Farewells - May 3

Some final farewells and a short panga ride to the port of San Cristobal, Baquerizo Moreno. We had some time to search the local shops after visiting the Interpretation Center. Sea lions entertained us as we waited for the bus ride to the airport. Efren and Janet (crew and guide) were on the same flight and departed when we stopped in Guayaquil. Miguel (crew) too.

It was cold when we arrived in Quito and actually a nice change from the heat of Galapagos. Our group dined together and talked about our favorite birds, locations, food, crew members, and more. Some had early flights so we said more farewells with vows to keep in touch.

I can clearly see why the Galapagos are "The Number One Natural History Destination." Being the home of evolution, Flightless Cormorant, the most northern penguin, an opportunity to swim with sea lions, geologically outstanding, uniquely scenic, and so much more... it is understandable. This is a true "bucket list" top five! I hope the experience will be something Sam will draw on for the rest of his life. I suspect it will be.

Espanola and the "Blow Hole" - May 2

We arrived at Espanola Island abut 330AM. I awoke to find the boat sitting calmly and quietly. After our usual grand breakfast, Sam and I kayaked to the cliffs nearby and were thoroughly mesmerized by the antics of four sea lions who were cautiously curious about us.

From here, we paddled back to the boat, took a short panga ride to the beach which has the best collection of sea lions we had seen so far. Stacked together like logs, the sea lions where up to their usual antics of voicing their opinions on everyone one else, lots of lounging, and insistent playfulness directed at humans. These islands are truly the best place to swim with these energetic and character rich pinipeds.

From the beach, we could see Letty and two other boats not far off. Sam and I did some sand sculpting, first starting out to do a castle, but ultimately ending up with a Giant Tortoise.


Back on the boat, we motored to one other stop on Espanola for a 3km hike over to the well known "Blow Hole" which was preforming famously. The spray greeted us even before the "Hole" was in sight. Albatross, boobies, frigatebirds, tropicbirds, Swallow-tailed gulls, and Galapagos Hawks hung in the wind by the "Blow Hole." Albatross had just set-up for nesting season, our group finding the apparent first egg to have been layed. The expectant mother looked exhausted.

Blue-footed Boobies walked the path, marching with raised feet in courtship and territorial battle. We watched very closely (six feet) as two females argued over the accommodating male stuck in the middle. Comically fascinating and fascinatingly comic!


With a four hour motor back to San Cristobal and about one third of the way there, I figured this was a good time to catch a quick shower. With soap in my hair, the announcement came from the captain (Pablo) that we now had a whale off out bow. Nice timing! I got Sam to go off by himself to see the whale and he came back within a couple of minutes to report that the mighty beast was at 30 yards and giving great views. I managed to finish my buffing and polishing in a personal best, get out to the bow, and see the Bryde's Whale just as it crossed the bow for our best look. I think I may still have some soap that needs some rinsing.




















We arrived in San Cristobal harbor at about 9PM and started a fine "Farewell Ceremony" that for some went on to midnight. Dancing, certificates for crossing the equator (four times!), lots of joking, smiles, and appreciation were expressed. We will certainly miss our friends and hope that our paths may cross again.

Darwin Center and Tortoise - May 1

A short panga ride to the town's pier followed by a 40 minute bus ride put us in the highlands. We stopper to see "The Twins," side-by-side magma chambers where the roofs had collapsed and left the towl massive craters.

Down the road, a magma tunnel was, as one traveler put it, "something right out of Indiana Jones," where you were expecting the giant stone ball to come rolling through at any moment.

A few minutes from here, we visited a finca that had one of the most accessable populations of Giant Tortoise. Our first encounter was with a large male, slowly moving through the woodlands while stopping occationally to graze on guava fruit on the ground. Truly impressive!

The tourist welcome center was tasteful and offered icecream and some gift itiems.

