Santa Cruz Island
The day started clear. That is to say the clouds were high and the top of the island remained clear, and therefore rain was not in today’s forecast. The rainy season this year has been heavier than we have had in a few years, and as a result the lowlands are as verdant green as the highlands.
At the giant tortoise rearing centre operated by the Galápagos National Park, this morning was feeding time. Three days a week everyone waits patiently on the feeding platforms (how would impatience be shown by a tortoise?) until a green food plant is laid down, and the chomping begins. Lonesome George, Diego and the others went about their business while the humans watched and photographed the activity. Even the little ones attacked their smaller pieces with relish.
The afternoon proved equally successful. At this time of year the rains make the lowlands lush with leaves and edible shoots, and many female giant tortoises head down the slopes of the island to look for nesting sites in areas inaccessible to us. Many males follow, since that is where they hope to have amorous encounters. However enough individuals stay in the highlands, to hang around the small ponds, that it gives us the opportunity to observe their behaviour as they walk among the trees and open areas as they have wandered for eons. In fact, speaking of behaviours, there was even a pair of mating tortoises! Others stood in the pond keeping cool, algae draped over their heads and backs.
The evening grand finale was yet another gift from the islands; after the musicians played their hearts out and many danced or tapped their toes to the rhythms being produced from the Andean instruments, the skies cleared and the lunar eclipse could be seen in all its strange glory. All this in a 12-hour period!
The day started clear. That is to say the clouds were high and the top of the island remained clear, and therefore rain was not in today’s forecast. The rainy season this year has been heavier than we have had in a few years, and as a result the lowlands are as verdant green as the highlands.
At the giant tortoise rearing centre operated by the Galápagos National Park, this morning was feeding time. Three days a week everyone waits patiently on the feeding platforms (how would impatience be shown by a tortoise?) until a green food plant is laid down, and the chomping begins. Lonesome George, Diego and the others went about their business while the humans watched and photographed the activity. Even the little ones attacked their smaller pieces with relish.
The afternoon proved equally successful. At this time of year the rains make the lowlands lush with leaves and edible shoots, and many female giant tortoises head down the slopes of the island to look for nesting sites in areas inaccessible to us. Many males follow, since that is where they hope to have amorous encounters. However enough individuals stay in the highlands, to hang around the small ponds, that it gives us the opportunity to observe their behaviour as they walk among the trees and open areas as they have wandered for eons. In fact, speaking of behaviours, there was even a pair of mating tortoises! Others stood in the pond keeping cool, algae draped over their heads and backs.
The evening grand finale was yet another gift from the islands; after the musicians played their hearts out and many danced or tapped their toes to the rhythms being produced from the Andean instruments, the skies cleared and the lunar eclipse could be seen in all its strange glory. All this in a 12-hour period!
