Boca de Soledad and Hull Canal
We awoke this morning to glassy water, a light fog, and surrounded again by whales. Spending this amount of time amongst the gray whales is truly a pleasure. We once again headed out in the Zodiacs for close and personal views. The calm, sunny conditions led to amazing behavioral observations, especially the close bond between moms and new born calves. Almost always within touching distance, the pairs slowly drifted with the tide, and sometimes calves were lifted out of the water on the mother’s back.
A few playful individuals were discovered with curious calves rolling around all sides of their ever attentive mothers. Meanwhile, one mother continually spy-hopped, slowly rising head first straight up. Whether looking around, standing on her tail, or merely human watching, the reason is unimportant. The sheer delight she brought to us visitors to her world was immeasurable. A few fast moving adults made for a great contrast to the lethargic mom-calf pairs. Three whales rapidly charging through the water led to interesting discussion of mating behavior. Were we seeing two males aggressively pursuing a female? Whatever was happening, the lead animal was continually fluke diving with the other two following closely behind. Every behavior we observed reminded us of how little we actually know of what is going on below the surface.
During a deck lunch with delicious, fresh cooked pizza, we headed south cruising through the nursery area chocked full with female whales and their newborn calves. Later on, after passing back through the Devil’s Elbow, we spotted a small group of feral Burros. Amongst the many wading birds, bow riding dolphins, and feeding cormorants, a few real gems stood out. A diving peregrine scared sandpipers off the shore and as we rounded a patch of mangroves, a coyote! Out on the mud flats, this healthy looking individual was busily searching during low tide for a meal. Cocktails and appetizers on deck with a fiery sunset was a fitting finale for this amazing journey.
We awoke this morning to glassy water, a light fog, and surrounded again by whales. Spending this amount of time amongst the gray whales is truly a pleasure. We once again headed out in the Zodiacs for close and personal views. The calm, sunny conditions led to amazing behavioral observations, especially the close bond between moms and new born calves. Almost always within touching distance, the pairs slowly drifted with the tide, and sometimes calves were lifted out of the water on the mother’s back.
A few playful individuals were discovered with curious calves rolling around all sides of their ever attentive mothers. Meanwhile, one mother continually spy-hopped, slowly rising head first straight up. Whether looking around, standing on her tail, or merely human watching, the reason is unimportant. The sheer delight she brought to us visitors to her world was immeasurable. A few fast moving adults made for a great contrast to the lethargic mom-calf pairs. Three whales rapidly charging through the water led to interesting discussion of mating behavior. Were we seeing two males aggressively pursuing a female? Whatever was happening, the lead animal was continually fluke diving with the other two following closely behind. Every behavior we observed reminded us of how little we actually know of what is going on below the surface.
During a deck lunch with delicious, fresh cooked pizza, we headed south cruising through the nursery area chocked full with female whales and their newborn calves. Later on, after passing back through the Devil’s Elbow, we spotted a small group of feral Burros. Amongst the many wading birds, bow riding dolphins, and feeding cormorants, a few real gems stood out. A diving peregrine scared sandpipers off the shore and as we rounded a patch of mangroves, a coyote! Out on the mud flats, this healthy looking individual was busily searching during low tide for a meal. Cocktails and appetizers on deck with a fiery sunset was a fitting finale for this amazing journey.
