So much of what was special to us today came from the sea. The fully articulated gray whale skeleton, most likely washed ashore many years ago, is now a perch for nesting osprey. The osprey parents bring the chicks freshly caught fish throughout the day. The mesmerizingly iridescent abalone shells were once discards and are now the foundation of a budding local artisan jewelry-making project. Shells, bones, a few skulls, and turtle carapace parts were piled up for the curious and inquisitive to investigate. On terra-firma, we found diminutive flowers as colorful exclamation points sprinkled throughout the desert vegetation. The Sonoran Desert in Baja California is described as where the desert meets the sea. Today we examined elements of both of these rich and unique realms.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 04 Mar 2024
Isla Magdalena, Puerto Magdalena, 3/4/2024, National Geographic Sea Lion
- Aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion
- Baja California
Linda Burback, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Linda and her Air Force family moved extensively throughout the U.S. when she was a child. Linda continues to travel and explore a broader spectrum of the world as a naturalist with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geogr...
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Wild Baja California Escape: The Whales of Magdalena Bay
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3/21/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Isla Magdalena, Hull Canal, and Boca la Soledad
What a full day of richness and birding galore! Our day started off with early morning hikes on Isla Magdalena, taking in the impressive desert plant life of this exotic terrane, filled with whale skeletons and osprey nests. A stunning midday journey through Hull Canal brought with it enough herons, egrets, terns, gulls, frigatebirds, cormorants, shorebirds, and camera shutter clicks to last a lifetime. After anchoring at Lopez Mateos, we boarded pangas for a late afternoon of wildlife watching and a lovely little beach landing. We found a bald eagle’s nest, some of the southernmost nesting bald eagles (!), and examined incredible shells and beautiful sand. To top off our wonderful day, we enjoyed live music from Los Coyotes and dancing from The Desert Flowers! It was another spectacular day here in Baja California Sur.
3/20/2024
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National Geographic Sea Lion
Puerto Magdalena
We weighed anchor shortly after breakfast and traveled to Puerto Magdalena, a small fishing village (population 85) and the only inhabited area of Isla Magdalena. Enroute, presentations by naturalists were offered in the lounge in addition to wildlife watching from the bow. After anchoring, we embarked on a late morning hike through a desert harboring several plant species unique to Isla Magdalena and along a mangrove forest between the desert and adjacent Bahia Magdalena. After lunch, some guests toured a part of the island on fat-tire bikes then joined the rest of us for a mid-afternoon tour of Puerto Magdalena and the all-important desalination plant. As there is virtually no potable water on the island, drinking water must be brought over by panga from the mainland. Water used for other purposes is obtained from the desalination plant, which produces ~1000 liters per hour for up to 40 hours of operation per week. After the tour we relaxed at Chejos’s, a classic open-air cantina. We enjoyed light beverages and avocado tostados, listening to Chejos’s oral rendition of the village’s history, and playing fetch with Lola, a beloved ‘guardian’ dog at Chejos. The day concluded with an after-dinner assembly on the sundeck for constellation identification and viewing.