Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico
There really is nothing more wonderful than watching whales in the early morning light in the lagoons of Baja California…really! And this is where we found ourselves this morning at 7:00. Soft yellow light on the mangroves, pastel blues and burgundies on the sand dunes, and whales rolling quietly and blowing powdery puffs of breath into the cool morning air.
We are still early in the season and we can almost feel the pressure of the whales coming down the coast toward us – perhaps 22,000 of them. They come here to mate and to give birth to the calves that were conceived last year in these very same lagoons. Right now there are already a few mothers with calves inside the lagoon and dozens of single whales out in the lagoon entrances.
On our later morning whale watches (otherwise know as civilized whale watch, since they begin at the more civilized hour of 8:30am) we spend most of our time with the single whales out where the waves break heavily on the sand bars that protect the lagoons from the fury of the Pacific wind and waves. It was a great thrill and honor to be able to watch these leviathans rise to the sea surface, blow and sometimes be completely visible (all 40 feet and 35 tons!!) as they rose on a wave and then the wave collapsed over the bar.
Later in the morning, the NG Sea Bird pulled anchor and we returned southward toward Magdalena Bay proper through the circuitous Hull Canal. We had a very high tide, calm winds, glassy water and perfect conditions for viewing many of the bird species that frequent the mud flats and mangrove channels. Having made good time along the way, we were able to stop in the afternoon and put down the kayaks for a paddle into one of the numerous mangrove channels where we saw herons, egrets, ibis, osprey and a host of shore birds feeding away on the mud flats. And then, as we anchored for the night, we watched a beautiful sunset over Magdalena Island in the west followed by the rise of the huge full moon over the Magdalena plain to our east.
This gorgeous day was such a fitting ending to a fabulous week of exploration along both shores of Baja California and left us feeling the desire to save these wild places that bring us such peace and joy, even in the midst of the chaos of our modern lives.
