Bahia Magdalena
The Sea Lion remained at anchor during our first night aboard. We felt the movement of the ship in the evening wind, but only slightly! The sky began showing color and signs of sunrise at 5:45 am. Wakeup call was prompt at 7:00 am, and many of us made our way to the bow, for a glimpse of the world that makes up Magdalena Bay. We were still experiencing 25 to 30 knot winds coming out of the Northwest.
For our first day of exploration on the West side of the Baja peninsula we would be making a long dune walk in several different directions searching for exotic plants, many different species of birds, and the striking beauty of this unusual ecosystem. A group of birders headed south down the beach towards a large section of Mangroves, and several hovering masses of birds. These birds seemed to be lifting and settling near the waters edge. Another group headed north exploring the fabulous dune formations about a mile up the beach and slightly inland. The wind continued to move the small sand particles…rapidly covering footsteps. A lizard was seen leaping over a small dune, his footsteps and tail mark rapidly disappearing in the moving sand. The dune formations we were wandering through were Barchan dunes, so labeled by the geologists who specialize in the shifting of sand particles. These particular dunes move in the prevailing direction of the wind, on the Barrier Island of Magdalene, where we walked, that direction being northwest. The sand grains bounce along up the backside of the dune, and gradually fall down the steep face or inside of the horseshoe shape created by a Barchan dune.
Each group who journeyed through the sand dunes heard great exclamation from the naturalists about the tough dune plants and their myriad of adaptations for growing in this highly specialized and extremely difficult environment. Many plants formed hummocks of centralized sand, and sometimes hourly and definitely daily competed with the moving sand dunes to establish a foothold, in a very precarious place to live. Some of these plants are called C4 plants. These plants function best under conditions of high temperatures and the amount of carbon dioxide fixed increases as temperatures rise. C4 plants can absorb more carbon dioxide, produce more sugars which allows for rapid growth, and hence avoid being buried by the moving sand. In places we found small sections of plants pushing their way up through the sand, staking a claim on their own hummock and striving for permanent domain. Many of these plants were showing off finely sculpted shadows reflected in perfect symmetry in the sand at the base of the plant. Other adaptations found were the succulent leaves with a thick cuticle for protection against the hot sun, while neighboring plants were a soft gray in color reflecting away the sun.
Slowly we made our way through these many diverse and unique plant hummocks following the sound of the ocean. As we approached the last rise in the dune field we could see the twenty mile deserted beach of Bahia Santa Maria and the surf of the Pacific Ocean. From the north to the south, we only found other members of our small group of travelers. So many shells, sea worms, a sea horse, more sand dollars than could be counted a few scattered bones and a skull…leaving us only the shadow of a once intrepid sea turtle.
Leaving the surf behind, we retraced our steps, back through the dunes…stopping occasionally at a shell midden. Possibly we stood in the footsteps of previous gatherers from times long ago, or even a barbecue from a month ago, all being moved by the shifting sand dunes. Each of us had an opportunity to take a moment, and reflect, gather a story of our own to take home. The wind continued to sing her song whipping up the sand, high into the air reminding us of the story passed down about this area and the whales who are born here each year. These clouds of moving sand represent the souls of the deceased Gray whales, who return on the storms of the Pacific, carried by the sand of these dunes back to their birthplace in Bahia Magdalena.
The Sea Lion remained at anchor during our first night aboard. We felt the movement of the ship in the evening wind, but only slightly! The sky began showing color and signs of sunrise at 5:45 am. Wakeup call was prompt at 7:00 am, and many of us made our way to the bow, for a glimpse of the world that makes up Magdalena Bay. We were still experiencing 25 to 30 knot winds coming out of the Northwest.
For our first day of exploration on the West side of the Baja peninsula we would be making a long dune walk in several different directions searching for exotic plants, many different species of birds, and the striking beauty of this unusual ecosystem. A group of birders headed south down the beach towards a large section of Mangroves, and several hovering masses of birds. These birds seemed to be lifting and settling near the waters edge. Another group headed north exploring the fabulous dune formations about a mile up the beach and slightly inland. The wind continued to move the small sand particles…rapidly covering footsteps. A lizard was seen leaping over a small dune, his footsteps and tail mark rapidly disappearing in the moving sand. The dune formations we were wandering through were Barchan dunes, so labeled by the geologists who specialize in the shifting of sand particles. These particular dunes move in the prevailing direction of the wind, on the Barrier Island of Magdalene, where we walked, that direction being northwest. The sand grains bounce along up the backside of the dune, and gradually fall down the steep face or inside of the horseshoe shape created by a Barchan dune.
Each group who journeyed through the sand dunes heard great exclamation from the naturalists about the tough dune plants and their myriad of adaptations for growing in this highly specialized and extremely difficult environment. Many plants formed hummocks of centralized sand, and sometimes hourly and definitely daily competed with the moving sand dunes to establish a foothold, in a very precarious place to live. Some of these plants are called C4 plants. These plants function best under conditions of high temperatures and the amount of carbon dioxide fixed increases as temperatures rise. C4 plants can absorb more carbon dioxide, produce more sugars which allows for rapid growth, and hence avoid being buried by the moving sand. In places we found small sections of plants pushing their way up through the sand, staking a claim on their own hummock and striving for permanent domain. Many of these plants were showing off finely sculpted shadows reflected in perfect symmetry in the sand at the base of the plant. Other adaptations found were the succulent leaves with a thick cuticle for protection against the hot sun, while neighboring plants were a soft gray in color reflecting away the sun.
Slowly we made our way through these many diverse and unique plant hummocks following the sound of the ocean. As we approached the last rise in the dune field we could see the twenty mile deserted beach of Bahia Santa Maria and the surf of the Pacific Ocean. From the north to the south, we only found other members of our small group of travelers. So many shells, sea worms, a sea horse, more sand dollars than could be counted a few scattered bones and a skull…leaving us only the shadow of a once intrepid sea turtle.
Leaving the surf behind, we retraced our steps, back through the dunes…stopping occasionally at a shell midden. Possibly we stood in the footsteps of previous gatherers from times long ago, or even a barbecue from a month ago, all being moved by the shifting sand dunes. Each of us had an opportunity to take a moment, and reflect, gather a story of our own to take home. The wind continued to sing her song whipping up the sand, high into the air reminding us of the story passed down about this area and the whales who are born here each year. These clouds of moving sand represent the souls of the deceased Gray whales, who return on the storms of the Pacific, carried by the sand of these dunes back to their birthplace in Bahia Magdalena.
