Magdalena Bay
Sunrise illuminated the Sea Lion making her way into Hull Canal, a natural inland waterway separating Isla Magdalena from mainland Baja’s Pacific coast. Pre-breakfast birding from the bow included sightings of brown pelicans in the golden morning light, as our little ship weaved her way through the mangrove-lined channels.
Dropping anchor off a promising looking beach for an exploratory morning landing, our operation got into full swing, as Zodiacs and kayaks were launched to penetrate the mangrove forest.
We could choose to do our exploring on foot, joining a walk ashore, or by sea – either independently by kayak, or aboard a guided Zodiac cruise. Luckily there was time this morning for everyone to do two of the three options, so the decision was not too painful! Landing at La Libertad, the walkers encountered colourful cacti amongst the sand dunes and mangrove trees, whilst the Zodiacs cruised a small offshore island that was home to nesting cormorants and roosting frigate birds. It was cruising by kayak however, that undoubtedly gave the most intimate experience of the mangrove forest. With the tide rising, paddling along the calm shoreline our kayaks had a perfect eye-level window into the root system of this amazing plant that manages to tolerate the saline waters that slowly were reclaiming the mud flats. Our silent transport allowed us to closely approach some of the birds that make this intertidal zone their hunting ground, such as great blue heron and white ibis.
As we made our way out of the canals and Magdalena Bay later in the day, we encountered great patches of ocean stained red by the concentrations of pelagic swimming crabs, a sample of which was collected in our plankton net for closer inspection on deck. Called up to the bow once again for a blue whale sighting, common dolphins riding our bow wave accompanied us, as the sun set on another wonderful Baja day.
Sunrise illuminated the Sea Lion making her way into Hull Canal, a natural inland waterway separating Isla Magdalena from mainland Baja’s Pacific coast. Pre-breakfast birding from the bow included sightings of brown pelicans in the golden morning light, as our little ship weaved her way through the mangrove-lined channels.
Dropping anchor off a promising looking beach for an exploratory morning landing, our operation got into full swing, as Zodiacs and kayaks were launched to penetrate the mangrove forest.
We could choose to do our exploring on foot, joining a walk ashore, or by sea – either independently by kayak, or aboard a guided Zodiac cruise. Luckily there was time this morning for everyone to do two of the three options, so the decision was not too painful! Landing at La Libertad, the walkers encountered colourful cacti amongst the sand dunes and mangrove trees, whilst the Zodiacs cruised a small offshore island that was home to nesting cormorants and roosting frigate birds. It was cruising by kayak however, that undoubtedly gave the most intimate experience of the mangrove forest. With the tide rising, paddling along the calm shoreline our kayaks had a perfect eye-level window into the root system of this amazing plant that manages to tolerate the saline waters that slowly were reclaiming the mud flats. Our silent transport allowed us to closely approach some of the birds that make this intertidal zone their hunting ground, such as great blue heron and white ibis.
As we made our way out of the canals and Magdalena Bay later in the day, we encountered great patches of ocean stained red by the concentrations of pelagic swimming crabs, a sample of which was collected in our plankton net for closer inspection on deck. Called up to the bow once again for a blue whale sighting, common dolphins riding our bow wave accompanied us, as the sun set on another wonderful Baja day.
