Magdalena Bay and Magdalena Island, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Magdalena Island forms the principal western edge of this long bay in the state of Baja California Sur. The reason for our trip into this vast water area of the desert was to see and enjoy one of the world's marvels of nature: the gray whale. These enormous animals visit these lagoons along the western side of the peninsula in winter for mating and, in the case of the pregnant females, to calve. After having spent a full summer feeding in the Bering and Chukchi seas, they migrate slowly down to these near-tropical lagoons, making the longest known migration by any mammal on our planet. The quiet waters are propitious for reproduction and warmer than in the open Pacific.
So it was that we set out whale seeking on our Zodiacs during both the morning and afternoon, with tremendous success. We had the opportunity to see these behemoths, including mother and calf pairs, up close, and on one occasion to have "friendly" whales approach our Zodiacs, obviously seeking contact either with our black rubber boats or with the excited passengers jumping up and down in them.The day was somewhat windy and cool, and thus the time spent in the Zodiacs was a sheer pleasure!
At the same time that some of us visited with the whales, others made interesting hikes on the northern tip of this island, walking up and down the fine-sand dunes, the grains of which were of different hues of light brown and cream. A few plants, including white, black, and red mangroves, formed the shorefront of the lagoon. Inland were the sand verbena and the sea purslane, each one on its own tiny dune, the former a member of the Four-o'clock family and the latter of the Ice-Plant family. These walks ended at the Pacific side of Magdalena Island where a raging wave action greeted us. Here we encountered incredible numbers of all types of seashells, barnacles and sea-worm tunnels…large and small, delicate and rough.
Another group of hikers headed for the edge of a huge mangrove swamp where numerous cormorants and great blue herons nested in peace. Of interest were a few pairs of neotropic cormorants nesting among the double-crested cormorants. Mangrove warblers, American white pelicans, and yellow-crowned night-herons were also found.
As the day wound down, we all returned to the M.V. Sea Lion where, after some tidying up, we sojourned in the lounge to enjoy a typical Mexican Fiesta. Entertainment was provided by Cuco and his "Chavos" (Cuco and his Kids), who played guitars and sang a wonderful selection of Mexican songs. We enjoyed a dinner that included a local halibut prepared in the Baja California style, hot wheat-flour tortillas, tomato "pico de gallo," refried beans and a tasty salad. Dinner ended with delicious Tres Leches (Three Milk) cakes.
Cuco's group then regaled us with more music, and we joined in by playing the maracas and guiro.
Magdalena Island forms the principal western edge of this long bay in the state of Baja California Sur. The reason for our trip into this vast water area of the desert was to see and enjoy one of the world's marvels of nature: the gray whale. These enormous animals visit these lagoons along the western side of the peninsula in winter for mating and, in the case of the pregnant females, to calve. After having spent a full summer feeding in the Bering and Chukchi seas, they migrate slowly down to these near-tropical lagoons, making the longest known migration by any mammal on our planet. The quiet waters are propitious for reproduction and warmer than in the open Pacific.
So it was that we set out whale seeking on our Zodiacs during both the morning and afternoon, with tremendous success. We had the opportunity to see these behemoths, including mother and calf pairs, up close, and on one occasion to have "friendly" whales approach our Zodiacs, obviously seeking contact either with our black rubber boats or with the excited passengers jumping up and down in them.The day was somewhat windy and cool, and thus the time spent in the Zodiacs was a sheer pleasure!
At the same time that some of us visited with the whales, others made interesting hikes on the northern tip of this island, walking up and down the fine-sand dunes, the grains of which were of different hues of light brown and cream. A few plants, including white, black, and red mangroves, formed the shorefront of the lagoon. Inland were the sand verbena and the sea purslane, each one on its own tiny dune, the former a member of the Four-o'clock family and the latter of the Ice-Plant family. These walks ended at the Pacific side of Magdalena Island where a raging wave action greeted us. Here we encountered incredible numbers of all types of seashells, barnacles and sea-worm tunnels…large and small, delicate and rough.
Another group of hikers headed for the edge of a huge mangrove swamp where numerous cormorants and great blue herons nested in peace. Of interest were a few pairs of neotropic cormorants nesting among the double-crested cormorants. Mangrove warblers, American white pelicans, and yellow-crowned night-herons were also found.
As the day wound down, we all returned to the M.V. Sea Lion where, after some tidying up, we sojourned in the lounge to enjoy a typical Mexican Fiesta. Entertainment was provided by Cuco and his "Chavos" (Cuco and his Kids), who played guitars and sang a wonderful selection of Mexican songs. We enjoyed a dinner that included a local halibut prepared in the Baja California style, hot wheat-flour tortillas, tomato "pico de gallo," refried beans and a tasty salad. Dinner ended with delicious Tres Leches (Three Milk) cakes.
Cuco's group then regaled us with more music, and we joined in by playing the maracas and guiro.
