Isla San Jose and offshore of Isla San Francisco
At dawn we were slowly cruising the waters just north of Isla San Jose. Nourished by the swift currents rushing between the island and mainland Baja California, this patch of water supported enough plankton and fish to feed at least one blue whale. Brown pelicans, magnificent frigate birds, blue footed boobies and yellow-finned tuna joined in the frenzy.
From anchor, we set out for hikes along an arroyo that drained the northwestern part of Isla San Jose. Despite the evidence of introduced animals, the flora and fauna seemed to be holding its own. The endemic Xantus's hummingbird foraged for insects and sipped on the incredible and rare supplies of ephemeral wildflowers made possible by relatively recent rains. Prickly pear cacti blossomed while barrel cacti set fruit. The steep walls of the upper arroyo were festooned in flowers, forming a veritable garden.
Back in the waters of the channel and the southern end of Isla San Francisco, we continued our search for marine mammals. Over a leisurely afternoon and into sunset we followed an unusually large herd of bottlenosed dolphin, an aggregation of blue whales and a tight formation of finback whales that were likely hunting.
From among the smallest to the very largest, one day in a very small stretch of the Gulf of California had been very productive. During the night, at anchor in a well protected bay of Isla Espiritu Santo, we explored one of the sources of this richness: the myriad of organisms forming the community of plankton. Swarming beneath the lens of our televised microscope, copepods, larval crab and lobster drifted into and out of view.
At dawn we were slowly cruising the waters just north of Isla San Jose. Nourished by the swift currents rushing between the island and mainland Baja California, this patch of water supported enough plankton and fish to feed at least one blue whale. Brown pelicans, magnificent frigate birds, blue footed boobies and yellow-finned tuna joined in the frenzy.
From anchor, we set out for hikes along an arroyo that drained the northwestern part of Isla San Jose. Despite the evidence of introduced animals, the flora and fauna seemed to be holding its own. The endemic Xantus's hummingbird foraged for insects and sipped on the incredible and rare supplies of ephemeral wildflowers made possible by relatively recent rains. Prickly pear cacti blossomed while barrel cacti set fruit. The steep walls of the upper arroyo were festooned in flowers, forming a veritable garden.
Back in the waters of the channel and the southern end of Isla San Francisco, we continued our search for marine mammals. Over a leisurely afternoon and into sunset we followed an unusually large herd of bottlenosed dolphin, an aggregation of blue whales and a tight formation of finback whales that were likely hunting.
From among the smallest to the very largest, one day in a very small stretch of the Gulf of California had been very productive. During the night, at anchor in a well protected bay of Isla Espiritu Santo, we explored one of the sources of this richness: the myriad of organisms forming the community of plankton. Swarming beneath the lens of our televised microscope, copepods, larval crab and lobster drifted into and out of view.
