Sand Dollar Beach and Hull Canal
We began our explorations of Baja this morning on Isla Magdalena. The place we landed was the narrowest part of the island. This allowed us to easily hike across the rolling, white dunes to Sand Dollar Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
The hike held many surprises and treasures to discover along the way. It soon became clear to us that we were not the only ones who valued the dunes. The tracks in the sand told of coyotes, black-tailed jackrabbits, lizards, mice, birds and insects that had trotted, crawled, and bounded by in recent hours. The shell middens (piles of ancient shells) told of an even earlier people who lived off the bounty of the nearby waters. The occasional patch of green on the landscape revealed plants adapted for life in a challenging and ever shifting environment. Upon closer inspection, we found the sand verbena and milkweed in bloom. Once across the dunes, the roaring waves of the Pacific greeted us and persuaded several of us to dive in. The beachcombers marveled over the palm-sized sand dollars and the seemingly endless expanse of beach.
In the afternoon, with our local pilot at the helm, we transited Hull Canal. The narrow mangrove lined parts of the channel and exposed mud flats are the perfect habitat for a variety of birds. Our sightings included white ibises, snowy egrets, reddish egrets, green herons, great blue herons, osprey and more. As we got to the northern part of the canal, we had excellent views of several gray whales. The day was the perfect introduction to the wonders of Magdalena Bay, a place we will call home for the next two days.
We began our explorations of Baja this morning on Isla Magdalena. The place we landed was the narrowest part of the island. This allowed us to easily hike across the rolling, white dunes to Sand Dollar Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
The hike held many surprises and treasures to discover along the way. It soon became clear to us that we were not the only ones who valued the dunes. The tracks in the sand told of coyotes, black-tailed jackrabbits, lizards, mice, birds and insects that had trotted, crawled, and bounded by in recent hours. The shell middens (piles of ancient shells) told of an even earlier people who lived off the bounty of the nearby waters. The occasional patch of green on the landscape revealed plants adapted for life in a challenging and ever shifting environment. Upon closer inspection, we found the sand verbena and milkweed in bloom. Once across the dunes, the roaring waves of the Pacific greeted us and persuaded several of us to dive in. The beachcombers marveled over the palm-sized sand dollars and the seemingly endless expanse of beach.
In the afternoon, with our local pilot at the helm, we transited Hull Canal. The narrow mangrove lined parts of the channel and exposed mud flats are the perfect habitat for a variety of birds. Our sightings included white ibises, snowy egrets, reddish egrets, green herons, great blue herons, osprey and more. As we got to the northern part of the canal, we had excellent views of several gray whales. The day was the perfect introduction to the wonders of Magdalena Bay, a place we will call home for the next two days.
