Espanola Island
Today we dropped anchor at Punta Suarez, the next destination on our expedition. Located in the west, this island is the oldest one of the Galápagos Archipelago. Espanola Island is estimated to be around 4.5 million years old.
We disembarked early this morning on Punta Suarez. Along the hike we observed all the different endemic animal species that inhabit the island and make this place so special. We were eager to see all of them. After a dry landing on a cemented jetty we encountered the most colorful of the marine iguanas in the Galápagos Islands, the Espanola marine iguanas. We saw them basking on the lava rocks. The iguanas were warming up, trapping the heat. This behavior, known as thermoregulation, is observed in reptiles. At this time of the year the Espanola marine iguanas have their brightest coloration. Because of the bright red and green colors they show the get great nickname, Christmas iguanas. We observed some endemic Espanola lava lizards performing pushups. These amusing movements are either territorial displays or part of the courtship depending on the sex of the lava lizard who is watching the pushups.
Later on the walk we arrived to the cliff area where we spotted several seabird species like Nazca Boobies, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Red-billed Tropicbirds and Blue footed boobies. The latter performed a spectacular display of their flying skills and some of them their charming courtship dance. We saw the probable last of the Waved albatross of the season as well. The albatross were standing alone on a cliff before joining their fellows out on the open ocean. The young birds will spend the next three months off the coast of Peru and Chile before coming back to Espanola Island in the last days of April to breed again. Galápagos sea lions were seen everywhere as well. Some cute little sea lion babies were observed playing in the intertidal pools while waiting for their mothers.
We came back on board to be briefed by our Expedition Leader Carlos Romero on the snorkeling and kayaking operations. After being geared up we were delighted with an Ecuadorian feast for lunch.
After a short nap, we were ready in the afternoon to explore the underwater world of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. Our guests had several options: Glass bottom boat outings, snorkeling, beach time, swimming, and kayaking. We came back onboard at sunset time filled with exciting moments. What a great day!
Today we dropped anchor at Punta Suarez, the next destination on our expedition. Located in the west, this island is the oldest one of the Galápagos Archipelago. Espanola Island is estimated to be around 4.5 million years old.
We disembarked early this morning on Punta Suarez. Along the hike we observed all the different endemic animal species that inhabit the island and make this place so special. We were eager to see all of them. After a dry landing on a cemented jetty we encountered the most colorful of the marine iguanas in the Galápagos Islands, the Espanola marine iguanas. We saw them basking on the lava rocks. The iguanas were warming up, trapping the heat. This behavior, known as thermoregulation, is observed in reptiles. At this time of the year the Espanola marine iguanas have their brightest coloration. Because of the bright red and green colors they show the get great nickname, Christmas iguanas. We observed some endemic Espanola lava lizards performing pushups. These amusing movements are either territorial displays or part of the courtship depending on the sex of the lava lizard who is watching the pushups.
Later on the walk we arrived to the cliff area where we spotted several seabird species like Nazca Boobies, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Red-billed Tropicbirds and Blue footed boobies. The latter performed a spectacular display of their flying skills and some of them their charming courtship dance. We saw the probable last of the Waved albatross of the season as well. The albatross were standing alone on a cliff before joining their fellows out on the open ocean. The young birds will spend the next three months off the coast of Peru and Chile before coming back to Espanola Island in the last days of April to breed again. Galápagos sea lions were seen everywhere as well. Some cute little sea lion babies were observed playing in the intertidal pools while waiting for their mothers.
We came back on board to be briefed by our Expedition Leader Carlos Romero on the snorkeling and kayaking operations. After being geared up we were delighted with an Ecuadorian feast for lunch.
After a short nap, we were ready in the afternoon to explore the underwater world of the Galápagos Marine Reserve. Our guests had several options: Glass bottom boat outings, snorkeling, beach time, swimming, and kayaking. We came back onboard at sunset time filled with exciting moments. What a great day!
