Hull Canal, Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur
Our morning began with a thick layer of fog rolling in as the sun's first light appeared. Even with the fog we began to transit southward through the upper reaches of Magdalena Bay. Our progress was at a snail's pace because the gray whales were still swimming through the glassy calm of the lagoon. With a gray fog and a gray flat sea surface the gray bodies of the whales were almost imperceptible. It was only their forceful explosion of breath, which alerted us to their presence. A watchperson on the bow alerted the bridge to the sounds of the whales so the Captain could maneuver the ship slowly past them. With the fog still engulfing us after breakfast there was an opportune time to have a final talk by Dr. Stuart Pimm on some of the strategies and efforts to protect our world's natural environments.
By 10:00 there were signs of thinning and then within minutes the fog was gone. We quickly loaded half the group for a final Zodiac cruise looking for gray whales. The lagoon stayed glassy calm and the whale moms and young were gently swimming around. A lovely farewell experience to these amazing and docile creatures.
During lunch and for the first half of the afternoon we again were guided by our local pilot through the narrow channel of Hull Canal that connects the northern and southern waters of Magdalena Bay. Because the lowest tide of the day was particularly low, mudflats were exposed. The narrowness and shallowness was evident all along the way, especially at Devil's Bend where the channel was dredged decades ago and navigation requires an almost hairpin turn. People collected along the decks to watch a wide variety of birds frantically feeding on the exposed mudflats. Many species of waders where seen including white Ibis, eight kinds of herons and egrets, an equal numbers of shorebird species, as well as cormorants, pelicans, terns, and gulls. Certainly this day would have the largest species list of the trip.
For the final voyage excursion we anchored off one of the mazes of mangrove channels for a Zodiac cruise. People anxiously boarded the Zodiacs for a closer look at these fascinating plants and this representative of an ecosystem that is one of the most productive in the world. Mangroves provide many benefits and services to our world. We learned about these as we cruised into narrow shallow passageways. Then we were surprised around one of the corners by a Zodiac quietly sitting. As we pulled alongside we were greeted by some of the crew offering a totally unexpected refreshing cool drink and cookies. As we returned to the Sea Bird the setting sun produced a soft orange glow over the western sky and the light bathed the mangroves in a pastel color. Such unexpected events and scenes were hallmarks of the last week. The diversity and variety of experiences in just a week was probably on the minds of everyone as we chatted and conversed over final cocktails and dinner. Truly a very special voyage to Baja California.
Our morning began with a thick layer of fog rolling in as the sun's first light appeared. Even with the fog we began to transit southward through the upper reaches of Magdalena Bay. Our progress was at a snail's pace because the gray whales were still swimming through the glassy calm of the lagoon. With a gray fog and a gray flat sea surface the gray bodies of the whales were almost imperceptible. It was only their forceful explosion of breath, which alerted us to their presence. A watchperson on the bow alerted the bridge to the sounds of the whales so the Captain could maneuver the ship slowly past them. With the fog still engulfing us after breakfast there was an opportune time to have a final talk by Dr. Stuart Pimm on some of the strategies and efforts to protect our world's natural environments.
By 10:00 there were signs of thinning and then within minutes the fog was gone. We quickly loaded half the group for a final Zodiac cruise looking for gray whales. The lagoon stayed glassy calm and the whale moms and young were gently swimming around. A lovely farewell experience to these amazing and docile creatures.
During lunch and for the first half of the afternoon we again were guided by our local pilot through the narrow channel of Hull Canal that connects the northern and southern waters of Magdalena Bay. Because the lowest tide of the day was particularly low, mudflats were exposed. The narrowness and shallowness was evident all along the way, especially at Devil's Bend where the channel was dredged decades ago and navigation requires an almost hairpin turn. People collected along the decks to watch a wide variety of birds frantically feeding on the exposed mudflats. Many species of waders where seen including white Ibis, eight kinds of herons and egrets, an equal numbers of shorebird species, as well as cormorants, pelicans, terns, and gulls. Certainly this day would have the largest species list of the trip.
For the final voyage excursion we anchored off one of the mazes of mangrove channels for a Zodiac cruise. People anxiously boarded the Zodiacs for a closer look at these fascinating plants and this representative of an ecosystem that is one of the most productive in the world. Mangroves provide many benefits and services to our world. We learned about these as we cruised into narrow shallow passageways. Then we were surprised around one of the corners by a Zodiac quietly sitting. As we pulled alongside we were greeted by some of the crew offering a totally unexpected refreshing cool drink and cookies. As we returned to the Sea Bird the setting sun produced a soft orange glow over the western sky and the light bathed the mangroves in a pastel color. Such unexpected events and scenes were hallmarks of the last week. The diversity and variety of experiences in just a week was probably on the minds of everyone as we chatted and conversed over final cocktails and dinner. Truly a very special voyage to Baja California.
