Special Note: This week aboard the National Geographic Endeavour we are pleased to host two high school students, Delphine Slotten (author of today's Daily Expedition Report) and Khanh Nguyen. These students are traveling in conjunction with Blue Ocean Institute's "Kalpana Chawla Ocean Journey Scholarship" program, in memory of NASA astronaut, Kalpana Chawla. For more information about the program, click the link above. To read the press release, please click here.
Floreana Island
Forty miles from Española by ship brought us by night to Floreana, the “Mystery Island.” A slightly overcast sky, the dense forest of the silvery-gray barks of the incense trees, and the faint early morning mist certainly did not dispel the air of mysteriousness. Early risers enjoyed a pre-breakfast Zodiac ride back in time to Post Office Bay, where whalers had originally set up a letter-collection site. Several among us continued the tradition that has developed over the years, taking the postcards addressed to people in or near their hometowns to deliver them to their rightful recipients, and others left their own postcards, hopefully to be returned several years from now.
After breakfast, some embarked on the glass-bottom boat, and deep-sea snorkelers enjoyed a more intimate observation of an amazing, colorful array of fish in waters around Champion Islet. In both cases, the sea lions certainly did not miss the opportunity to attract our attention, rubbing themselves on the glass of the boat or playfully chasing our flippers. Zodiac rides around the islet provided excellent views of the red-billed tropicbirds in their attempts to land directly in their nests on the rock face. Searchers were also rewarded by a few glimpses of the elusive Charles mockingbird, an endemic species that had previously inhabited all of Floreana but that is now confined to the islet.
In the early afternoon, at Punta Cormorant, explorers enjoyed the views of Floreana from their kayaks, while others enjoyed the brown beach and the opportunity to swim, accompanied by the ever-present sea lions.
Later, the main hike of the day brought us to the brackish lagoon at the center Punta Cormorant, where we got our first glimpse of two dozen native flamingos, understood that the birds’ diet can account for their vibrant hues, and learned about the threats that such feral species as pigs and cats pose to the stability of the flamingo population in the Galápagos, and the efforts that have been undertaken to preserve the population. Continuing along a path through a vegetation of lichen-draped incense trees, leather-leafed trees, endemic acacia, and wing-fruited lecocarpus, and joined by several yellow warblers, we came to the white sand beach on the northern side of the point. There, we spotted a few rays close to shore and countless Sally lightfoot crabs on the black volcanic rocks. The last among us on the island enjoyed a magnificent sunset.
With one hundred and ten miles to travel tonight, and though exhausted from today’s activities, we look forward to another day full of adventures and discoveries!
