Second Round

A new week with the same itinerary and one would expect much of the same experience…and be proven wrong. Monday was our day on Floreana Island, where last week, we had an epic experience with flamingos. Several came very close to us and the water was perfectly still. Each flamingo was mirrored on the surface below it. This week, a slight breeze was blowing across the lagoon, producing gentle ripples at the feet of the flamingos. We waited for some of them to walk out from behind the mangroves for a better view. Several more joined the group. We had two different vantage points that were very close to these beautiful animals. Then, as we were about to walk to the beach across the island, something stirred all of the flamingos at once and they started moving, all in the same direction. It was like watching a well-choreographed marching band.

Yesterday we went to the youngest islands in the archipelago, Isabela and Fernandina. Yes you’ve heard me say it before, but this truly is my favorite region of the Galapagos. They are more mountainous and lush, with black lava flows extending down into the ocean. The water is colder here, so algae growth is higher, leading to more sea turtles and the largest marine iguanas in the Galapagos. This is where we saw the Mola mola last week. I didn’t get to see one yesterday, but one lucky comrade saw two while snorkeling. No complaints about my time either though…my snorkel included three penguins and a flightless cormorant diving through schools of fish. You'll just have to imagine this part, as the internet decided mid-way to stop posting photos.

Two more full days here and we're on our way back. It's amazing how quickly time goes.

PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, it took me a few days to figure out that all I needed to do was try one of the hard wired computers on board to upload photos. Here are some of the highlights of the week. It's hard to believe that the first 1/2 of this trip ends tomorrow. We will have a 2 hour "break" between this group leaving and the next group coming on board. Of course, during that time, we'll review the week and discuss what to do differently next week. This part of the trip was overall wonderful. We haven't had as much sun as we photographers would have liked during the first and last hours of the day, but can't complain about the clouds keeping us cooler through the middle of each day. Next week, I'm hoping for the sun! More to come....

Blue-footed boobies on North Seymour Island

Male blue-footed boobie doing part of his mating dance to attract the ladies.

Sea lions on the beach at Gardner Bay (Espanola Island)

Sea lion off of Espanola Island

Flamingo and Black-necked stilt on Floreana Island

Marine Iguanas on Isabela Island. The Polaris (our home base) is in the background.

Mola mola off Fernandina Island

Green sea turtle off of Fernandina Island

Galapagos tortoises feeding at the Charles Darwin Research Center. (No, the woman is not touching one of them, just pointing.)

Mola mola!

There's no question what the highlight of the day was today. It could have been seeing penguins diving through the water through schools of fish. It could have been the green sea turtles munching on algae inches from us underwater. It could have been the 100's of marine iguanas piled up on each other sneezing salt into the air to regulate their salt content. All of those things were absolutely amazing, but they were not THE highlight of the day. That would have to be the 10 or so minutes spent feet away from a large Mola mola, or oceanic sunfish. These pelagic fish do come into this area, but not regularly. This was my third time at this island and and we've not seen these until today. Oftentimes when people do see them, it is very brief, but this one stayed with us for a while. Unfortunately I am still not able to post photos. For those of you who don't know what fish I'm talking about, be sure and look it up! Photos of the real thing will come later.

Boobies, Sea Lions, Flamings, Oh My!

It's been a fabulous trip so far. We've got a great group which always helps. Unfortunately, the internet connection on the ship cannot consistently handle photographs, so I haven't been able to attach the photos that I'd wanted to to the blog! I'll keep trying, but will at least let you know what's been going on, and you may have to wait for a photo entry - a big one - when I return.

Today we visited Champion and Floreana Islands. Champion is one not open to visitors, so we explored it by snorkeling around it. The sea lions were so playful, coming right up to us. They LOVE it when you dive down and we were constantly with one (or four or five) for most of the time in the water. From the surface we could see blue-footed boobies diving for fish in the distance. I wasn't one of the lucky ones to see that under water, but several did. What a thrill that would have been!

This afternoon, we went to Floreana, and pretty much spent the whole time at one lagoon. There were ~30 flamingos, several of which came very close...a photographer's dream. How I wish I could post the photos from this, because they are amazing. Like I said I'll keep trying!

Tomorrow we're off to the northwestern part of the archipelago, where lots of boats don't get to go, to Isabela and Fernandina. Yes, I've said it before, but tomorrow IS my favorite part of the trip.

Española Island

This morning we went to Española Island, one of the oldest islands in the archipelago. There we saw, you guessed it, MORE BIRDS. The 3rd largest boobie nesting area is there, where the Nazca boobies were by the 1000s. These have white bodies with a black mask across their eyes. Then we went to one of my favorite spots that we’ll see this week (you’ll probably hear me say that multiple times – they’re all true). This is the only island in the world were the waved albatross nests. They are absolutely beautiful, both on land and in flight.

Our first day here

After a very long trip to Guayaquil, Ecuador and a short nap upon our arrival, 80 very tired people arrived in the Galapagos Islands yesterday! It seems that plane delays are pretty routine these days, but being on island time makes all of those worries seem years away. As we landed on the island of Baltra that morning, I was reminded of how much I love this place. It truly is magical. The day was hotter than I remember from this time last year, but by the time we were on our first excursion (to North Seymour Island) the day had cooled down and a gentle breeze was blowing. There are so many birds on this island! Swallow-tailed gulls, great and magnificent frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies dominate the area. Of course there’s the token sea lion and crab, but the birds stole the show today. It’s mating season for the frigates, with their bright red pouches inflated on their chest and blue-footed boobies, who have a great dance and whistle to woo the ladies and show up the other males.

male great frigatebird

Keeping up with the times

In an attempt to join the 21st Century, major personal advancements have recently occurred. Over the last month, thanks to the help (i.e. persistent pestering) of a dear friend, I have become semi-versed in texting and sending photos through my phone. Why stop there? An upcoming trip is the perfect opportunity to add blogging to my list of accomplishments! Interestingly enough, it was that same friend who set up this blog in the fall of 2006, and better late than never, this is my first post. So, don't expect daily posts, but do please check back every once in a while to see and hear about travels and adventures - my goal is to post twice a week while I'm in the Galapagos this time. Speaking of adventures, the title of the blog refers to a quote from Helen Keller. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Enough said.