Espanola Island
The morning was overcast; nevertheless when we awoke,we had an impressive view of Gardner Bay. We worried that, because of the clouds, the snorkelling wasn’t going to be as good as we had hoped.Well, it was absolutely fantastic! Among the many fish that surrounded us, was a red spiny lobster. It was exploring the rocks, out in the open, and delighted us with its cadence and impressed us with the smart motion of its antennae.
Later on the beach, the Hood mockingbirds were amiable and curious as always. Actually they were overly nosey and prying around our water bottles, which of course we tried to hide from them. The sea lions were in a resting mode and in spite of there being more than 100 spread out all along the beach, not even the bulls were patrolling their territories today. One young male was desperately trying to mount any available female, sneaking in thru the “back door” and trying to stay hidden from the really big guys. The females are no longer in oestrus, so the poor young male kept being chased away.
In the afternoon at Punta Suarez, we were overwhelmed and thrilled by the many Nazca boobies with their fluffy white chicks. Some boobies were courting and their “skypointing” was really charming. There are now only two albatrosses left on the island. The one juvenile may be too late to survive; of course that is how nature works.
It was wonderful to watch the baby sea lions playing on the beaches, using behaviours and movements that will serve them well later as they strive to survive. The blow hole sprayed powerfully and this outing was once again, an invigorating experience.
There were seven curious mocking birds that inspected the Zodiac as we attempted to load and return to the ship. The innocence and fearlessness of the island inhabitants has impressed us all!
The morning was overcast; nevertheless when we awoke,we had an impressive view of Gardner Bay. We worried that, because of the clouds, the snorkelling wasn’t going to be as good as we had hoped.Well, it was absolutely fantastic! Among the many fish that surrounded us, was a red spiny lobster. It was exploring the rocks, out in the open, and delighted us with its cadence and impressed us with the smart motion of its antennae.
Later on the beach, the Hood mockingbirds were amiable and curious as always. Actually they were overly nosey and prying around our water bottles, which of course we tried to hide from them. The sea lions were in a resting mode and in spite of there being more than 100 spread out all along the beach, not even the bulls were patrolling their territories today. One young male was desperately trying to mount any available female, sneaking in thru the “back door” and trying to stay hidden from the really big guys. The females are no longer in oestrus, so the poor young male kept being chased away.
In the afternoon at Punta Suarez, we were overwhelmed and thrilled by the many Nazca boobies with their fluffy white chicks. Some boobies were courting and their “skypointing” was really charming. There are now only two albatrosses left on the island. The one juvenile may be too late to survive; of course that is how nature works.
It was wonderful to watch the baby sea lions playing on the beaches, using behaviours and movements that will serve them well later as they strive to survive. The blow hole sprayed powerfully and this outing was once again, an invigorating experience.
There were seven curious mocking birds that inspected the Zodiac as we attempted to load and return to the ship. The innocence and fearlessness of the island inhabitants has impressed us all!
