Once again we enjoyed the unique experience of awaking in Magdalena Bay aboard the Sea Lion. With raised flukes, spyhops, breaches and spouts, the gray whales told us " Good morning" in their own special way. However, something was different about this morning. . . . . a bright yellow orb rose high in the sky, warming us to our very cores. The SUN finally came out, chasing the clouds away. Gray whales continued to cruise past the ship as we weighed anchor and moved back down the Hull Canal. The sun's rays penetrating through the few remaining whisps of clouds created a gorgeous reflection of everything above the water: mangroves, flying cormorants, sand dunes and mountains. These amazing reversed images were broken only by porpoising dolphins, surfacing gray whales and the wake of the Sea Lion.
Sailing thorough the beautiful Hull canal, the bird enthusiasts had such an outstanding day, they could not decide on which side of the boat to stand. Magnificent birds were on both sides and soared over head. Cries of "It's a great blue heron!", "Over here, a green heron!", "A snowy egret. . . . no, wait, a juvenile little blue heron!", "A kingfisher flying right over there!" echoed from all sides as binoculars swept back and forth along the mangroves. Even first-time birders were getting into the action, learning all their large shorebirds in one fell swoop. Suddenly, coyotes were spotted walking over the majestic sand dunes. Soon thereafter, an even closer sighting of these shrewd, adaptable animals occurred as one meandered between mangrove prop roots. Between these wonderful sights, we were treated to a talk on the local flora and the uses of these plants by indigenous peoples.
While other groups decided to hike through the dunes all the way across Isla Magdalena to the Pacific Ocean, we took our birding gear (spotting scopes, binoculars and field guides of all kinds) in a Zodiac to the nearby mangroves to see what we could see. Fortunately, we had a low tide, which exposed crustaceans, polychaete worms, snails, and all sort of little creatures that are the favorite meals of countless shorebirds. Our feathered friends did not seem to mind our presence. They were too busy feeding and taking care of their plumage with subtle vanity to be bothered with a band of birdwatchers. Those who hiked across the dunes marveled at the abundance of sand dollars, clams, and moon snails that had been thrown up on the beach and many of the desert plants were blooming because of the recent rains.
Upon returning, we enjoyed a shipboard barbecue, complete with Jimmy Buffet tunes, yummy hamburgers, and make-it-yourself sundaes (with the possibility to make them as big as you wanted!). As we continued our southbound journey, those of us planning to snorkel were outfitted with our gear. Afterwards, we all headed to the bow to search for more whales and birds. Adult gray whales were abundant and a humpback was spotted briefly. Bowriding common dolphins elicited squeals of delight from guests hanging over the sides of the boat. The list of identified birds continued to grow with the addition of shearwaters, phalaropes, jaegers and gulls. During recap we learned about the huge numbers of endemic species contained within this region, ancient pirate activities nearby and the science behind the green flash. While the sun submerged slowly into the sea, we continued on our heading to Cabo San Lucas.
