Punta Púlpito and Isla San Ildefonso
We woke this morning with the desert, walking up the arroyo at Punta Púlpito before the sun could bleach out the subtle rose and coral hues of the rocks, or the range of greens, from sage to lime, coloring the cactus and foliage. Before the heat sent the birds into hiding, we heard the songs of canyon wrens and the ash-throated flycatcher. Overhead, we witnessed two male cardinals fight for territory, while another amicable pair, a male and a female, chased one another across our path. As the sun rose above the canyon, our photographers shot the shadows that posed off the rocks, caught fellow walkers in backlit portraits and captured such contrasts of our destination as the palo blanco, its golden leaves glimmering above its stark white trunk.
In the late morning, we revisited our landing, looking just below the water’s surface at the abundant sea life revealed at low tide. Keen eyes zeroed in on the stone scorpion fish. Sally lightfoot crabs danced about on the shoreline, while the hermit crabs kept to themselves with a more modest demeanor. Slate pencil urchins, sea fans and flat worms, among others, entertained us for hours, as we contemplated their colorful, yet sedentary lives at sea.
Back underway, a pod of common dolphins lured us away from shopping bliss in the lounge, and we spent our afternoon on deck. Fin whales rewarded those who could resist the weight of heavy eyelids, as several swam near the boat, giving us good, albeit fleeting, looks at the second largest cetacean.
We ended our day’s activities in the late afternoon with Zodiac cruises around the bustling winged metropolis of Isla San Ildefonso. Isolated from the mainland and free of predators, this lava-formed rocky islet swarms with bird life. Brown boobies and their blue-footed counterparts vied for our attentions while Heermann’s gulls soared overhead. We hugged the shoreline and explored small caves, listening to the squeaks of hidden bats and looking below the tide line at the urchin-carpeted rocks. The brown pelican seemed to dominate the island, and our tour began with a representative flying overhead, a beak full of nesting materials. Further investigation revealed high-rises of new nests, some still under construction, others already housing young families. We rounded the corner towards the end of our outing to find a flock of surfbirds perched at the water’s edge, their plump bellies and spotted feathers catching the beginning glow of twilight. We felt somewhat akin to these small shorebirds—fellow visitors from northern lands—and wondered if they too had paused here to contemplate the beauty of their surroundings.
We woke this morning with the desert, walking up the arroyo at Punta Púlpito before the sun could bleach out the subtle rose and coral hues of the rocks, or the range of greens, from sage to lime, coloring the cactus and foliage. Before the heat sent the birds into hiding, we heard the songs of canyon wrens and the ash-throated flycatcher. Overhead, we witnessed two male cardinals fight for territory, while another amicable pair, a male and a female, chased one another across our path. As the sun rose above the canyon, our photographers shot the shadows that posed off the rocks, caught fellow walkers in backlit portraits and captured such contrasts of our destination as the palo blanco, its golden leaves glimmering above its stark white trunk.
In the late morning, we revisited our landing, looking just below the water’s surface at the abundant sea life revealed at low tide. Keen eyes zeroed in on the stone scorpion fish. Sally lightfoot crabs danced about on the shoreline, while the hermit crabs kept to themselves with a more modest demeanor. Slate pencil urchins, sea fans and flat worms, among others, entertained us for hours, as we contemplated their colorful, yet sedentary lives at sea.
Back underway, a pod of common dolphins lured us away from shopping bliss in the lounge, and we spent our afternoon on deck. Fin whales rewarded those who could resist the weight of heavy eyelids, as several swam near the boat, giving us good, albeit fleeting, looks at the second largest cetacean.
We ended our day’s activities in the late afternoon with Zodiac cruises around the bustling winged metropolis of Isla San Ildefonso. Isolated from the mainland and free of predators, this lava-formed rocky islet swarms with bird life. Brown boobies and their blue-footed counterparts vied for our attentions while Heermann’s gulls soared overhead. We hugged the shoreline and explored small caves, listening to the squeaks of hidden bats and looking below the tide line at the urchin-carpeted rocks. The brown pelican seemed to dominate the island, and our tour began with a representative flying overhead, a beak full of nesting materials. Further investigation revealed high-rises of new nests, some still under construction, others already housing young families. We rounded the corner towards the end of our outing to find a flock of surfbirds perched at the water’s edge, their plump bellies and spotted feathers catching the beginning glow of twilight. We felt somewhat akin to these small shorebirds—fellow visitors from northern lands—and wondered if they too had paused here to contemplate the beauty of their surroundings.
