An early morning announcement brought many of us out on deck to enjoy a brilliant reddish-orange sunrise sweeping in a colorful swath across the eastern sky. To the west, subtler pinkish hues bathed clouds beneath a lingering pale moon. Soon the rising sun illuminated the distant mountains of the Sierra de la Giganta on the Baja peninsula to the west. We pulled into a quiet bay at the south end of Isla Catalina, a granitic island that was never connected to the Baja peninsula.
After breakfast, we ventured ashore for walks along a picturesque arroyo surrounded by immense cardon cactus. One of the island’s most distinctive plants is the quasi-endemic giant barrel cactus, many of which were sporting showy red blossoms. In addition to the many lovely desert plants, there was also a variety of land bird species to be seen. One of the most noticeable birds was the loggerhead shrike, a small predatory passerine that is quite abundant on this island. There were also northern cardinals seen singing from the tops of cardons, and noisy gila woodpeckers calling loudly as they swooped between the giant cacti. Along the gravel arroyo we encountered several species of endemic lizards; the most colorful of which was an ‘emerald-tailed’ side-blotched lizard found only on Catalina Island. Several endemic ‘rattleless’ rattlesnakes were discovered quietly coiled in the shade of nearby vegetation. Some people chose to join a more vigorous long hike, while others ambled slowly in the desert before heading back seaward to the cool air, or for snorkeling with colorful fish around the Elephant Rock.
We returned to the ship for lunch before heading out across the surrounding waters of the Loreto Bay National Marine Park. Only a few miles out, we joined a huge throng of long-beaked common dolphins and hundreds of brown pelicans engaged in a bustling feeding frenzy. The pelicans and the dolphins were likely chasing small fish to the surface where the pelicans and other seabirds swirled in the air and dove to grab this abundant marine bounty.
Continuing our northwest course, we approached the eastern side of Isla del Carmen where we found another large feeding group of several hundred long-beaked common dolphins, as well as a lone humpback whale. We spent the remainder of the afternoon zigzagging back and forth to follow these amazing groups, our chart line a series of knots of turns and curves. As the sun dipped lower, after a lengthy time with the dolphins, we turned northward again and headed along Carmen's eastern side. The setting sun lowered beyond the sierras, and once again lit the clouds in a dazzling array of colors. Bookends to another stunning day exploring Baja California and the magical Sea of Cortez.
