San Pedro Martir and San Esteban Islands, midriff area, Gulf of California
A nocturnal navigation of the Sea Voyager on a reckoning ocean took us around the Island of San Pedro Martir, a very important nesting site for brown pelicans, tropic birds and blue-footed and brown bobbies. As a matter of fact, this isolated and volcanic island (that form part of a very destroyed and eroded volcano) is the ideal site for these birds because there are no native land predators. Even more, on the rocky shore line hundreds of California sea lions also thrive and form reproductive colonies, and we were able to observe pups between two and four weeks of age, some alone and some sleeping next to their alert mothers. Males were patrolling the beaches, because they are close to mate, or already have mated, with the mature and experienced abundant females. Also, hundreds of young brown pelicans, fine dressed with their first-year plumages, were seen feeding by themselves as most parents have finished the caring and rising of chicks (photo). We enjoyed the first activity of our voyage and took many pictures as to ensure memories for our still far away return home.
Later we traveled on the Midriff area in search of marine mammals. Before lunch we discovered sperm whales scattered over a wide extension of water and our officers maneuvered the ship to have the best views. There were not big males, but several females and their tiny babies were seen. A Zodiac with our undersea Specialist and the Dive Master was sent, but the team failed to capture video because of the little cooperative behavior of the whales and the strong wind that provoked big waving. In the afternoon we anchored in front of San Esteban, a medium-sized granite island that is also in the Midriff area. We tried to snorkel, but dozens of little man-of-war jellyfish did not allow us to do that. Then we hiked on its wide arroyo and as much as 10 giant or “pinto” chuckwallas were seen under red elephant trees and jumping chollas, escaping from the heat. We also had the first encounter with the vegetation of the Sonoran Desert. At this point we started to realize how fascinating the Gulf of California and its islands are.
A nocturnal navigation of the Sea Voyager on a reckoning ocean took us around the Island of San Pedro Martir, a very important nesting site for brown pelicans, tropic birds and blue-footed and brown bobbies. As a matter of fact, this isolated and volcanic island (that form part of a very destroyed and eroded volcano) is the ideal site for these birds because there are no native land predators. Even more, on the rocky shore line hundreds of California sea lions also thrive and form reproductive colonies, and we were able to observe pups between two and four weeks of age, some alone and some sleeping next to their alert mothers. Males were patrolling the beaches, because they are close to mate, or already have mated, with the mature and experienced abundant females. Also, hundreds of young brown pelicans, fine dressed with their first-year plumages, were seen feeding by themselves as most parents have finished the caring and rising of chicks (photo). We enjoyed the first activity of our voyage and took many pictures as to ensure memories for our still far away return home.
Later we traveled on the Midriff area in search of marine mammals. Before lunch we discovered sperm whales scattered over a wide extension of water and our officers maneuvered the ship to have the best views. There were not big males, but several females and their tiny babies were seen. A Zodiac with our undersea Specialist and the Dive Master was sent, but the team failed to capture video because of the little cooperative behavior of the whales and the strong wind that provoked big waving. In the afternoon we anchored in front of San Esteban, a medium-sized granite island that is also in the Midriff area. We tried to snorkel, but dozens of little man-of-war jellyfish did not allow us to do that. Then we hiked on its wide arroyo and as much as 10 giant or “pinto” chuckwallas were seen under red elephant trees and jumping chollas, escaping from the heat. We also had the first encounter with the vegetation of the Sonoran Desert. At this point we started to realize how fascinating the Gulf of California and its islands are.
