Floreana Island
This morning was another brilliant one at Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. Everybody wanted to mail their postcards in the same mail barrel that was once visited by pirates and whalers, hundreds of years ago. Quite a few postcards were left in the famous barrel, and many were taken for hand delivery on return from this trip.
Later on we went snorkeling at Champion Islet off Floreana, and our highlight was swimming with very friendly and very curious sea lions; no one wanted to leave the water!
After lunch and a brief siesta, the kayakers experienced being at water level and eye-to-eye with the East Pacific green marine turtles as they paddled around the bay of Pta. Cormorant. Later everyone landed at the green beach, the color given by small crystals of olivine, a semi-precious stone called “peridot”.
Once on shore, we followed the trail to a large brackish-water lagoon looking for a colony of Flamingos; we not only found dozens of these pink birds, but also ground finches, Galápagos flycatchers and yellow warblers.
This trail finally led us to a white sand beach where we watched frigate birds searching for sea turtle hatchlings that were about to hatch – it’s that time of year. A young Franklin’s gull seemed to be doing the same.
By the end of the day as the sun began to set in the West, all of us were tired but contented, ready to rest in preparation for our next experience tomorrow.
This morning was another brilliant one at Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. Everybody wanted to mail their postcards in the same mail barrel that was once visited by pirates and whalers, hundreds of years ago. Quite a few postcards were left in the famous barrel, and many were taken for hand delivery on return from this trip.
Later on we went snorkeling at Champion Islet off Floreana, and our highlight was swimming with very friendly and very curious sea lions; no one wanted to leave the water!
After lunch and a brief siesta, the kayakers experienced being at water level and eye-to-eye with the East Pacific green marine turtles as they paddled around the bay of Pta. Cormorant. Later everyone landed at the green beach, the color given by small crystals of olivine, a semi-precious stone called “peridot”.
Once on shore, we followed the trail to a large brackish-water lagoon looking for a colony of Flamingos; we not only found dozens of these pink birds, but also ground finches, Galápagos flycatchers and yellow warblers.
This trail finally led us to a white sand beach where we watched frigate birds searching for sea turtle hatchlings that were about to hatch – it’s that time of year. A young Franklin’s gull seemed to be doing the same.
By the end of the day as the sun began to set in the West, all of us were tired but contented, ready to rest in preparation for our next experience tomorrow.
