Isla Santa Catalina Our morning on this island was like walking on a different planet. I was in the middle of a huge cactus "forest." And it was fun to watch the birds--Northern cardinals, Xantus' hummingbirds, and Gila woodpeckers working hard to attract a mate and defend their territories. Later we went looking for whales. Captain Art announced "blows at 1 o'clock," which means he spotted a whale. We raced outside, many of us with our hor's d'oeuvres in one hand and a camera in the other. Our naturalist got really excited because it was a blue whale, the largest of all whales. Once it surfaced within 100 yards of the Searcher! We stayed with it until the sun set behind the Baja peninsula. Another incredible day.