturalists to learn about intriguing objects found along the way.
A distant roar beckoned us to the other side of this narrow island. A mile across the dunes we reached a seemingly endless sandy beach at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, where beachcombing turned up many fascinating shells and bones. We were especially drawn to the bleached remains of a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) scattered along the tide line. The massive skull and still-intact upper jaw were partially buried in moist sand. A search of the surrounding area turned up the left lower jaw. It took several people to carry it back to place near the skull. Time did not permit collection of the entire skeleton but its comparative size was still put into perspective and gave us an appreciation of this medium-sized whale. It was quite humbling and awe inspiring.
Signs of the cycle of birth, life, death, decay and rebirth were all around us today. Existence is both transient and enduring. Tomorrow we hope to be close to newborn gray whale calves and their mothers, and filled with wonder about how our lives are interwoven with theirs.
