Bahia Magdalena
Dawn came softly over the Magdalena Plain this morning with its reds, oranges and yellows. It reminded me of similar days 33 years ago when I was spending the winter a few miles south of here studying California gray whales from the top of a sand hill we called Colina Coyote. At that time we were trying to figure out what the whales were doing in the lagoons and what their behaviors meant and following them about with radio transmitters. This morning we boarded the Zodiacs from our luxurious home aboard the Sea Lion with the same curiosity and enthusiasm—still trying to figure out what the whales are doing and also hoping to follow them about and maybe even encounter them closely. Having self-selected who would go out at 6:30am (prior to sunrise, but beautifully lit!) and who would go out after breakfast at 8:45am, the hearty and somewhat blurry-eyed early adventurers set out in search of whales. As soon as we found and bonded with some mother whales and their calves, the fog dropped on us like a curtain. We weren’t deterred, however, and followed the whale pairs through the soupy gray air. The fog lifted as quickly as it had dropped and we found ourselves in Boca de Solidad, the mouth of upper Magdalena Bay lagoon, among a number of spouting whales. After some acclimating to one another, one mother and her calf became curious about these little floaty toys called Zodiacs with their load of odd land creatures and let a number of us stroke and pet them. What an unforgettable experience that was! Forty tons of mother and two tons of baby actually soliciting contact with humans, their former near-nemesis. Go figure!! The later-morning whale watching groups had glorious weather in “the Boca” and very fine looks at many mother-calf pairs along with some aerial displays, spy hops and breaching, by single adults and calves alike. The late morning was spent ashore exploring Magdalena Island before returning to the ship for a scrumptious BBQ lunch on deck.
After a well-earned siesta, we again boarded the Zodiacs for two rounds of whale watching. Those choosing the first round were treated to more looks at dramatic aerial displays of breaching and spy hopping along with a lot of time with mother and calf pairs. The later group of whale watchers had the luxury of more “up close and personal” interactions with a mother and her calf, including interspecies kisses, hugs and lots of petting. After all that, some of us spent time on the way back to the ship in the midst of a large flock of diving pelicans, cormorants and gulls that were feeding in the orange of sunset on a large school of sardines. Meanwhile, back at the ship there was already live local Mexican music in the lounge followed by a delicious Fiesta buffet dinner provided by the local people of Lopez Mateos. This was certainly a day to remember for a lifetime and led many of us aboard to think of our loved ones back home and hope that we might someday share such a day in this desert lagoon paradise with them.
Dawn came softly over the Magdalena Plain this morning with its reds, oranges and yellows. It reminded me of similar days 33 years ago when I was spending the winter a few miles south of here studying California gray whales from the top of a sand hill we called Colina Coyote. At that time we were trying to figure out what the whales were doing in the lagoons and what their behaviors meant and following them about with radio transmitters. This morning we boarded the Zodiacs from our luxurious home aboard the Sea Lion with the same curiosity and enthusiasm—still trying to figure out what the whales are doing and also hoping to follow them about and maybe even encounter them closely. Having self-selected who would go out at 6:30am (prior to sunrise, but beautifully lit!) and who would go out after breakfast at 8:45am, the hearty and somewhat blurry-eyed early adventurers set out in search of whales. As soon as we found and bonded with some mother whales and their calves, the fog dropped on us like a curtain. We weren’t deterred, however, and followed the whale pairs through the soupy gray air. The fog lifted as quickly as it had dropped and we found ourselves in Boca de Solidad, the mouth of upper Magdalena Bay lagoon, among a number of spouting whales. After some acclimating to one another, one mother and her calf became curious about these little floaty toys called Zodiacs with their load of odd land creatures and let a number of us stroke and pet them. What an unforgettable experience that was! Forty tons of mother and two tons of baby actually soliciting contact with humans, their former near-nemesis. Go figure!! The later-morning whale watching groups had glorious weather in “the Boca” and very fine looks at many mother-calf pairs along with some aerial displays, spy hops and breaching, by single adults and calves alike. The late morning was spent ashore exploring Magdalena Island before returning to the ship for a scrumptious BBQ lunch on deck.
After a well-earned siesta, we again boarded the Zodiacs for two rounds of whale watching. Those choosing the first round were treated to more looks at dramatic aerial displays of breaching and spy hopping along with a lot of time with mother and calf pairs. The later group of whale watchers had the luxury of more “up close and personal” interactions with a mother and her calf, including interspecies kisses, hugs and lots of petting. After all that, some of us spent time on the way back to the ship in the midst of a large flock of diving pelicans, cormorants and gulls that were feeding in the orange of sunset on a large school of sardines. Meanwhile, back at the ship there was already live local Mexican music in the lounge followed by a delicious Fiesta buffet dinner provided by the local people of Lopez Mateos. This was certainly a day to remember for a lifetime and led many of us aboard to think of our loved ones back home and hope that we might someday share such a day in this desert lagoon paradise with them.
