Bartolome and Santiago Islands
The weather has been unpredictable lately, and today it was a little bit cloudy. Our guests asked if it might rain. Indeed the rainy season will hopefully soon arrive to the Islands. Many of the animals and plants are waiting for the miracle of rebirth that rains will bring. We have had several years of continuous drought, and the dry spell has affected all of the Galápagos. The plants are dry and withered, and land animals and birds have not been breeding.
It did not rain on us this morning as we walked to the summit of Bartolome. But we were thankful for the cloud cover! By the time we began disembarking on the golden beach, the sun was out, and the day was quite hot. What a pleasant surprise to find three dolphins as we motored to shore. Everyone observed white-tipped reef sharks as well as sea turtles and sea lions swimming in the shallows off the southern beach of Bartolome. We dove into the cool ocean off the northern beach and were thrilled to snorkel among many fish and sea lions. A few of us were lucky enough to find a tiny, fast moving Galápagos penguin.
In the afternoon at Puerto Egas, we followed a trail along the shore and were fascinated by colonies of sea lions where huge bulls patrolled their territories. The male marine iguanas were decked out in their mating colors. We found many species of shorebirds, and to top off a lovely, full day, a beautiful sunset.
The weather has been unpredictable lately, and today it was a little bit cloudy. Our guests asked if it might rain. Indeed the rainy season will hopefully soon arrive to the Islands. Many of the animals and plants are waiting for the miracle of rebirth that rains will bring. We have had several years of continuous drought, and the dry spell has affected all of the Galápagos. The plants are dry and withered, and land animals and birds have not been breeding.
It did not rain on us this morning as we walked to the summit of Bartolome. But we were thankful for the cloud cover! By the time we began disembarking on the golden beach, the sun was out, and the day was quite hot. What a pleasant surprise to find three dolphins as we motored to shore. Everyone observed white-tipped reef sharks as well as sea turtles and sea lions swimming in the shallows off the southern beach of Bartolome. We dove into the cool ocean off the northern beach and were thrilled to snorkel among many fish and sea lions. A few of us were lucky enough to find a tiny, fast moving Galápagos penguin.
In the afternoon at Puerto Egas, we followed a trail along the shore and were fascinated by colonies of sea lions where huge bulls patrolled their territories. The male marine iguanas were decked out in their mating colors. We found many species of shorebirds, and to top off a lovely, full day, a beautiful sunset.
