Los Islotes and Isla San Francisco
Sunrise found us in front of Los Islotes (The Islets). These rocks are the southernmost breeding colony of the California sea lion. The islets are also a nesting ground for a colony of blue-footed boobies as well as brown boobies. We could hear the vocalizations of both young and adult sea lions, along with the soft whistles characteristic of the blue-footed boobies.
The call for breakfast interrupted our photographic session only to be re-initiated soon after breakfast. This time, we could have a very close look at the resting pinnipeds, as well as the sea birds above us. While cruising along on our versatile inflatable boats, the natural history staff explained to us the remarkable differences between male and female California sea lions as we continued photographing these interesting animals.
After the cruises, we continued our journey to a small island towards the north, called San Francisco. By mid-day we were dropping anchor at beautiful Half Moon Bay, where we had a chance to swim, kayak and beach comb. We walked across the island through the salt flat and learned that the salt harvested in this salt flat is used by local fishermen to salt their catch. We arrived to the tide-pooling site and marveled at nature adaptations when Michelle and Mike showed us the diversity of life that lives under the rocks at low tide. We observed nudibranchs, marine flat worms, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, several kinds of snails and different crabs.
We ended our day on board our vessel, watching another beautiful sunset. After dinner, a question and answer session about the Marine Park with the natural history staff filled in the gaps and enticed us to look forward to another exciting day here in the marvelous Gulf of California.
Sunrise found us in front of Los Islotes (The Islets). These rocks are the southernmost breeding colony of the California sea lion. The islets are also a nesting ground for a colony of blue-footed boobies as well as brown boobies. We could hear the vocalizations of both young and adult sea lions, along with the soft whistles characteristic of the blue-footed boobies.
The call for breakfast interrupted our photographic session only to be re-initiated soon after breakfast. This time, we could have a very close look at the resting pinnipeds, as well as the sea birds above us. While cruising along on our versatile inflatable boats, the natural history staff explained to us the remarkable differences between male and female California sea lions as we continued photographing these interesting animals.
After the cruises, we continued our journey to a small island towards the north, called San Francisco. By mid-day we were dropping anchor at beautiful Half Moon Bay, where we had a chance to swim, kayak and beach comb. We walked across the island through the salt flat and learned that the salt harvested in this salt flat is used by local fishermen to salt their catch. We arrived to the tide-pooling site and marveled at nature adaptations when Michelle and Mike showed us the diversity of life that lives under the rocks at low tide. We observed nudibranchs, marine flat worms, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, several kinds of snails and different crabs.
We ended our day on board our vessel, watching another beautiful sunset. After dinner, a question and answer session about the Marine Park with the natural history staff filled in the gaps and enticed us to look forward to another exciting day here in the marvelous Gulf of California.
