Floreana Island
We had an incredible day that began very early in the morning on this mysterious island. We landed on the green sand of Punta Cormorant, which is especially common this time of year with seasonal climate changes.
We were greeted by a group of about six happy baby sea lions that showed us everything they had learned this morning from their teacher — a female in charge of this group for a few hours. And farther into the island waiting for us were some pink flamingos in a brackish lagoon, now a famous location for the temporary presence of these wonderful birds.
We first observed flamingoes here a long time ago and now they’re back, strong evidence that conditions are becoming more appropriate to feed the flamingos. Then we went to the white sand beach, hoping to see a sea turtle in the water. We had good fortune — we saw a sea turtle among sand dunes, making her way to the ocean after laying her eggs…what an amazing experience.
Back on board, we prepared for another adventure, a Zodiac ride around Champion Island. This island is one of the last refuges of Floreana mockingbirds, which unfortunately have disappeared from Floreana Island due to the presence of introduced cats and rats.
It was a great Zodiac ride with large groups of birds flying around us, such as blue-footed boobies, shearwaters and more, and we spotted the one we came for — the Floreana mockingbird.
After that we went snorkeling around Champion Island and found schools of fish.
An invigorating meal put us all in good spirits and after a well deserved nap, we returned to Floreana to learn about the island’s human history. We visited the island’s post office barrel left by early whalers in the region and left our postcards hoping that future travelers would later deliver them by hand.
After learning about the fascinating human history of Floreana, we used Zodiacs and kayaks to explore a nearby canal inhabited by sea lions, sea turtles, rays and many other species, enjoying a beautiful afternoon.
As always, we returned to the ship for the sunset, happy and tired, ready for more learning, good food and adventure.
