Silhouettes of frigatebirds arced across the dawn sky above our ship as we came to anchor near Isla San Ildefonso. Soon our fleet of inflatable expedition boats was launched and loaded, and we were off to explore this craggy volcanic isle as the morning sun peeked over the horizon. San Ildefonso is a protected reserve where numerous species of seabirds come to nest each year. The main breeding season has not yet begun this year for many of these birds, yet the shorelines were dotted with resting brown pelicans, Brandt’s cormorants, Heermann’s gulls, and the endemic yellow-footed gulls. On some of the higher ledges, brown boobies were perched on guano-covered rocks, and many blue-footed boobies could be seen soaring in to land on the island’s upper slopes. Occasionally the shrill calls of American oystercatchers alerted us to the presence of these dapper shorebirds along the rocky shores. On the eastern side of the island, a colony of magnificent frigatebirds showed signs of breeding activity as some adult males were displaying their inflated, bright red gular pouches, hoping to attract the attentions of numerous females circling overhead.
The waters near the ship attracted a large group of bottlenose dolphins which seemed to be feeding in the area, swimming back and forth, and surfing on the rolling swells. Our inflatable boats were able to take a parallel course, riding along with the dolphins as they surfaced again and again next to us. It was an amazing moment to experience.
Midday, we repositioned the ship southwestward around the large promontory of Punta Pulpito, and on down the coast of the Baja Peninsula to an anchorage we call “Gull Rock.” During the afternoon we had a variety of activities with hikes ashore, snorkeling, boat rides, or relaxing and enjoying the beach. The walks ashore followed a lovely arroyo that meandered for miles inland through the desert. Long hikers had an almost endless journey, all happy to return to the cool waters of the Sea of Cortez and the National Geographic Sea Lion.
