Bahiìa Concepción / Isla San Marcos
The Sea Bird continued north during the night, and early this morning we turned into Bahiìa Concepcioìn – a long bay created by a thumb of land that juts out from the Baja Peninsula just south of the town of Muìlege. Before breakfast we discovered a tiny visitor hanging from the upper deck awning – a bat! This animal is one of just a few bat species that are found in this Sonoran Desert area. They are the principal pollinators of the large cardon cactus. Evidence of its nighttime activity was present on the face of this bat. Most bats are nocturnal and many use echolocation to navigate and find food.
It was a beautiful day and our options for the morning included kayaking and Zodiac cruises. A couple small islands about midway down the bay provided venues for these activities. At times, the viewfinders of our cameras caught as many as six species of birds in a single frame. Brown pelicans plunged for fish, only to be harassed by Heermann’s and yellow-footed gulls after a successful dive. Double-crested cormorants and both blue-footed and brown boobies were also seen here. Ospreys were sitting in nests or on the tops of cacti. We listened to the lovely tunes of rock wrens and house finches. The black and white bodies of American oystercatchers blended in well along the cobbly shoreline but it was hard for them to hide their long, gaudy red bills.
On one of the smaller islets, we counted no fewer than six species of cactus sharing a lush piece of real estate, creating a pretty native garden. Herbaceous vines, including parasitic dodder, scrambled over and around everything.
A scrumptious lunch was served on the deck as we cruised out of Bahiìa Concepcioìn. For an added treat, we were supplied with all the fixings for ice cream sundaes.
Soon we came upon a large group of bottlenose dolphins that entertained us with bow-riding and spectacular leaps into the air. In addition, there were plunge-diving terns and boobies. Like the bats, toothed cetaceans have also evolved echolocation in order to receive information about their environment.
Just as Naturalist Steve Zeff started his presentation on marine mammals, he was interrupted by another group of dolphins; this time they were long-beaked common dolphins. We went back out on the decks and were delighted by the antics of these energetic animals. Finally, we continued on and Steve was able to finish his informative slide show.
By this time, we had anchored off the island of San Marcos. We prepared to go ashore for a quick walk to stretch our legs. On one end of the beach was a deteriorating baleen whale, partially buried and unrecognizable. On the other side numerous seastars had washed up and were bleached white by the sun. We walked inland among old-man cactus, brittlebush, and palo blanco trees. The rich late afternoon light gave us ample opportunity for photography.
An early dinner was served as we planned to rise before the sun the following morning in order to pursue a full day’s adventure…
The Sea Bird continued north during the night, and early this morning we turned into Bahiìa Concepcioìn – a long bay created by a thumb of land that juts out from the Baja Peninsula just south of the town of Muìlege. Before breakfast we discovered a tiny visitor hanging from the upper deck awning – a bat! This animal is one of just a few bat species that are found in this Sonoran Desert area. They are the principal pollinators of the large cardon cactus. Evidence of its nighttime activity was present on the face of this bat. Most bats are nocturnal and many use echolocation to navigate and find food.
It was a beautiful day and our options for the morning included kayaking and Zodiac cruises. A couple small islands about midway down the bay provided venues for these activities. At times, the viewfinders of our cameras caught as many as six species of birds in a single frame. Brown pelicans plunged for fish, only to be harassed by Heermann’s and yellow-footed gulls after a successful dive. Double-crested cormorants and both blue-footed and brown boobies were also seen here. Ospreys were sitting in nests or on the tops of cacti. We listened to the lovely tunes of rock wrens and house finches. The black and white bodies of American oystercatchers blended in well along the cobbly shoreline but it was hard for them to hide their long, gaudy red bills.
On one of the smaller islets, we counted no fewer than six species of cactus sharing a lush piece of real estate, creating a pretty native garden. Herbaceous vines, including parasitic dodder, scrambled over and around everything.
A scrumptious lunch was served on the deck as we cruised out of Bahiìa Concepcioìn. For an added treat, we were supplied with all the fixings for ice cream sundaes.
Soon we came upon a large group of bottlenose dolphins that entertained us with bow-riding and spectacular leaps into the air. In addition, there were plunge-diving terns and boobies. Like the bats, toothed cetaceans have also evolved echolocation in order to receive information about their environment.
Just as Naturalist Steve Zeff started his presentation on marine mammals, he was interrupted by another group of dolphins; this time they were long-beaked common dolphins. We went back out on the decks and were delighted by the antics of these energetic animals. Finally, we continued on and Steve was able to finish his informative slide show.
By this time, we had anchored off the island of San Marcos. We prepared to go ashore for a quick walk to stretch our legs. On one end of the beach was a deteriorating baleen whale, partially buried and unrecognizable. On the other side numerous seastars had washed up and were bleached white by the sun. We walked inland among old-man cactus, brittlebush, and palo blanco trees. The rich late afternoon light gave us ample opportunity for photography.
An early dinner was served as we planned to rise before the sun the following morning in order to pursue a full day’s adventure…
