Isla Partida Norte and Isla Rasa
Soft rosy streaks of a pastel desert dawn tinted the first light of this cool, calm morning – our tranquil sunrise was closely followed by the excitement of several nearby whale blows. As Ged, our expedition leader, made a call to urge those still dreaming of yesterday’s adventures to awaken and quickly come to the bow, the cetaceans around the Sea Voyager were identified as fin whales. We were soon amazed by views of these colossal animals engaging in a feeding behavior known as lunging. This second-to-the-largest mammal in the world opened its ventral pleats, turned on its side, and scooped up several tons of the Sea of Cortes’ nutrient rich water into its gaping mouth. During the lunging process, the whale sieves out its planktonic meal through the baleen plates that hang from its upper jaw.
Only a few of our intrepid guests were deterred by the difficulty of navigating the rocky slopes of Isla Partida Norte this morning and chose the option of a Zodiac cruise. This fascinating islet hosts 90% of the world’s least storm petrels as well as 70% of our planet’s larger black storm petrels during the nesting season. Burrows among the arching columnar basalts of this rocky place are the only solid land these delightful small avians inhabit, as the rest of their year is spent foraging at sea in their particular pattering manner. The name petrel derives from the unusual way these birds appear to walk upon water – reminiscent of the biblical Peter on the Sea of Galilee.
The Sea Voyager carried us over a calm sea to the next magical island during lunch, and there we made our planned rendezvous with high tide at Isla Rasa. Dr. Enriquetta Velarde and her young research associates as well as half a million terns and gulls greeted the group with enthusiasm. She led us along a trail of constant astonishment. We had to watch our every step on the path to avoid the eggs and chicks of some 250,000 Heermann’s gulls – 90% of that species’ population nests right here, as well as 200,000 elegant and 10,000 royal terns. (1999 count) Just being on this island is an experience of remarkable intensity; the noise and numbers of birds is at first, nearly overwhelming. Once we adjusted to a level of life not normally experienced, we were able to appreciate, enjoy and photograph the individual antics of the newly hatched chicks and their protective parents.
And so, here in this remote place where the desert does indeed meet the sea, today we have been a part of some of nature’s truly remarkable events.
Soft rosy streaks of a pastel desert dawn tinted the first light of this cool, calm morning – our tranquil sunrise was closely followed by the excitement of several nearby whale blows. As Ged, our expedition leader, made a call to urge those still dreaming of yesterday’s adventures to awaken and quickly come to the bow, the cetaceans around the Sea Voyager were identified as fin whales. We were soon amazed by views of these colossal animals engaging in a feeding behavior known as lunging. This second-to-the-largest mammal in the world opened its ventral pleats, turned on its side, and scooped up several tons of the Sea of Cortes’ nutrient rich water into its gaping mouth. During the lunging process, the whale sieves out its planktonic meal through the baleen plates that hang from its upper jaw.
Only a few of our intrepid guests were deterred by the difficulty of navigating the rocky slopes of Isla Partida Norte this morning and chose the option of a Zodiac cruise. This fascinating islet hosts 90% of the world’s least storm petrels as well as 70% of our planet’s larger black storm petrels during the nesting season. Burrows among the arching columnar basalts of this rocky place are the only solid land these delightful small avians inhabit, as the rest of their year is spent foraging at sea in their particular pattering manner. The name petrel derives from the unusual way these birds appear to walk upon water – reminiscent of the biblical Peter on the Sea of Galilee.
The Sea Voyager carried us over a calm sea to the next magical island during lunch, and there we made our planned rendezvous with high tide at Isla Rasa. Dr. Enriquetta Velarde and her young research associates as well as half a million terns and gulls greeted the group with enthusiasm. She led us along a trail of constant astonishment. We had to watch our every step on the path to avoid the eggs and chicks of some 250,000 Heermann’s gulls – 90% of that species’ population nests right here, as well as 200,000 elegant and 10,000 royal terns. (1999 count) Just being on this island is an experience of remarkable intensity; the noise and numbers of birds is at first, nearly overwhelming. Once we adjusted to a level of life not normally experienced, we were able to appreciate, enjoy and photograph the individual antics of the newly hatched chicks and their protective parents.
And so, here in this remote place where the desert does indeed meet the sea, today we have been a part of some of nature’s truly remarkable events.
