Bahia San Gabriel, Espiritu Santo
The day was spent exploring the beautiful sheltered cove of San Gabriel on Espiritu Santo Island. After breakfast, we went ashore for walks to explore a long, flat arroyo. An extensive mangrove system was just behind the beach, and careful searching revealed many birds including a reddish egret, belted kingfisher, and a great blue heron. A little further on, we entered a lush area of the desert filled with flowers from the hurricane a few months ago. Butterflies swarmed the vegetation, dipping their proboscises into the flowers to draw out the nectar. A few of the endemic black jackrabbits were flushed, bounding away to hide in the thick brush. Canyon wrens serenaded us, while sparrows were abundant feasting on the seeds of many different plants. All along the walk, we weaved around huge cardon cacti, blue morning glory vines, and spiny legume bushes.
In the afternoon, we explored by snorkeling and kayaking. The shallow, warm bay has the perfect conditions for coral growth, and we snorkeled amongst large areas of healthy corals. Fish were also abundant, including parrotfish, wrasses, and the stunning king angel. A great diversity of invertebrates was observed. Urchins mowed down algae while sea cucumbers vacuumed the bottom, cleaning up after everything else. Kayaking along the sheltered coast was the perfect way to end the day. Gliding along the smooth surface while magnificent frigatebirds soared over head, was a soothing way to explore the shoreline. Yellow-footed gulls rested on the rocks while brown pelicans plunged into the water feasting on small schooling fishes. The sun dipped behind the Baja peninsula and the sky came aglow, ending the first day of our journey here in the Gulf of California.
The day was spent exploring the beautiful sheltered cove of San Gabriel on Espiritu Santo Island. After breakfast, we went ashore for walks to explore a long, flat arroyo. An extensive mangrove system was just behind the beach, and careful searching revealed many birds including a reddish egret, belted kingfisher, and a great blue heron. A little further on, we entered a lush area of the desert filled with flowers from the hurricane a few months ago. Butterflies swarmed the vegetation, dipping their proboscises into the flowers to draw out the nectar. A few of the endemic black jackrabbits were flushed, bounding away to hide in the thick brush. Canyon wrens serenaded us, while sparrows were abundant feasting on the seeds of many different plants. All along the walk, we weaved around huge cardon cacti, blue morning glory vines, and spiny legume bushes.
In the afternoon, we explored by snorkeling and kayaking. The shallow, warm bay has the perfect conditions for coral growth, and we snorkeled amongst large areas of healthy corals. Fish were also abundant, including parrotfish, wrasses, and the stunning king angel. A great diversity of invertebrates was observed. Urchins mowed down algae while sea cucumbers vacuumed the bottom, cleaning up after everything else. Kayaking along the sheltered coast was the perfect way to end the day. Gliding along the smooth surface while magnificent frigatebirds soared over head, was a soothing way to explore the shoreline. Yellow-footed gulls rested on the rocks while brown pelicans plunged into the water feasting on small schooling fishes. The sun dipped behind the Baja peninsula and the sky came aglow, ending the first day of our journey here in the Gulf of California.
