Whale-watching had already begun when we awoke this morning! Several whales passed by our ship in the early morning light. We watched the full moon set as the sun rose on the opposite side of National Geographic Sea Bird. We prepared to get out in pangas for another amazing morning with the gray whales. We finally said our goodbyes to the whales and then continued our journey south through the narrow mangroves and shallow passage of Canal de Soledad. The afternoon found us adventuring among the sand dunes and crossing from the Bahia Magdalena to the Pacific Ocean side of Isla Magdalena. We ended our day on the aptly named Sand Dollar Beach. It was an incredible final day to this voyage!
2/24/2025
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National Geographic Sea Bird
Boca de la Soledad and Sand Dollar Beach
We welcomed our day with an early whale search. On our way to Boca de la Soledad, we observed double-crested cormorants, magnificent frigatebirds, white ibis, and great and snowy egrets perched on the white mangroves at the north end of Isla Magdalena. Our panguero, Carlos, pointed out a massive bald eagle nest where an adult was guarding the surroundings. As we passed in front of Isla Pelícano, we saw a large flock of American white pelicans standing out among dozens of brown pelicans. As we got closer to La Boca, we spotted gray whale rainblows, spy hops, and a female with its calf. On our way back to National Geographic Sea Bird , Carlos took us to visit the oyster farm by the abandoned phosphorite mine facilities where we found three osprey nests, and one was active with a chick and an adult. We ended our ride observing a pod of bottlenose dolphins. In the afternoon, we hiked the dunes towards Sand Dollar Beach. Our guests enjoyed the beauty of the landscape. We found tracks of different creatures like coyotes, dune bugs, and birds. After dinner we enjoyed the traditional guest slide show. It was a perfect end to a great day.
