Isla San Pedro Mártir & At Sea, 3/27/2018, National Geographic Sea Bird
Aboard the
National Geographic Sea Bird
Baja California
This morning we explored the rocky shores of the remote island on San Pedro Mártir from our fleet of inflatable boats. Brown boobies and blue-footed boobies crisscrossed the air above us. Brown pelicans rested stately on the shoreline rocks, meticulously preening their feathers. Red-billed tropicbirds flew overhead occasionally, calling exuberantly with shrill voices as they swooped close to the rocky cliffs. The most amusing creatures we found were exuberant throngs of young California sea lions jumping, playing, and curiously peering at us from the sparkling waters around our boats.
Jack is a Seattle-based guide, wildlife biologist and professional photographer. For the past thirty years his photographs have appeared in prominent magazines, calendars and books including publications by Smithsonian, Audubon, and National Geograph...
Since 1995, Rikki Swenson has traveled widely with Lindblad Expeditions–National Geographic, and was a founding member of the Photo Expedition program. A graphic designer for 20 years, Rikki owned a small agency, handling projects for large corporate...
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Steve fell in love with the beauty of the natural world at an early age. In addition to nature, his other main passion was telling stories though the medium of television and radio. Steve studied broadcast jo...
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
During today’s sunny and breezeless early morning, our guests and staff ventured out in local pangas for whale watching at Almejas Bay, located in the southern section of the Magdalena Bay lagoon complex on the Pacific side of the Baja California Peninsula. With the tide at its highest, our exploration in the heart of the gray whale mating grounds paid off with more than 60 adult whales spotted in the area where our boats were spread out. All the whales were very active, displaying parts of their bodies while spy-hopping, breaching, swimming, diving, and even mating. Several females were seen in a belly-up position, allowing our guests and staff to clearly distinguish genitals and other typically hidden body parts. The whales’ curiosity brought many of them to the sides or underneath the pangas, sometimes pushing or lifting the boats with the tips of their snouts or their bellies. Many of our guests even stretched out their hands to touch the whales! The afternoon was spent exploring the beach and hills around Puerto Magdalena, a quaint fishing community on Magdalena Island. During a hike, our guests had their first encounter with the unique flora of the Baja California Desert, including agave, palo adan, gongylocarpus flowers, prickly pear, galloping cacti, jojoba, and others. From the top of the hills, they were treated to magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean.
Today guests of National Geographic Venture woke up to an amazing sunrise alongside Isla Santa Margarita before boarding pangas to embark on some incredible whale watching excursions. We saw spy hopping, breaching, and mating behavior. After an amazing morning, we had an afternoon of beachcombing and kayaking off Isla Magdalena.
Today we woke up to the sound of the anchor lifting, and after a short transit we came alongside at the dock in Puerto San Carlos during breakfast. Shortly after breakfast we were greeted by Mauro Butron, a local naturalist and guide who runs a very smooth operation. From the window of the coaches, we took in the natural and cultural landscape and Mauro shared many stories with us along the way which enriched our terrestrial journey. At the northern end of Magdalena Bay, we set out to explore the mangroves with local captains driving us around in fiberglass boats. Along the shorelines we had many wonderful encounters with the avian community. We also had many close encounters with California grey whales and common bottlenose dolphins. It was a delightful day spent in the great outdoors. We gained a glimpse into a world where environmental conservation has succeeded in protecting these lagoons, in part due to the presence of natural history tourism.
