Santa Cruz Island
Today we came to see the emblematic species of the Galápagos: the giant tortoise. Santa Cruz Island offers an easy access to their natural habitat. But before we went up to the highlands, we went to visit the different areas of the breeding center at the Charles Darwin Research Station. This biological station was established in the town of Puerto Ayora in 1964 in order to be a scientific advisor to the Galápagos National Park Service. Many of us were very happy to see the baby tortoises of Santiago Island, which happens to be the adopted island of Lindblad Expeditions, so very proudly we can say that these are “our babies”! Of course, a visit to Lonesome George’s corral was a must today. Afterwards, we had some time to explore the town and get some handcrafted items and t-shirts.
Up in the highlands, we had a wonderful lunch. The afternoon was cloudy and misty, and the drizzle, locally called garua, lasted for some time. This type of weather, though, is what the tortoises enjoy, and to our amazement, we found many of these reptiles both along the road and later along the trail we hiked! The Santa Cruz giant tortoise belongs to the dome-carapaced type, and is quite numerous on this island (approximately 4000-5000 individuals). One species that was totally unexpected but was clearly seen by all of us was the short-eared owl, which landed on a fence along the road. This is one of the three avian predators of Galápagos, and one that shows diurnal habits.
This was not the end of our activities; two similar formations known as pit-craters, and called Los Gemelos, had something to reveal. This mid-aged island has highlands which are covered in lush, green vegetation, home to a multitude of different land birds such as Darwin finches, flycatchers, and Galápagos doves. The doves landed in front of us letting us admire their beautiful colors, markings and fearlessness towards people - a behavior that characterizes most of the animals that live in this group of islands.
The day’s adventures came to an end back in town. Some of us shopped for another hour and others were ready to return to the ship with great pictures and memories of this magical island - which is also my home town!
Today we came to see the emblematic species of the Galápagos: the giant tortoise. Santa Cruz Island offers an easy access to their natural habitat. But before we went up to the highlands, we went to visit the different areas of the breeding center at the Charles Darwin Research Station. This biological station was established in the town of Puerto Ayora in 1964 in order to be a scientific advisor to the Galápagos National Park Service. Many of us were very happy to see the baby tortoises of Santiago Island, which happens to be the adopted island of Lindblad Expeditions, so very proudly we can say that these are “our babies”! Of course, a visit to Lonesome George’s corral was a must today. Afterwards, we had some time to explore the town and get some handcrafted items and t-shirts.
Up in the highlands, we had a wonderful lunch. The afternoon was cloudy and misty, and the drizzle, locally called garua, lasted for some time. This type of weather, though, is what the tortoises enjoy, and to our amazement, we found many of these reptiles both along the road and later along the trail we hiked! The Santa Cruz giant tortoise belongs to the dome-carapaced type, and is quite numerous on this island (approximately 4000-5000 individuals). One species that was totally unexpected but was clearly seen by all of us was the short-eared owl, which landed on a fence along the road. This is one of the three avian predators of Galápagos, and one that shows diurnal habits.
This was not the end of our activities; two similar formations known as pit-craters, and called Los Gemelos, had something to reveal. This mid-aged island has highlands which are covered in lush, green vegetation, home to a multitude of different land birds such as Darwin finches, flycatchers, and Galápagos doves. The doves landed in front of us letting us admire their beautiful colors, markings and fearlessness towards people - a behavior that characterizes most of the animals that live in this group of islands.
The day’s adventures came to an end back in town. Some of us shopped for another hour and others were ready to return to the ship with great pictures and memories of this magical island - which is also my home town!
