Although it was a bit windy this morning, our intrepid kayakers and standup paddleboarders set out to explore the mangroves of El Barril (The Barrel). Some guests spotted a yellow-crowned night heron and an eared grebe along the way!
Three species of mangroves line the shores of the El Barril estuary. Red mangroves are the most dominant; they are found in and along the waterway. Black mangroves are found farther back from the water, and white ones are usually on higher ground with just a bit of moisture in the substrate.
Seedpods from devil’s claw (Proboscidea althaeifolia) litter the upland of the beach at El Barril. This prostrate plant with fragrant, snapdragon-like flowers has mature fruit capsules with two apical hooks. These hooks are very sharp and can easily catch your shoes or the nostrils of browsing cattle!
Our day ended with an outing on Magdalena Island. Here our Global Explorers took full advantage of the huge barchan dunes by jumping and cartwheeling on them and then using boogie boards for a sand surfing contest down the side of the dunes!
