Bahia Magdalena
Fog completely enveloped the Sea Lion's anchorage near dawn this morning. On the bow we sipped coffee and listened to the softened sound of California gray whale exhalations, while lesser nighthawks flashed their white armbands through the misty air, and a savannah sparrow joined the early crowd and perched upon the anchor box.
The Zodiacs were lowered and as the last mists cleared, we engaged in an exploration of the mangrove community on the east side of the channel near Los Titeres and an opportunity to walk into the sand dune habitat to the west. Mangrove cruisers found an abundance of shorebirds… whimbrels, willets, long-billed curlews and marbled godwits feeding on the mudflats, and appreciated a quiet interaction with an unusually patient green heron (he's in the photo!) as well as a quick glimpse and the song of the elusive mangrove warbler. Dune adventurers brought back tales of coyote's secret watering hole, sea turtles and gray whale bones stranded and bleached on the far Pacific shore.
Bow-riding bottlenose dolphins accompanied us on our southbound journey through Hull Canal as we finished up a delightful deck barbeque on this spectacular calm and sunny day. Later, near La Entrada, we once again encountered the blows and backs and flukes of the California gray whale, and were happily surprised at our final whale sighting of the day to discover two humpback whales were also making their way into the Pacific Ocean. As the Sea Lion turned south toward the cape and we began to dream of tomorrow's adventures, a pod of common dolphins raced to the bow, as though to offer a salute of farewell to beautiful Magdalena Bay.
Fog completely enveloped the Sea Lion's anchorage near dawn this morning. On the bow we sipped coffee and listened to the softened sound of California gray whale exhalations, while lesser nighthawks flashed their white armbands through the misty air, and a savannah sparrow joined the early crowd and perched upon the anchor box.
The Zodiacs were lowered and as the last mists cleared, we engaged in an exploration of the mangrove community on the east side of the channel near Los Titeres and an opportunity to walk into the sand dune habitat to the west. Mangrove cruisers found an abundance of shorebirds… whimbrels, willets, long-billed curlews and marbled godwits feeding on the mudflats, and appreciated a quiet interaction with an unusually patient green heron (he's in the photo!) as well as a quick glimpse and the song of the elusive mangrove warbler. Dune adventurers brought back tales of coyote's secret watering hole, sea turtles and gray whale bones stranded and bleached on the far Pacific shore.
Bow-riding bottlenose dolphins accompanied us on our southbound journey through Hull Canal as we finished up a delightful deck barbeque on this spectacular calm and sunny day. Later, near La Entrada, we once again encountered the blows and backs and flukes of the California gray whale, and were happily surprised at our final whale sighting of the day to discover two humpback whales were also making their way into the Pacific Ocean. As the Sea Lion turned south toward the cape and we began to dream of tomorrow's adventures, a pod of common dolphins raced to the bow, as though to offer a salute of farewell to beautiful Magdalena Bay.
