Southern Isabela Island

We had a welcome cloud cover today that stayed with us while we did our morning hike at Urbina Bay. Three groups did a two mile hike along the shoreline and inland, one group did a shorter walk, and we all searched for and found land iguanas. These iguanas were large and brightly colored; they are preparing to start their breeding season with the beginning of the rains. Everyone got great photographs of these bright yellow and brick red reptiles because they posed nicely for us on the trails and among the shrubs.

The small birds: ground finches, tree finches, yellow warblers, broad billed flycatchers and mockingbirds were vocal and busy. They too are thinking about mating and nesting, and the air was full of bird song. Fat black endemic carpenter bees buzzed among the yellow flowers minding their own business, and we dodged the yellow striped introduced paper wasps that investigated some of us. When we returned, hot and sweaty, to the black sand landing beach most of us went for a delightful swim. Those who snorkeled saw a couple sea turtles, schools of fish and Jason had a fright when a cormorant came right up to his mask!

After lunch and siesta, Naturalist Antonio gave an entertaining and educational talk about Charles Darwin and Evolution. Then we applied sunscreen, put on our walking shoes and filled our water bottles in preparation for the afternoon’s lava hike. Three groups of hikers headed off to explore the extensive and impressive lava fields between Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul volcanoes. We were surprised to come upon several, lush brackish pools. The last one had six brilliant pinkish-orange flamingoes feeding in it! We also observed white-cheeked pin-tailed ducks and common moorhens.

Everyone went on a Zodiac ride either before or after their walk, or on a longer Zodiac ride with Naturalist Aura. The highlight of this activity was seeing some juvenile lava herons crouched among the roots of the red mangroves, still waiting to be fed by their parents. Sea turtles surfaced to breath from time to time and a pelican preened his feathers. Cormorants were perched on the lava rocks, drying their scruffy short wings and digesting the fish they had spend the afternoon catching. Flightless cormorants are champion divers; they dive up to 300 feet and chase bottom dwelling fish and octopus from under the rocks where they are hiding.

We head south tonight and will see no more flightless cormorants this week. But flamingoes and hopefully the waved albatross are waiting for us on Floreana and Hood. Tonight’s crossing maybe a bit choppy, but the sights we have in store will be well worth the effort it takes to get to these two southeastern islands!