Glassy perfect water and weather for whale watching, that is what we woke to this morning off of the Baja California peninsula. Many groups of humpback whales were found, these were S.A.G.’s or surface active groups. Anywhere from two to four male escorts to a single female were sighted as we rounded the Cape, going by Los Frailes, La Fortuna and further out to Gorda Banks. We had many great looks as these whales repeatedly surfaced; sometimes a male came up with a mouthful of water, perhaps a ploy to make himself a bit more intimidating to the other escort rivals.
For the afternoon our destination was the only freshwater stop we will make on our entire journey. The estuary at San Jose del Cabo is much beloved by the local residents as a nature retreat on the fringes of a busy town. Plying the waters were black necked stilts, pintail ducks, tricolored heron and green heron. An American kestrel, osprey and belted kingfisher all took stances of different perches, all keeping a watchful eye for their preferred prey items.
The details of the estuary were also colorful and beautiful. The image today of a Pepsis wasp, also known as a tarantula hawk was along the banks working furiously to ply nectar from the blossoms as it inadvertently pollinated the flowers. In the town of San Jose del Cabo splashes of color continued to attract our eye in the form of glass being molded gently into fantastic shapes, including a dolphin! A visit to the local Palleteria quenched our need for refreshment and opened up the option of enjoying a bit of people watching in the town plaza while we raced to eat our melting treats.
We capped our day with a sunset stop at Land’s End, the granitic spine of the Baja California peninsula jutting out to sea. Spattered with wave splash and highlighted with splotches of bird guano, the iconic rocks became our backdrop for family portraits and another opportunity to document our travels and adventures in Baja California.
