Tuesday March 4th— a quieter day in Espiritu Santo National Park.
Overnight we traveled south in the Gulf of California to a national park near La Paz. Espiritu Santo National Park was established in 2003 after a variety of private entities (including Lindblad-National Geographic) and the Mexican government purchased the islands to protect them from commercial development. Today was a quieter wildlife day than yesterday, as high winds out in the gulf constrained us to activities in a sheltered cove. We did still do some hiking in the morning, and a zodiac ride in the afternoon.
On our hike we learned more about the native plants, particularly the three kinds of mangroves that thrive in brackish waters of different salinity levels. Cardona cactus (which looks like Saguaro but replace them in this latitude) have accordion pleats that allow them to expand to hold water. In a normal year this region gets two inches of rainfall, usually in one or two storms, so it is vital for the plants to be shallow rooted and soak up as much water as possible before it all runs off. We also had the chance to learn about small invertebrates like the parasitic “tarantula hawk” wasp and a variety of crabs that live in these salt marshes.
The geology here is entirely volcanic, and some of the features created by the ash deposits and lava flows are beautiful and dramatic. The juxtaposition of deep blue ocean, green water in the sandy shallows, and desert cliffs makes for endless photography options.
Mid-afternoon we headed north again. The wind and rough seas make it harder to spot wildlife (particularly whale blows) as there is “whitewater everywhere”. Suddenly a pod of about 25 Common Dolphins appeared off the bow and we got to watch them “bow running” for 5-10 minutes. It’s the longest example of bow running we’ve ever seen. Quite exhilarating!
Pictured: tarantula hawk wasp, our cove, sand crab, common dolphins.
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