Cerro Dragon and Eden
After spending the whole of yesterday near the inhabited areas of Santa Cruz Island, this morning we headed to its northern coast. This is the dry part of the island, and the vegetation here has typically evolved to withstand a constant shortage of water.
At an area called “Cerro Dragon,” a small colony of endemic land iguanas lives amongst the cacti and bare incense trees. This endemic species has suffered predation by rats, cats and dogs, introduced in the islands in the last centuries by humans, so the Galápagos National Park Service keeps a constant effort in the preservation of this species, both in natural habitats and at the Research Station premises. The last rainy season has left plenty of food for the herbivorous land iguanas, and plenty of shade too, which made it difficult to spot them today! The trails led us to a viewpoint of the area, where we could appreciate the coast of Santa Cruz and the adjacent islands and islets scattered in a blue sea. The area was also dotted by the attractive yellow flowers of the endemic Galápagos cotton bush, which resemble the hibiscus flower.
After the pleasant walk we had time to refresh ourselves by plunging into the sea. Not far there is a little beach with white sand, where we could relax and swim. One of the nearby islets, called Guy Fawkes, is a stunning snorkeling site, with shallow areas and deep walls, covered by numerous, colorful marine invertebrates like sea anemones, sponges, corals and barnacles, amongst others. A few young Galápagos sea lions came to check us out too, curious about our presence.
Back on board, a typical Ecuadorian lunch had been prepared for us… delicious!!
For the afternoon there was a different program, and a new site: Eden. This is the name of an islet, remains of an eroded tuff volcano, opposite the coast of Santa Cruz Island. The afternoon was warm and breezy; we got into the zodiacs and set off to explore this beautiful and pristine coastline. Here we found blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans, great blue herons, red-billed tropicbirds, Galápagos sea lions, spotted-eagle rays… just to mention a few of the species sighted. Of course, this is not the complete list.
Once everyone was back on board, the National Geographic Endeavour weighed anchor, cruising towards Daphne Islet. This is the site of an amazing, long-standing research on the local Darwin finch population, carried out by a couple of British scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant. They have been recording changes in the population of finches, and the couple is now renowned for their contributions in evolutionary studies. As we circumnavigated this islet we learned more about this amazing research.
As the sun set, we were able to admire the outline of the surrounding islands with their countless volcanoes… a marvelous glimpse of past, forgotten landscapes in our modern times.
