Floreana Island
The island of Floreana has been surrounded by mystery ever since the first settlers came to inhabit it in 1831. Weird people, disappearances, pirates, convicts and all sorts of characters have formed part of what is now considered a very picturesque folklore in the archipelago.
For us however, all this folklore may easily pass inconspicuously, since our main interests are the inhabitants of the present: animals and humans and of course we cannot forget the plants.
Today, as usual, we had an exceptional day in the company of sea lions, turtles and finches. Our first stop at 07:00 brought us to Post Office Barrel where remembrances of the past came to us as we reenacted the way the early sailors sent their mail. After this historical moment, we took to the ocean in a memorable snorkeling session with an immense number and variety of fish at Champion Islet. In this very place we witnessed a fierce combat among two giant bull sea lions.
Later on at the green beach on Punta Cormorant, a totally different behavior was displayed by a young male sea lion. Filled with curiosity, it just walked up to us and inquired about what we were doing there. This sea lion was definitely delighted with the children of our group, who of course took great joy in the encounter.
Once on the trail, we enjoyed the presence of as many as thirty-nine flamingos, of which at least two were very young, probably not older than a couple of months. One of the adults was sitting on a nest, so we shall expect to have more “flaminguitos” pretty soon!
The day is about to end, but our expectations remain high because we know that tomorrow we will have another exceptional contact with nature.
The island of Floreana has been surrounded by mystery ever since the first settlers came to inhabit it in 1831. Weird people, disappearances, pirates, convicts and all sorts of characters have formed part of what is now considered a very picturesque folklore in the archipelago.
For us however, all this folklore may easily pass inconspicuously, since our main interests are the inhabitants of the present: animals and humans and of course we cannot forget the plants.
Today, as usual, we had an exceptional day in the company of sea lions, turtles and finches. Our first stop at 07:00 brought us to Post Office Barrel where remembrances of the past came to us as we reenacted the way the early sailors sent their mail. After this historical moment, we took to the ocean in a memorable snorkeling session with an immense number and variety of fish at Champion Islet. In this very place we witnessed a fierce combat among two giant bull sea lions.
Later on at the green beach on Punta Cormorant, a totally different behavior was displayed by a young male sea lion. Filled with curiosity, it just walked up to us and inquired about what we were doing there. This sea lion was definitely delighted with the children of our group, who of course took great joy in the encounter.
Once on the trail, we enjoyed the presence of as many as thirty-nine flamingos, of which at least two were very young, probably not older than a couple of months. One of the adults was sitting on a nest, so we shall expect to have more “flaminguitos” pretty soon!
The day is about to end, but our expectations remain high because we know that tomorrow we will have another exceptional contact with nature.