In the afternoon, we stopped at the Darwin Research Cenater and saw many totoises includint the very famous "Lonesome George," last of his subspecies. The young tortoises were very cute, the giants (old ones) impressive in their size, lumbering behavior, and pre-historic appearance. Wonderful to see an animal that so defines the work that Darwin did and that so captured my immagination since I was a child.

Sam and I did some gift shopping in Puerto Ayora; many nice shops. The highlight was the open-air fish market with the sea lions entertaining us and others, including the locals.

Bartolome and North Seymour Islands - April 30

We departed last night from "Chinese Hat" and motored starting about 10PM for an hour to Bartolome Island on the east side of Santiago. It was nice to spend most of the night at anchor; much more restful.

Our first adventure of the day was to climb the 364+ steps to the top of the island. The landscape was not like that which we had seen already. Spatter cones and lava tubes were prolific; pumice sand painting the hillside.








At the top is one of the best known views of the islands, including the pinnacle that watches over the anchorage. Time on the beach allowed for some swimming with penguins and White-tipped Reef Shark.







From here we motored to North Seymour Island in search of the Land Iguana. We found three, one of substantial size. The walk was very hot but did allow for great comparison of the two frigatebird species and close view of nest Blue-footed Boobie.



We cruised from here down the east side of Santa Cruz Island with many sightings of rays jumping, a few Galapagos Petrels, many White-vented and Wedge-rumped Storm Petrels, at least one Band-rumped Storm Petrel, all while 3 - 5 frigatebirds escorted us through the progressing sunset. Wonderfully peaceful!

















We arrived into the busy harbor or Puerto Ayora after dark, the lights of the many boats giving it an enchanted feel. The Southern Cross and the Big Dipper were both visible despite the glow of the boats.

James Bay and "Chinese Hat" - April 29

Wake-up this morning found us making way between Isabella to the west and Santiago to the east. As we arrived at James Bay, both sister ships were already at anchor and preparing to head for shore. We followed shortly after and made the hike over to the "grottoes" where we enjoyed our best views of Galapagos Fur Seal.

A couple of new birds for the trip were here including Galapagos Flycatcher and Striated Heron. Both offered great photo ops, the former yielding my best results. We had time to do some swimming or snorkeling with a noisy sea lion before returning to Letty for lunch and a motor south.

We traveled through a series of islands known as the "Bainbridge Islands" to one that was clearly the bowl of an ancient volcano. Letty pulled up to a spot where we could just see over the rim and into the lagoon enclosed inside. About 20 Greater Flamingos foraged along the shores and six White-cheeked Pintail floated further out.

Over the lagoon, I spotted two Galapagos Hawks, on eventually leading me to find a nest and single young bird (offspring) about half way up the steep side. The nest appeared substantial and perhaps four feet high and two and a half feet wide. I had never seen a buteo nest so large, resembling something more like an eagle's nest that had been built upon for many seasons. At a distance the nest appeared to have been made from many sticks, dead vegetation, and perhaps mud. Our local guides vowed to name the bird nest after me, "Andy's Nest;" forever to be known as such.

Not far from here is the island known as "Chinese Hat," an unusually shaped smaller island where the snorkeling is stupendous. This was by far the best collection of tropical fish, variety and volume of each species unequalled in my experience.

On return to the boat, a sea lion had taken up residence on the aft platform and had little thought of leaving. Sam thought this great!

As I sat and wrote, I watched a small group of Galapagos Shearwater as they enter an overhang perhaps their nest site or a roost for the night. Should have asked the panga driver to take me over to see. Next time I will not hesitate.

Forgot to mention that when at the grottoes, Sam was the first to spot a White-tipped Reef Shark as it slowly cruised close to the surface. He was pleased and anxious to get a picture. He was successful!

Galapagos Dove





Small Ground Finches




Medium Ground Finch

Isabella and Fernandina - April 28
I was up before the wake-up call with first light, still motoring along between Isabella and Fernandina. Impressive high peaks, calm seas, and a slowly burning off fog made the morning magical. White-vented Storm-Petrels drifted by the boat, searching the surface for delectables; numerous encounters with Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish) as well as Pacific Green Sea Turtles.

