South Plaza and Santa Fe
The day dawned sunny and breezy; following breakfast we disembarked on a small cement dock on the uplifted island of South Plaza. What a beautiful morning and an absolutely splendid hike! Sea lions barked and swam, rested and played, along the rocky coast of this tiny island that is located off the eastern shore of Santa Cruz Island. Immediately we observed what we came to see – several yellowish land iguanas! These slow moving, fearless lizards were scattered about the island and we found them all along the rocky trail that led first up a slope and along the top of a sheer cliff, and then circled back along the lower shore of Plaza.
Several of the large male iguanas were brilliant yellow, “dressed” in their breeding colors and displaying with nods of their heavy heads to ward off other males and attract the smaller females. Some of us watched a violent fight between two male iguanas; another male and female were mating. Our Naturalists Jan, Carlos and Fernando explained that these terrestrial reptiles are for the most part vegetarians and feed on succulent Portulaca when it is in-bloom during the rainy season, and on the cactus pads and flowers. There is not much for them to eat this time of the year until the rains come again in January, so many of the iguanas that we watched were just sort of “hanging out.”
Our guides told us that occasionally a male marine iguana (of which Plaza has a large population along the lower coast) mates with a female land iguana and that this unusual match results in a hybrid that is called a “weirdo.” Half marine – half terrestrial, these individuals feed on land vegetation and have been seen climbing in the cactus! Strange things sometimes do occur in nature and some of us actually saw a male marine iguana right next to a female land iguana – perhaps thinking about fertilizing the next clutch of “weirdo” eggs.
Our afternoon options included kayaking and snorkeling. The kayakers had a wonderful paddle along the northern coast of Santa Fe and managed to all stay dry and afloat despite some pretty large waves pounding the shore. Two Zodiacs motored into the shallow turquoise harbor, where they were protected from both surf and wind, and our snorkelers slipped into the cold, clear waters. They had a pleasant time snorkeling among schools of colorful fish, with graceful sea lions darting among them, and they even spotted several large sea turtles.
The late afternoon hikes were along rocky trails and were wildly successful. The long hike led to a cliff where the view back over the harbor was magnificent. The groups of guests who joined Jan and Richard on this rough, two-mile-long trail found all that they had hoped to: hawks, a snake, a Santa Fe land iguana and even one of the rare, endemic rice rats. The rest of us chose the shorter walk option and had an equally rewarding outing. We also saw the hawks, snakes, and Santa Fe land iguanas.
From the Zodiac, on the way to the beach for our afternoon landing, we were astounded by over a hundred spotted eagle rays in the shallow bay. From the beach as we boarded the Zodiacs again at dusk, we spied a few white-tipped reef sharks patrolling just off shore. Galápagos — both on the land and in the sea — was alive with creatures great and small and we were privileged to spend yet another delightful day in this island paradise. Each day has been different and each has been as impressive as the previous ones. We wonder what excitement tomorrow will bring…
