Santa Catalina Island, Baja California
As we readied for a morning outing ashore, an unusual event caught many by surprise – it started to rain! The short-lived drizzle eventually gave way to partly cloudy skies and lovely conditions for walks up a spectacular arroyo at Isla Santa Catalina. We worked our way through jumbled piles of speckled granodiorite to the sandier valley beyond. Immense cardons towered over the rotund giant barrel cactuses. One couldn’t miss the red-flowered mistletoes that lured in iridescent Costa’s hummingbirds. Cardinals, mockingbirds, black-throated sparrows, verdins and other species flitted within the branches of shrubs still bright green from earlier rainfall.
Our second surprise for the day lay not far from the landing. An endemic rattleless rattlesnake was coiled in the middle of the path, so well-camouflaged that it could have been stepped on. It stayed put long enough for several groups to get excellent looks. A bit farther up the trail a second snake rested motionlessly on the sand. By the end of the morning, hikers had located at least seven different individuals, far more than the naturalists had seen on previous visits to this island. Several years ago a program was implemented to eradicate introduced house cats from this site, and now it is thought that the island is cat free. Perhaps the elimination of these efficient predators is already resulting in an increase in numbers of these unique reptiles.
During the afternoon we explored the area from an aquatic perspective. The kayaks slipped quietly through crystal clear water within a sheltered cove. A number of guests opted for Zodiac outings to enjoy the scenery, geology and marine life along the shore. Just beneath a rock formation called Elephant Rock, snorkelers peered into the undersea world, where regal king angelfish swam gracefully above Mexican goatfish that stirred up the bottom with stiff whiskers. There were porcupine puffers too, that sculled slowly past rocks studded with sea stars and their spiny urchin relatives.
Daylight finally settled into dusk as the sun disappeared behind the peaks of the Sierra de la Giganta. It seemed that a giant brush had swept across the sky, painting it bright peach and pale pink. What a fine finale for our special voyage together after seeing so many of the wonderful treasures of Baja California!
As we readied for a morning outing ashore, an unusual event caught many by surprise – it started to rain! The short-lived drizzle eventually gave way to partly cloudy skies and lovely conditions for walks up a spectacular arroyo at Isla Santa Catalina. We worked our way through jumbled piles of speckled granodiorite to the sandier valley beyond. Immense cardons towered over the rotund giant barrel cactuses. One couldn’t miss the red-flowered mistletoes that lured in iridescent Costa’s hummingbirds. Cardinals, mockingbirds, black-throated sparrows, verdins and other species flitted within the branches of shrubs still bright green from earlier rainfall.
Our second surprise for the day lay not far from the landing. An endemic rattleless rattlesnake was coiled in the middle of the path, so well-camouflaged that it could have been stepped on. It stayed put long enough for several groups to get excellent looks. A bit farther up the trail a second snake rested motionlessly on the sand. By the end of the morning, hikers had located at least seven different individuals, far more than the naturalists had seen on previous visits to this island. Several years ago a program was implemented to eradicate introduced house cats from this site, and now it is thought that the island is cat free. Perhaps the elimination of these efficient predators is already resulting in an increase in numbers of these unique reptiles.
During the afternoon we explored the area from an aquatic perspective. The kayaks slipped quietly through crystal clear water within a sheltered cove. A number of guests opted for Zodiac outings to enjoy the scenery, geology and marine life along the shore. Just beneath a rock formation called Elephant Rock, snorkelers peered into the undersea world, where regal king angelfish swam gracefully above Mexican goatfish that stirred up the bottom with stiff whiskers. There were porcupine puffers too, that sculled slowly past rocks studded with sea stars and their spiny urchin relatives.
Daylight finally settled into dusk as the sun disappeared behind the peaks of the Sierra de la Giganta. It seemed that a giant brush had swept across the sky, painting it bright peach and pale pink. What a fine finale for our special voyage together after seeing so many of the wonderful treasures of Baja California!
