A voyage on a big cruise ship offers lots of activities like dining, dancing, drinking and birding. "Birding? Really?" you might ask. Well, yes. Even on their longest voyages, most recreational cruises sail within several miles of shore, so they're never far from common shorebirds like gulls and pelicans.
On a cruise last week from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, the Emerald Princess spent almost two days en route, frequently sailing out of sight of any land. While the ship of course offered numerous games and bountiful food for its passengers, the days at sea afforded the rare opportunity to encounter seabirds like boobies and other marine animals that live and hunt mostly over and in the open ocean.
As the ship neared the Tropic of Cancer and the air became balmier, comfortable views from the Promenade Deck close to the water guaranteed numerous sightings of flying fish as they propelled themselves into the air while fleeing predators. A close look at the horizon gave an occasional view of pods of whales and dolphins. Sea turtles followed the same course as the ship, albeit at a much slower and lazier pace. And frigatebirds and boobies frequently flew along the vessel, opportunistically looking for fish that might be churned up in the ship's wake.
Late November is also migration season for a number of whales, including humpbacks. The bays along Mexico's Baja California peninsula on both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez) sides are their winter destination for calving and breeding. But it would take a day in Cabo San Lucas to get a glimpse of these giants of the sea. Come back for a later story on this sight to read about that once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
On a cruise last week from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, the Emerald Princess spent almost two days en route, frequently sailing out of sight of any land. While the ship of course offered numerous games and bountiful food for its passengers, the days at sea afforded the rare opportunity to encounter seabirds like boobies and other marine animals that live and hunt mostly over and in the open ocean.
As the ship neared the Tropic of Cancer and the air became balmier, comfortable views from the Promenade Deck close to the water guaranteed numerous sightings of flying fish as they propelled themselves into the air while fleeing predators. A close look at the horizon gave an occasional view of pods of whales and dolphins. Sea turtles followed the same course as the ship, albeit at a much slower and lazier pace. And frigatebirds and boobies frequently flew along the vessel, opportunistically looking for fish that might be churned up in the ship's wake.
Late November is also migration season for a number of whales, including humpbacks. The bays along Mexico's Baja California peninsula on both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez) sides are their winter destination for calving and breeding. But it would take a day in Cabo San Lucas to get a glimpse of these giants of the sea. Come back for a later story on this sight to read about that once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
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| A couple of distant orcas or killer whales. |
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| A distant seabird, maybe an albatross, petrel or shearwater? |
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| Flying fish. |
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| Barnacle-encrusted sea turtle. |
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| Sea turtle. |
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| Flying fish. |
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| Immature booby, maybe brown. |
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| Immature booby, maybe brown. |
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| Immature booby, maybe brown. |
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| Booby in flight, maybe masked. |
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| Pair of frigatebirds. |
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| Dolphin, underwater and approaching the ship. |
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| Dolphin leaping near bow of ship. |
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