Bahia Animas and Isla Rasa
We started the day with a rare landing on the Baja peninsula. Dividing into groups, many of us set off to explore various arroyos and our first discoveries on the terrestrial side. It has been a very dry year, and the vegetation reflected this. Most plants had no leaves, but we still were able to discover beautiful flowers such as mallow, palo adan, and passiflower. We kicked up a few jackrabbits and some were even lucky enough to find a coyote. Costa’s hummingbirds arced in display flights, and a migrant Townsend’s warbler fed on insects attracted to a flowering composite.
The afternoon was spent on and around Isla Rasa, one of the most important seabird colonies in all of Mexico. Ninety-five percent of the worlds Heermann’s gulls and elegant terns all breed on this one small island. We started with a Zodiac cruise, circumnavigating the island and a nearby islet. We were introduced to the abundant breeders and other specialties such as oystercatchers and the resident family of peregrine falcons. An adult hunted low over the gull colony and caused all to flush off in fear. A highlight was a couple of falcons circling the Zodiacs and screaming a warning. Meanwhile, a group of sea lions was playfully riding a strong current that up welled over a submerged rock, many breaching through air. Other sea lions were sunning themselves on the islet while noisy males defended their breeding territories.
Our day ended with a walk through the nesting Heermann’s gulls led by biologist Enriqueta Velarde. She has been studying these birds since 1979 and has helped their population increase from around 30,000 to nearly 500,000 total breeding birds. Eradication of non-native rats, the stopping of egg gathering and better fisheries management has led to the recovery of these marvelous birds. We wove our way past gulls sitting on eggs to an overlook of a small royal tern colony. A few hundred pairs were packed together in a nesting bunch, while perspective pairs flew overhead, many with an offering of tasty fish to tempt a mate. Everywhere we looked, Heermann’s gulls were nesting in any available spot. And yet another fantastic day on our journey through the Gulf of California.
We started the day with a rare landing on the Baja peninsula. Dividing into groups, many of us set off to explore various arroyos and our first discoveries on the terrestrial side. It has been a very dry year, and the vegetation reflected this. Most plants had no leaves, but we still were able to discover beautiful flowers such as mallow, palo adan, and passiflower. We kicked up a few jackrabbits and some were even lucky enough to find a coyote. Costa’s hummingbirds arced in display flights, and a migrant Townsend’s warbler fed on insects attracted to a flowering composite.
The afternoon was spent on and around Isla Rasa, one of the most important seabird colonies in all of Mexico. Ninety-five percent of the worlds Heermann’s gulls and elegant terns all breed on this one small island. We started with a Zodiac cruise, circumnavigating the island and a nearby islet. We were introduced to the abundant breeders and other specialties such as oystercatchers and the resident family of peregrine falcons. An adult hunted low over the gull colony and caused all to flush off in fear. A highlight was a couple of falcons circling the Zodiacs and screaming a warning. Meanwhile, a group of sea lions was playfully riding a strong current that up welled over a submerged rock, many breaching through air. Other sea lions were sunning themselves on the islet while noisy males defended their breeding territories.
Our day ended with a walk through the nesting Heermann’s gulls led by biologist Enriqueta Velarde. She has been studying these birds since 1979 and has helped their population increase from around 30,000 to nearly 500,000 total breeding birds. Eradication of non-native rats, the stopping of egg gathering and better fisheries management has led to the recovery of these marvelous birds. We wove our way past gulls sitting on eggs to an overlook of a small royal tern colony. A few hundred pairs were packed together in a nesting bunch, while perspective pairs flew overhead, many with an offering of tasty fish to tempt a mate. Everywhere we looked, Heermann’s gulls were nesting in any available spot. And yet another fantastic day on our journey through the Gulf of California.
