Boog's Blog

Sunday

Snorkeling between the towers, beach hike, highlands excursion

Morning snorkeling in clean and clear crystal waters between the rocks charles darwin saw called tiki rocks. An eroded channel idea for viewing swimming turtles, many, and similarly for sea lions which approach to investigate us. Fishes and more fishes.

Afternoon walk on a beautiful beach, swimming, strolling. Oyster catchers adapted to here, used to migrate from north America. Had to change their diets as no oysters here. Converted to sea urchins and barnacles.

Highlands adventure. Chatum tortoises, large and little ones at a conservation center. Hike up to a high lagoon fogged in.

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Friday April 24 trip ends after early morning walk

Explore Seymour island, frigates', both types, land iguanas, doves, etc.

Bonnie's courting, frigate chicks.

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Thursday April 23 last full day of the adventure.

Wake up 5:30 quick breakfast, wet landing, mocking birds, flycatchers, fur seals, lots of different show birds;

The highlight was a flycatcher. Kept trying to nest in camera lenses, landing on walking sticks, fausto's cap, following us about. Cameras clicking with each visitation. Fur seals took third billing though they were the featured act.

Lecture on speciation, its continuum as a process and not just a checklist; a review of recent research showing that natural selection occurs and is consistent with changes in just a small part of the genome. That is mainly the selected part mutates and not the whole genome.

Pinnacle rock, where Master and commander was filmed, zodiaced and snorkeled.
Snorkeling in Bartholemy's bay, after zodiac ride for geology tour and then Daphne.

Penguin sex. Watched as vouyers. Rather unique.

Rounding Daphne Bryde's whales, tropical, sprouting.

Final eve on boat, gibbous moon, clear sky, frigate bird overhead as we cruise towards Baltra.

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Wednesday

Wake up call at 05:30 for punta fernosa, dry landing, piles of marine iguanas to observe early morning behavior. Cactus forest, penguins, cormorants, explore areas with lots to see. Fantastic island.

Molting crab, male and female hawks, iguana carcass, whale skeleton, crab with squid, largest snake in the Galapagos

Then cruise to another snorkeling location and then immediate zodiac ride inside a cave then back to boat to cross the equator.

Best snorkeling. Many penguins, cormorants, turtles, on and on. Nodi,boobies,pelicans,frigates, etc. On the sheer walls.

Fernandina is the youngest island, rounding it towards the north has a crossing the equator drink and toast on the bridge. Got to steer the boost a bit.

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Tuesday April 21

6:30 wake up call, iguanas do not get up early. Wet landing in urbino bay, was under water as late as 1950. Galapagos cuckoo. Large land iguanas, giant tortoises.

Sea turtle egg shell on the beach, rather soft shell. Large tortoises wandering around among the large land iguanas. Penguins at the shore. A lava gull kept buzzing a penguin in the water, essentially two young birds sort of playing with each other. Finches fake fur to rain and adjunctive of ground seeds.

On the way to targus manta ray's jumping out of the sea. Impressive.

Tagus cove, only stop off the beagle, we follow the footsteps.

Snorkeling with sea stars, flightless cormorants and penguins and more.

Dry landing to rim of Darwin's lake and a nice walk with views, cuckoo bird on the way as well as many on the national geographic boat, 98 of them.

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Monday

6:20/wake up, dry landing, lava fields, walk on jagged lava, zodiac ride to penguins, flightless cormorant (pictured), eagle rays. Lava cactus, grows on the lava, flamingos in the lagoons, moorhens.

In sight were cerro azul cerro negro and four other active volcanoes. Labs walking was as challenging as it gets.

Snorkeling on west side of island with penguins, sea turtles and many fish types.

Then to Elizabeth bay followers by paddling in the zodiac among the mangroves filled with rays, several tours, turtles, cormorants, and penguins, videos taken off the second smallest penguin specie.

Lunch: a new fruit, babaco. More research required.

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Sunday

Highlands farm areas. Artificial lagoon with flamingos and other watering birds. Beach ride to town. Then westward to punto Morena to see marine mammals.

