Magdalena Bay~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life

Click/Tap to enlarge.

Meet Mr. Red Rock Crab. He is quite large! We have been traveling out of wifi and satellite range on the Pacific side of the Baja California Penninsula in Mexico and into The Sea of Cortez through the narrows where the two oceans meet.

This view between the rocks is where The Pacific Ocean meets The Sea of Cortez.

This is a pristine, unpopulated desert ecosystem extending for hundreds of miles, surrounded by oceans that are teeming with wildlife.

This bull sea lion is suspicious and watches me with one eye,

before he relaxes and resumes his nap.

Rare, rarely seen, huge, up to 5000 pounds, and endangered, this Sunfish basks on the surface of the ocean sideways to absorb heat from the sun before he dives deep into the cold ocean to forage. For more click on following link:

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/ocean-sunfish#:~:text=The%20ocean%20sunfish%20(Mola%20mola)%20looks%20like%20the%20invention%20of,the%20world’s%20heaviest%20bony%20fish.

Dolphin abound and can be seen alone,

or hunting in huge superpods,

that can consist,

of thousands.

This pod surrounded our boat and swam around it for close to an hour.

They were noisy,

slamming their bodies and tails on the surface of the ocean,

to stun the fish,

whom they herd into,

balls and consume.

This spotted box fish is left at peace because he is poisonous.

Even the always ravenous Snowy Egret won’t touch him!

Cheers to you from The Sea of Cortez~

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243 thoughts on “Magdalena Bay~”

  6. Pingback: Fantastic photos from: Cindy Knoke | Rethinking Life

    1. Yes! Thankfully there still are places empty of human interference. Seeing the endless stretches of unspoiled ecosystem does my heart good. Thanks much Peter & cheers to you დ

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  14. WOW! These are gorgeous nature photos; I would even say awe-inspiring. My husband told me about the pods of dolphins that would follow the ship when he was on sea duty in the Navy. They provided good entertainment.

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    1. Thank you Liz! I think the propellers stir up the fish so they congregate. I have seen several bull sea lions (big guys) jump on the back of boats here to try and get fish. They don’t leave either!! დ

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  15. OMG! Cindy! Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous photos! Mr. Red Rock Crab ROCKS! A piece of artwork he is, especially when I enlarged the photo! Brilliant colors. Bull sea lion really makes me laughs–reminds me of a few people I’ve met in my lifetime!

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  18. Vicki

    What an exciting boat trip. It’s hard to imagine large groups of dolphins swimming in close proximity unless you’re actually there on the day.

    What a great Snowy Egret shot.

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  22. Words out in the animal kingdom about your photography… I swear they are all posing and putting on a show for you! Just terrific ❤️☮️😊

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  25. Outstanding photos, Cindy! I particularly like the closeup of that gorgeous egret and the two of the sea lion. What wonderful adventures you go on!

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  31. These are all amazing Cindy. Here I am for years trying to get a shot of a dolphin…and you are ‘drowned’ in them. It must have been a delight among them all 🤣
    And that rare picture of that sun fish is incredible, it is definitely not something you see every day for sure. But maybe unlike your sea lion checking you out, probably seeing if those humans were going to disrupt his snooze 🤗
    Great share kind lady…and so jealous of how much you must be suffering with all this in your journey 🤣❤️🙏

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    1. Thank you for making me smile with your wonderful comments Mark. I read once that seeing a sunfish basking on the surface looks a big floating blob and that is exactly what it looked like. Of course I had to fix my lens on it, and it turned out the blob was actually interesting. But then, I had to convince readers this blob was also interesting. Thank you for knowing Mark & cheers to you დ

      Reply

    1. I have see a total of none before this, and I grew up next to the ocean. I know one person who encountered one long distance swimming years ago. It is the biggest bony fish in the sea and sadly very rare now დ

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    1. Thank so much my friend. It is always good to be with the wild ones. Today there bunches of blue footed boobies. I only saw their feet when they flew! Love them. Happiest of Holidays and all the best to you in Spain დ

      Reply

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