Isla Carmen and Isla Santa Catalina
We awoke to a beautifully serene morning and as we cruised towards Monserrate, the partly cloudy conditions softened the colors of the rugged rocky formations of the Sierra de la Giganta. The almost glassy conditions were perfect for viewing a pair of Craveri’s Murrelets, small alcids that breed on islands in the Gulf of California, and the beautiful Red-billed Tropicbird. Soon we were treated to a lovely sighting of a small group of Bottlenose dolphins that rolled peacefully at the surface displaying their gray backs and moderately tall falcate dorsal fins. We also sighted some Risso’s dolphins, a species not commonly sighted in the Gulf of California. Risso’s dolphins are often associated with the tropical warm temperate waters of all oceans and their occurrence here today may have been a response to the generally warmer waters we have been experiencing. With such calm conditions, we were able to hear and see their blows and follow their fluke print trails that appeared as round surface slicks. They were swimming in a line-abreast formation and soon (to our delight) several of them started to breach.
Our continuing journey took us to Punto Perico, on the east end of Isla Carmen (above photo). This is a great example of the complex geology of Baja and is very typical of the rugged coast. This region on Isla Carmen consists of ash-rich sedimentary strata derived from the western highlands of the peninsula. The photo shows the gently tilted and folded tertiary sedimentary red beds that contain volcanic ash debris. A small, nearly vertical fault in the center of this photo probably turns southwest and is lost in rocky talus. These sedimentary rocks are some of the erosional debris of the volcanic arc lying to the west on the Baja Peninsula. Right before lunch we had a very interesting and informative lecture about this fascinating geology, given by Gary Ernst, our guest lecturer from Stanford University.
After lunch we cruised to our afternoon destination, Isla Santa Catalina, one of the most interesting islands in the Sea of Cortez. This island of giants (the giant Cardón and endemic giant barrel cactus) was especially lovely today because of the recent December rains. As we hiked up the arroyo, a very light rain was falling and the Cardón and barrel cactus looked incredibly big and fat, so completely engorged with water. Many plants were in bloom and the lavender nightshade was spectacular! Annuals were in their full leafy blooms, and there were hundreds of small cactus seedlings everywhere. Other afternoon activities included Zodiac cruises and snorkeling near elephant rock. The last Zodiac call at 17:30 came much too soon, and as we made our way back to the Sea Lion, we were all very well satisfied with the wonderful discoveries and experiences of our first day in Baja!
We awoke to a beautifully serene morning and as we cruised towards Monserrate, the partly cloudy conditions softened the colors of the rugged rocky formations of the Sierra de la Giganta. The almost glassy conditions were perfect for viewing a pair of Craveri’s Murrelets, small alcids that breed on islands in the Gulf of California, and the beautiful Red-billed Tropicbird. Soon we were treated to a lovely sighting of a small group of Bottlenose dolphins that rolled peacefully at the surface displaying their gray backs and moderately tall falcate dorsal fins. We also sighted some Risso’s dolphins, a species not commonly sighted in the Gulf of California. Risso’s dolphins are often associated with the tropical warm temperate waters of all oceans and their occurrence here today may have been a response to the generally warmer waters we have been experiencing. With such calm conditions, we were able to hear and see their blows and follow their fluke print trails that appeared as round surface slicks. They were swimming in a line-abreast formation and soon (to our delight) several of them started to breach.
Our continuing journey took us to Punto Perico, on the east end of Isla Carmen (above photo). This is a great example of the complex geology of Baja and is very typical of the rugged coast. This region on Isla Carmen consists of ash-rich sedimentary strata derived from the western highlands of the peninsula. The photo shows the gently tilted and folded tertiary sedimentary red beds that contain volcanic ash debris. A small, nearly vertical fault in the center of this photo probably turns southwest and is lost in rocky talus. These sedimentary rocks are some of the erosional debris of the volcanic arc lying to the west on the Baja Peninsula. Right before lunch we had a very interesting and informative lecture about this fascinating geology, given by Gary Ernst, our guest lecturer from Stanford University.
After lunch we cruised to our afternoon destination, Isla Santa Catalina, one of the most interesting islands in the Sea of Cortez. This island of giants (the giant Cardón and endemic giant barrel cactus) was especially lovely today because of the recent December rains. As we hiked up the arroyo, a very light rain was falling and the Cardón and barrel cactus looked incredibly big and fat, so completely engorged with water. Many plants were in bloom and the lavender nightshade was spectacular! Annuals were in their full leafy blooms, and there were hundreds of small cactus seedlings everywhere. Other afternoon activities included Zodiac cruises and snorkeling near elephant rock. The last Zodiac call at 17:30 came much too soon, and as we made our way back to the Sea Lion, we were all very well satisfied with the wonderful discoveries and experiences of our first day in Baja!