From the zodiac we saw four flying flamingos, impressive and some penguins on the way to the farm for birding.

Fausto pointed out a plant that became a drug: Look up birm as an immune system enhancer. Gentle readers may report back.

Naranjilla fruit, pictured. Had several times for breakfast as a juice, just don't touch the spiny fruit.

Vermilion fly catcher, beautiful colored plumage and a bit less common to see, we saw several.

Flamingos another 5 per cent of the population seen feeding in a lagoon

Woodpecker finches, yellow warblers, rays in the water,Wading birds, pluvers,sanderlings, ruddy turnstones.

Another botanical is: Datura as halucigen and scopolmine.

Rickety bus along flooded beach. Hibiscus, no bugs to write of.

Long boat ride to see pelagic birds and sea mammals. Cloudy and not so many of them.

Dinner conversation: shell collectors, fanatics. This is in addition to their birding mania. Thousands of shells, many. Glass insulator collector, and a beer bottle cap collector.

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Saturday

Loaded the second group late Friday and on our way to the a southern and more Western islands , Friday evening.

Olivine beach, green on the lava eroded surface. Boobies looking ridiculous as they courted and waddled, and fished.

Flamingos,10 per cent of the population of the Galapagos, 30 plus including a juvenile in one. trio

Baby sea turtle running to the water. About a 50 meter dash out in the open, very dangerous and very unusual in daylight. Short video attempted.

Sting rays along the waters edge.

Possible penguin spotting, mostly heads, better sighting later.

Snorkeling in post office bay, dropping point for whalers mail, next ship takes those in their direction. Outstanding though with a tough current. Starfish, white tipped reef shark, penguin flying just below my feet!!!
Water temperature varied. Upwellings of cold water in areas of very warm seas.

Zodiac rice frolicking with the sea lions as s prelude to posting a post card at the postbox. Fausto reviewed the somewhat checkered history of Floriana, the barroness, the German Robinson Crusoe nudist who was posed when another German family came to the island.

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Friday, end of first trip after morning zodiac ride in red mangrove forest. Teaming with wildlife. No surprise.

Boat cleaned while the next group arrived. We are the only ones staying for the northern voyage section.

Fausto arranged bike rentals. On the way to the beach and flamingos, downhill, a 300 meter drop, barely functioning brakes a pedal fell off the bike. Not repairable. The taxi driver suggested I continue with one pedal. Sharon have up her bike so I could ride.

Walked the final 500 metes to the beach on a surprisingly good road. Camping allowed there.

Fine ceviche lunch in town. A town day while the new group visits the giant tortoises.

Final provisioning before e get back on the boat and into internet silence.

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Thursday

In caldera, dock in lagoon in the center of the caldera,red footed boobies, frigates with tomato pouched, shrub sized cacti with hair.

Snorkeling in the caldera with hammer head sharks. Prince Phillips steps later, with red billed tropic birds. Short rated own exactly the color of the lava, petals.

Inside the caldera. Morning, very early, before the crack of dawn,walk among the red footed boobies, hundreds of them walking about, making nests, perching on branches. Frigates in large numbers doing their morning calisthenics. Bobbie chicks and boobies underfoot. One trying to steal twigs from a frigate's nest.

Red footed boobies come in two morphs, a point mutation determines if white or brown.. Does not affect mating.

Dry mangrove forest with a large dread pod they cross and pieces the ground and geminates. Main nesting area for the red footed ones. Males go out for nesting twigs and midair the frigates steal the twigs.

Tomato pouched frigates displaying, courting and mating.

A good example of the larger beaked ground finch that is, of course, a taniger.

Zodiac ride around the interior of the caldera. Galapagos fur seals, heads look like bears a bit.

Hike up Prince Phillip steps, they were built for him when he visited, to see petrols, and many red billed tropic birds- cliff dwelling. Not so many tropic birds bit a few to predator short rated owls, one eating a petrol. Once again many nazca and red footed boobies

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