We began our excellent morning in the Gulf of California with a sunrise Zodiac cruise at the legendary Isla Rasa in the Midriff Islands. This small island is a bird sanctuary and is home to most of the breeding population of elegant terns and Heermann’s gulls. After breakfast, the folks who had opted to sleep in took their turn with the terns and navigated around the island to enjoy the spectacle of near half a million seabirds in one small area. The afternoon saw us visiting Bahia de Los Angeles for a rendezvous with the local community. We packed into vehicles for a shuttle inland to visit the Boojum trees. A bizarre and fascinating plant, the Boojum is endemic to this small area of Mexico and is related, if distantly, to the ocotillo. Named after a character in a Lewis Carroll poem, we certainly felt like we had entered a certain wonderland.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 15 Mar 2023
Isla Rasa and Bahia de Los Angeles, 3/15/2023, National Geographic Venture
- Aboard the National Geographic Venture
- Baja California
James Hyde, Undersea Specialist
Pacific Northwest born James Hyde grew up immersed in the Salish Sea, on Vashon Island with Seattle as his backdrop. A passionate traveler from a young age, James explored four continents before finishing his degree at Western Washington University's...
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