Today, we visited Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island. It was a nice cool morning, with low clouds dotted throughout the sky. After breakfast, we headed for the shore with a gentle breeze on our faces. As we approached the shore, we spotted a flock of sea birds foraging in the shallow water of the beach. The flock included blue-footed boobies, as well as pelicans and a group of hungry penguins. It was an excellent welcome to Isabela Island!
Urbina bay is a black sandy beach at the foot of Alcedo Volcano, which is frequented by sea turtles during the breeding season. There is a large population of Pacific green sea turtles in the western Galapagos, and hundreds of them lay their eggs in this nesting area.
As soon as we landed, we were greeted by a young and curious Galapagos hawk. We were already very excited by the incredible seabird feeding frenzy that we had just witnessed, and this hawk sighting added to our delight. This was just the beginning—we hadn’t even walked fifty yards yet!
During our exploration walk, we encountered flocks of Darwin’s finches feeding throughout the bushes. Land iguanas are a highlight of this site, and the area is full of nesting burrows. We spotted several male and female iguanas just coming out of their burrows and getting ready to start the day.
In the afternoon, we anchored and explored Tagus Cove. This is a great place for snorkeling, kayaking and Zodiac riding. There are high cliffs surrounding the cove, which is a perfect nesting site for a variety of sea birds. Tagus is also one of the best places to find two iconic species of the Galapagos Islands: the flightless cormorant and the Galapagos penguin. Our snorkelers were lucky enough to have the opportunity to swim with these incredible creatures, as well as spotted sea turtles and many species of tropical fish.
It was a great day!
