Galapagoes

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Galapagoes

October 2nd & 3rd 2006 - Galapagos

What a flight!! Our agenda indicated lunch on the flight from Toronto to the Galapagos; someone forgot to tell Icelandic Air that airlines now scrimp on service and food. One lunch would easily feed three starved Air Canada passengers. But then, they would have passed out when we were serviced Champaign before takeoff, wine a little later and then coffee and liquors after lunch. There was an unexpected delay since Ecuador insisted that our flight land on the mainland for passport checking. They did not enter the plane on either our arrival or when we left the Galapagos but we still had to retrace 600 miles to have our departure visas stamped even though there are 5,000 inhabitants on the islands including a good number of government officials. As a result of this delay we did not arrive at our hotel until around 7 p.m. But miracles of miracles when the hotel served Mare and I fish for dinner we not only ate it but enjoyed it. This is a turning point since we have been both anti-fish-eaters.

Off we go to Seymour Island. Each of the islands in the Galapagos has something different about it, different animals, fish, and plants. Our guide instructed us to remain in the path that has been outlined with white stakes, since a couple of feet off the indicated path there may be a nest, rare plants etc. It is amazing the first thing we observed was a baby sea lion resting almost in the nest of two birds, later we will have to walk around a sleeping sea lion and one that has been injured. The later had lost part of one of its hind flippers, according to the guide probably to a shark, so I guess on the whole this sea lion is really lucky. On the boat coming to Seymour we watched a shark cross our path, several seals surface and then dive back under water, and a flock of frigates closely shadow the boat since one of the crew was preparing our fish lunch and throwing scraps overboard. One left an unappreciated deposit on the back of my shirt. The male frigate attempts to attract a female by finding a good spot for a nest and then under his beak develops this red balloon feature that hopefully will induce a female to land and have a second look, if she likes what she sees, they mate and have one chick which initially is all white and as it matures will become black like its parents. There are a couple of different species of iguanas on the island which normally are strictly a land based animal, but here there is the only variety that hunts within the sea, diving up to 5 meters. Away from Seymour Island they took us to another Island for snorkeling, so I left my camera on the boat only to find five large flamingos dining. The next day we were taken up into the more tropical rainy portion of the island where large land tortoises slowly move about the fields. The ones that we saw were about 70 to 80 years old. Only when you got within about 4 feet would the tortoise draw back its head. Later we went to the Charles Darwin station where they breed and raise tortoises for resettlement back onto the islands after about two years.

The Galapagos are unique in so many ways, across a small channel the island of Baltra will remind one of the desert with cactus, rock and scrub bushes, cross over to Santa Cruz and as one goes higher the landscape changes until one reaches the top where it is more similar wet tropical. By the way the beer comes in one liter bottles.

Until man appeared on the scene there were no natural predetors in the Galapagos with the result that one can virtually walk up to most animals. The first picture is a young sea lion that was almost within a birds nest. In a previous blog I mention how the male Frigate bird has this balloon feature to attract females, well here is a picture of one. I have also included a picture of a large iquana which were fairly common on Seymour Island.

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Photos

Galapagoes
They are raising tortoises at the Darwin Research Center to relocate to the different islands.

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We were within 4 feet

Galapagoes
The local habiants were complaining that the seal was too close.

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The male frigate bird has a red sack under its neck with it expands in hope of attracting a female.

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These are the only iquanas that get their food in the ocean.

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A blue booby

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One big iquana. We saw a number of these iguanas.