Boca De La Soledad, Magdalena Bay
The grey whales have made their long way south from their feeding grounds in the Chukchi and Behring Seas to their breeding sites in the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula. Many pregnant females are now in one of the three main coastal lagoons and have already given birth. Other individuals, like single males and females, have also entered looking for potential mates.
In a location between Puerto Lopez Mateos and the Boca de la Soledad, in Magdalena Bay, where our ship Sea Bird was anchored, we launched our Zodiac boats for a whole day of whale watching. From the very beginning we observed pairs of cows and calves. Most of the babies were two or three weeks old (as we guessed by their size) and swam quietly with and against the strong currents caused by the imminence of the full moon. At times and alternatively the babies were taking milk or were playing above their mother’s backs. Most of them, however, were mostly occupied in exercising the now weak and undeveloped fluke muscles in order to be ready for the long way back to their feeding grounds. In fact, after one month and a half or two months the majority of female whales will start to leave the lagoons and will travel against the warm temperate California current, with their calves.
Other whales were also found traveling erratically and at high speed, sometimes disappearing for several minutes, just to reappear several hundred yards away. In the four rounds of whale watching today, we had the satisfaction of observing different behaviors of these lovely animals.
During our hikes on the ochre-colored, moonlike sand dunes, we had the great opportunity to observe parsimonious coyotes here and there. What called our attention more, however, were several jackrabbits that at different times were seen running and jumping at a great speed (should I say, almost flying?) over the steep slopes of the dunes, probably escaping from unseen predators, or from us. The day finished with a delicious food made by local chefs on board the ship.
The grey whales have made their long way south from their feeding grounds in the Chukchi and Behring Seas to their breeding sites in the Pacific side of the Baja peninsula. Many pregnant females are now in one of the three main coastal lagoons and have already given birth. Other individuals, like single males and females, have also entered looking for potential mates.
In a location between Puerto Lopez Mateos and the Boca de la Soledad, in Magdalena Bay, where our ship Sea Bird was anchored, we launched our Zodiac boats for a whole day of whale watching. From the very beginning we observed pairs of cows and calves. Most of the babies were two or three weeks old (as we guessed by their size) and swam quietly with and against the strong currents caused by the imminence of the full moon. At times and alternatively the babies were taking milk or were playing above their mother’s backs. Most of them, however, were mostly occupied in exercising the now weak and undeveloped fluke muscles in order to be ready for the long way back to their feeding grounds. In fact, after one month and a half or two months the majority of female whales will start to leave the lagoons and will travel against the warm temperate California current, with their calves.
Other whales were also found traveling erratically and at high speed, sometimes disappearing for several minutes, just to reappear several hundred yards away. In the four rounds of whale watching today, we had the satisfaction of observing different behaviors of these lovely animals.
During our hikes on the ochre-colored, moonlike sand dunes, we had the great opportunity to observe parsimonious coyotes here and there. What called our attention more, however, were several jackrabbits that at different times were seen running and jumping at a great speed (should I say, almost flying?) over the steep slopes of the dunes, probably escaping from unseen predators, or from us. The day finished with a delicious food made by local chefs on board the ship.
