December in Galapagos - Week 1

It’s been a great week here in the Galapagos! Since this is not the season that I’m usually here, there were some differences that I expected, but the serendipitous character of the natural world was in full swing this week. Seasonal differences were largely evident in the different stages of life present. The sea lion pups are much younger, some still with umbilical cords….but much less prevalent and playful in the water. Juvenile albatross were scattered about where in May the adults are displaying their courtship behavior. On this trip, we saw only two adults, but many of the young, that look much like adult albatross wearing a dark brown afro wig (they’re losing their down at this time, their heads being the last place that it is shed). This is also sea turtle breeding season. Just this morning we watched as a male mounted a female less than 30 feet away from us as another male tried to disrupt the mating process by biting the initial male’s tail. Meanwhile, the co-joined couple rolls from side to side as their balance shifted on the surface of the water. We also saw several young flamingos, fluffy and gray. It’s hard to verbalize the magic of this place, and the up close and personal experience you can have with the wildlife here is unlike anywhere else.

(The internet connection here is slow, so the images small, but I wanted to share a few with you regardless.)

Two personal highlights to share, though as you can imagine there are many great stories to tell. My favorite day in this itinerary overall is always the day we visit the western islands of Fernandina and Isabela. The landscape is more mountainous and lush, with more recent lava flows of dark black cutting through the green vegetation. The water in this area is much deeper and colder than in other part of the archipelago, so it is typically our best chance to see whales. On one previous trip, we saw a sperm whale in the distance, but there have not been sightings in the last year and a half on this ship in the area. By noon on Tuesday, four species of marine mammals had been spotted, and though I didn’t get to see them all, it was a very exciting morning. Someone spotted the blow of a sperm whale so the captain diverted our path toward the animal. As we neared, we began to see more. All in all at least a dozen where in the pod. There were several groups of females with calves (see image below) and one male and female traveling together. Initially they were a moderate distance away from us, and no sooner had the guide next to me mentioned that this was the largest group he’d seen here, but too bad they weren’t closer to us, that two of them appeared right under where we were standing at the bow of the ship. My telephoto lens could not contain them, they were so close to us. It was quite a rush!

Our next encounter, within a half hour or so of seeing the whales, was a pod of 100’s of common dolphin and frigatebirds feeding on yellowfin tuna. The dolphin were bounding out of the water, sometimes coming higher than the birds above them. I can say with confidence that it was tuna that they were feeding on, because once we looked at the images taken during that time there were numerous tuna in the air as well. It was definitely a feeding frenzy. The other species that were spotted that day were the bottlenose dolphin and orca. Duty called and I had to choose my presentation over viewing them. This morning I missed another chance to see orcas. Four were spotted off the coast of the island we were visiting. Part of our group was able to hop in a zodiac and get very close to the four whales. At one point the orcas swam underneath the small boat. Of course, to make the scene even more spectacular there was a 10-ft manta ray very nearby as well. I had to settle with hearing the stories and seeing the photos for that one, and hope that next week I’m in the right place at the right time.

My favorite part of the week had to be our day with the wild tortoises. We visited a different location than we do in May, because the toirtoses are in a different part of their migration pattern. The tortoises were resting and feeding in an open hilly area that was vibrant green grass with large trees spread about. In May we may see 7-10 tortoises. On Wednesday, we saw at least 30-50! We were able to spend extended periods with one or walk around and look at several. At one point, I laid down in the grass next to one of these giant animals and stayed for 15 or so minutes. It never once retracted into it’s shell and let me get very close, within 2 feet of it. It was a very special moment, where we studied each other and silently communicated. I could have stayed there all day. Here's a photo of me with the tortoise and one of the resulting images.





Tomorrow the first group leaves, and an hour and a half later, we receive 70 new guests and begin our journey again. There will be new names to learn, many of the expected animals to see, and surprises to look for. It amazes me daily that I am getting paid to share my passion with people eager to learn. The fact that I am able to do so occasionally in a beautiful place as this absolutely blows my mind.