Isabela and Fernandina Island
Our day started early with thousands of seabirds “swarming” around Roca Redonda, the tip of a submerged volcano. Shearwaters, storm petrels, brown noddy terns, Nazca boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds, wedge-rumped petrels, all were taking advantage of the up-welling that surrounds this area. The rich waters of Galápagos have about 27 species of whales. While navigating to Punta Vicente Roca, two Cuvier’s beaked whales showed up and later on after lunch we had dolphins bow-riding. After we crossed the Equator, the morning visit at Punta Vicente Roca couldn’t have been any better. The moment we began the Zodiac ride along a spectacular landscape at the collapsed Volcano Ecuador, we were in the middle of a feeding frenzy with more sea birds: dozens of penguins of all ages and stages, blue-footed boobies plunge diving, brown noddy terns trying to steal fish from the pelicans, and shearwaters.
The afternoon snorkeling was a “finding Nemo” experience in shallow waters at Punta Espinoza, sea turtles were all over the place feeding on the algae. For research purposes, some of them are tagged, and number A541 had a great seaweed meal. Along the walk at every step there was an amazing sighting. Flightless cormorants were nesting on bulky nests of seaweed at low rocky spits formed out of pahoe-hoe lava. The excitement of the chicks was noticeable as the males came back bringing food, soon regurgitated into the chicks. Marine iguanas on “piles” were warming up for the evening because it gets cooler and they can’t regulate their own body temperature, and so need the sunlight. A great blue heron was going after bright red sally-light foot crabs on the dark lava, and a newborn sea lion was lying down next to its mother.
Being on the Equator and having 12 hours of day light gave us the chance to have a full exciting day that ended with an incredible sunset!
Our day started early with thousands of seabirds “swarming” around Roca Redonda, the tip of a submerged volcano. Shearwaters, storm petrels, brown noddy terns, Nazca boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, frigate birds, wedge-rumped petrels, all were taking advantage of the up-welling that surrounds this area. The rich waters of Galápagos have about 27 species of whales. While navigating to Punta Vicente Roca, two Cuvier’s beaked whales showed up and later on after lunch we had dolphins bow-riding. After we crossed the Equator, the morning visit at Punta Vicente Roca couldn’t have been any better. The moment we began the Zodiac ride along a spectacular landscape at the collapsed Volcano Ecuador, we were in the middle of a feeding frenzy with more sea birds: dozens of penguins of all ages and stages, blue-footed boobies plunge diving, brown noddy terns trying to steal fish from the pelicans, and shearwaters.
The afternoon snorkeling was a “finding Nemo” experience in shallow waters at Punta Espinoza, sea turtles were all over the place feeding on the algae. For research purposes, some of them are tagged, and number A541 had a great seaweed meal. Along the walk at every step there was an amazing sighting. Flightless cormorants were nesting on bulky nests of seaweed at low rocky spits formed out of pahoe-hoe lava. The excitement of the chicks was noticeable as the males came back bringing food, soon regurgitated into the chicks. Marine iguanas on “piles” were warming up for the evening because it gets cooler and they can’t regulate their own body temperature, and so need the sunlight. A great blue heron was going after bright red sally-light foot crabs on the dark lava, and a newborn sea lion was lying down next to its mother.
Being on the Equator and having 12 hours of day light gave us the chance to have a full exciting day that ended with an incredible sunset!