Our first stop was to launch the pangas just north of Tagus Cove on Isabella's west side. We traveled the cliff side, ducked into a couple of caves, and saw wonderful fish, crabs, our first Galapagos Penguins and Flightless Cormorant. The caves hosted Brown Noddy and Blue-footed Boobies and much marine life including schools of fish and sea turtles.

Letty was already anchored deep in Tagus Cove by the time we arrived. We headed for a "dry landing" and short but steep hike up to the rim overlooking Darwin's Lake; a medium sized lake resembling a salt rimmed Margareta. Legend has it that Darwin upon seeing the lake exuberantly went looking to sample what he thought would be fresh water only to find it very briny and many times saltier than the nearby sea water.

After the hike and a quick stop back on Letty, we headed off for some "deep water" snorkeling off the sides of the pangas. It was clear to all the the highlight of the day was swimming with the many sea turtles and for some swimming with a group of four penguins. the water was the coldest we had encountered yet, but the wetsuits did a nice job of taking the bite out.

After lunch, we found ourselves anchored just off of Fernandina's Punta Espinosa, an incredible landscape of 100 year old lava floes and carpets of Marine Iguana. Large and small were stacked and lay side-by-side in an almost comical sun bathing display. Frequent sounds of iguana clearing their nostrils of salt were accompanied by the complaints of interacting sea lions. American Oystercatcher, Semi-palmated Plover, and Wandering Tatler were familiar to most. A lone sea turtle rested on the beach allowing us the chance for great photographs. A Bryde's Whale skeleton was striking, its bleached white bones on the dark background of the lava.

Back on board, we motored west across the north end of Fernandina to the site of the current volcanic activity. About 2-3 hours later we sat off shore to enjoy the show. About 2 kilometers up the slope was the main vent where with binoculars one could see some good detail of the lava shooting into the air, great clouds of smoke, and some closer glowing lava right down to the shore; a first volcanic experience for many.



Sally Lightfoot Crab

Marine Iguanas

Pacific Green Sea Turtle

Galapagos Penguin

Darwin Bay - April 27
A 7AM wake-up announcement found us anchored in Darwin Bay at Isla Genovesa with many new birds in sight from the boat including Red-footed Boobie, Swallow-tailed Gull, and Red-billed Tropicbird.












After breakfast and a short panga ("Zodiac") ride to the landing point at Prince Phillip's Steps, we climbed the crater rim to the head of the trail. Large Ground Finch and Warbler Finch greeted us as did many Galapagos Mockingbirds. Nesting birds included Great Frigatebird, Red-footed Boobie, and Nazca Boobie. We walked through the scrub to the open areas of lava to the east where thousands of Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels cruised low on their way back to nest sites. An incredible number of birds! The area clearly brought the thought that Darwin had marveled at the unique sites and witnessed many a bird and animal spectacle.













We enjoyed great views of the local race of Short-eared Owl who clearly was benefiting from the great numbers of storm-petrels. Three Waved Albatross glided over the colony, perhaps evaluating the area as a potential new nest site.













I forgot to mention the Sharp-beaked Ground Finch and the many Galapagos Doves! Could have stayed here longer just meditating over the years Darwin must have done the same over what he had seen.














In the mid-afternoon, we went over to the beach for a nature walk, swimming, and snorkeling. Many Galapagos Sea Lions on the sand. New birds included Lava Gull, Wandering Tattler, Whimbrel, and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. The Lava Gull was impressive, its feathering matching the landscape so completely. Good looks at Red-billed Tropicbirds and Swallow-tailed Gull. A few Galapagos Shearwater came close. This night we motored 14 hours to the west side of Isabella.













Short-eared Owl















Young traveler and sea lions










Galapagos Shearwater













Swallow-tailed Gull