Española Island
Welcome to Galápagos everyone! Even before setting foot on the dock at Pta. Suarez, we saw action by way of the young sea lions harassing a marine iguana attempting to reach shore. They began by pulling the iguana underwater by the tail, then even more aggressively taking it by the head and diving down, down. The iguana finally made its way onto the rocks by using the Zodiac as partial shelter from the rambunctious mammals.
It’s been a month since I have set foot on Española Island, and the inhabitants have continued on in sync with the yearly cycle of life here. It was an intense experience, what with all the living beings all around us. The blue-footed boobies that were just beginning to court their mates a month ago are now on eggs or already concerned with their hatchlings. And boy, did we see chicks! Of all ages, from days old as seen in the photo, to older chicks standing apart and stretching their wings daringly (though flight feathers are still a ways off in time). Sightings were made of the impressive waved albatross who were also sitting on eggs. A couple had a “changing of the guard” where one adult relinquished the egg to the mate, so soon the liberated albatross will be winging its way south-east to fish the waters off Peru for a couple weeks before returning for the next incubation stint. Two Galápagos hawks were seen by all, as they perched either on the rocky beach itself or in bushes next to the trail. Their regal and powerful expressions let everyone know who was at the top of the food chain around here.
Not to be out-done, the afternoon was the perfect complement to the morning: relaxation and another kind of exploration. Underwater we went by glass-bottom boat or snorkel and mask, followed by meanderings over a sugar-white beach. The brown, glossy bodies of sea lions lumped in groups or snoozed singly while turquoise waters created the ideal background for our photographers. Española mockingbirds checked out equipment abandoned on towels, while finches rustled in the saltbushes searching for seeds or insects. We ourselves found peace, light and plenty of scenarios worthy of capture on film or memory card. Reluctantly we returned as the sun set in the west, where the future will find us tomorrow.
Welcome to Galápagos everyone! Even before setting foot on the dock at Pta. Suarez, we saw action by way of the young sea lions harassing a marine iguana attempting to reach shore. They began by pulling the iguana underwater by the tail, then even more aggressively taking it by the head and diving down, down. The iguana finally made its way onto the rocks by using the Zodiac as partial shelter from the rambunctious mammals.
It’s been a month since I have set foot on Española Island, and the inhabitants have continued on in sync with the yearly cycle of life here. It was an intense experience, what with all the living beings all around us. The blue-footed boobies that were just beginning to court their mates a month ago are now on eggs or already concerned with their hatchlings. And boy, did we see chicks! Of all ages, from days old as seen in the photo, to older chicks standing apart and stretching their wings daringly (though flight feathers are still a ways off in time). Sightings were made of the impressive waved albatross who were also sitting on eggs. A couple had a “changing of the guard” where one adult relinquished the egg to the mate, so soon the liberated albatross will be winging its way south-east to fish the waters off Peru for a couple weeks before returning for the next incubation stint. Two Galápagos hawks were seen by all, as they perched either on the rocky beach itself or in bushes next to the trail. Their regal and powerful expressions let everyone know who was at the top of the food chain around here.
Not to be out-done, the afternoon was the perfect complement to the morning: relaxation and another kind of exploration. Underwater we went by glass-bottom boat or snorkel and mask, followed by meanderings over a sugar-white beach. The brown, glossy bodies of sea lions lumped in groups or snoozed singly while turquoise waters created the ideal background for our photographers. Española mockingbirds checked out equipment abandoned on towels, while finches rustled in the saltbushes searching for seeds or insects. We ourselves found peace, light and plenty of scenarios worthy of capture on film or memory card. Reluctantly we returned as the sun set in the west, where the future will find us tomorrow.
