Fernandina and Santa Cruz

It’s been another great trip to the Galapagos Islands, and as with the ones in the past, it is going by all too quickly. One would think that having visited this place three years in a row at the exact same time, it would all start to look the same. While it is a challenge to photograph a little differently now that I have walked these trails numerous times, the animals, tides and seasons continue to remind me that our world is not one that follows a rulebook. This year the islands are more lush than in previous years. There are yellow and white flowers dotting the landscape. And thankfully the water is warmer than it has been in the past – a very comfortable 78 degrees. Since May is the transition period between the warm wet season and the cool dry season, we never know what side of the change we will be here for. This year the changes are taking place as we are here, so the air is cooler and the water warmer, making the experience much more pleasant on some of the more arid islands.

We started the day on Tuesday watching the sunrise over Fernandina Island and the most recent eruption in the area. It’s been a few weeks since the eruption occurred so we could not see any red glow but the black lava was still smoking.

Later in the day, on the opposite side of the island a sea lion was feasting on Sally lightfoot crabs in a tide pool. This was a young sea lion who must have not known that this behavior is very atypical for his species. It was quite a spectacle to watch as he went after numerous crabs and toss them into the air as he devoured them.




Yesterday was our day on land. We visited Santa Cruz Island and the town of Puerto Ayora. This is where the Charles Darwin Research Station is located. Fortunately we’re able to travel to the highlands to see the giant tortoises in the wild as well. Three of us were able to spend some time with one large male away from the group that was eating passionfruit. A friend’s camera lens was at one point covered in the fruit juice from the splatter as the tortoise bit into the firmer fruits.



There’s a lot of chaos here, with birds chattering and the oohs and ahhs of people seeing these places for the first time. My favorite images are those that are able to find the still quiet moments in all the activity, so I’ll leave you with a few of those…..