We had expected fog this morning for our early whale watches but instead, we had a glorious sunrise under crystal clear skies. On the way out to see the whales we passed by the roosting area for magnificent frigatebirds and caught a picture of a male with his red gular pouch partly inflated in the yellow-orange early light. The males inflate their pouch during breeding time to attract the females who fly overhead with a critical eye. Whoever has the best pouch wins the damsel.
Our whale watches were spectacular: breaches, spy hops, and a number of friendly whales. By the end of the morning everyone who wanted to touch a whale had done so and a few of us were able to plant a kiss on a baby whale. But what I enjoyed most was just sitting in our boat surrounded by whales, listening to the music of whale blows and watching the interactions of the mothers with their two-ton babies. It is truly a privilege to be in the lagoons with the early morning light backlighting whale blows, a variety of seabirds flying overhead, mangroves lining the shoreline and coyotes howling in the distance.
