Urbina Bay & Punta Moreno
A warm and sunny morning in Gotham City… that is a good beginning for a TV show or even for a good story, but what we are experiencing this particular morning is not a story; this is a new day in the Galápagos. We are still sailing at breakfast time and the view we have from the ship is already inviting. We are approaching Urbina Bay on the western side of Isabela Island.
As usual, after our landing we had the company of numerous finches, mostly small ground ones and of course the land iguanas were also present and quite actively eating. We were also intrigued by a track left by a small tortoise, but in spite of our efforts to find it, we had no success. We became very content listening to the Galapagos hawks which apparently are courting and building a nest on a palo santo tree. Also we were surprised by the presence of a dark billed cuckoo.
After the hike, an invigorating swim off the beach was well deserved and in our minds we were already preparing ourselves for lunch.
The afternoon came with no major change, sunny conditions prevailed; however big heavy clouds started to cover the tops of the volcanoes. By mid afternoon we detected a large fumarole coming out from Sierra Negra Volcano, one of the two volcanoes that form the impressive lava field where our exploration took place. Miles after miles of pahoehoe and occasionally some aa lavas were in site wherever we look.
The lava fields are disrupted by little ponds of fresh, brackish and salt water and in every one we found life. Some flamingos and pintail ducks were our entertainers for a while. Along the shoreline life was teeming everywhere. We observed spotted eagle rays, marbled sting rays, penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions - you named it, we found it. We ended our day on a happy note: the pelicans are nesting again.
It maybe warm and sunny in Gotham City, but here in the Galápagos it is simply exceptional.
A warm and sunny morning in Gotham City… that is a good beginning for a TV show or even for a good story, but what we are experiencing this particular morning is not a story; this is a new day in the Galápagos. We are still sailing at breakfast time and the view we have from the ship is already inviting. We are approaching Urbina Bay on the western side of Isabela Island.
As usual, after our landing we had the company of numerous finches, mostly small ground ones and of course the land iguanas were also present and quite actively eating. We were also intrigued by a track left by a small tortoise, but in spite of our efforts to find it, we had no success. We became very content listening to the Galapagos hawks which apparently are courting and building a nest on a palo santo tree. Also we were surprised by the presence of a dark billed cuckoo.
After the hike, an invigorating swim off the beach was well deserved and in our minds we were already preparing ourselves for lunch.
The afternoon came with no major change, sunny conditions prevailed; however big heavy clouds started to cover the tops of the volcanoes. By mid afternoon we detected a large fumarole coming out from Sierra Negra Volcano, one of the two volcanoes that form the impressive lava field where our exploration took place. Miles after miles of pahoehoe and occasionally some aa lavas were in site wherever we look.
The lava fields are disrupted by little ponds of fresh, brackish and salt water and in every one we found life. Some flamingos and pintail ducks were our entertainers for a while. Along the shoreline life was teeming everywhere. We observed spotted eagle rays, marbled sting rays, penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions - you named it, we found it. We ended our day on a happy note: the pelicans are nesting again.
It maybe warm and sunny in Gotham City, but here in the Galápagos it is simply exceptional.
