Today, all of our guests and staff on the National Geographic Sea Bird got the opportunity to join two different activities: hiking and whale watching. Those who hiked visited the magnificent sand dunes of Magdalena Island, and contemplated the amazing vegetation that covers, like a carpet, the hot and hostile soil of sand. A high tide brought seawater over the low-laying parts of the island, forming salty pools and flooding the salt-tolerating plants like sand verbenas, sea purslane, and iodine bush. Around the patches of mangroves, we also observed coyotes in their endless searching for food. Tracks of different creatures—among them jackrabbits, hermit crabs, snowy and great egrets, and white-footed mice—traced complicated highways over the dunes. On the shore, right between the sea and the sand dunes our wellness specialist, Amy Sobesky led a meditation session to take away our stress and to put us in contact with nature.
The whale watching was also very rewarding, despite the fog that came upon the region. Several whales were spotted, in the coastal lagoon formed between the peninsula and Magdalena Island, sharing a bit of their private lives with us. A mother and a calf gave us the chance to observe them up close; also, the baby played around the mother just as other highly intelligent animals play, and that behavior made us smile. The exciting day finished with a Mexican party, with good food, dancing, and the performance of the local group of musicians called Los Coyotes de Magdalena.
