Santa Cruz Island
Giant tortoises at their best! During the afternoon’s visit, these impressive reptiles were observed roaming freely in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. In silence we admired their majesty. At one point I could not avoid thinking that they look just like relics form prehistoric times. The Galápagos giant tortoises are the animal emblems of Ecuador. It is moving to be able to observe them in the wild. A very fine mist, known locally as “garua,” was our companion during the visit with these giant creatures. The “garua” added a halo of magic and mystery to the lush green environment of the highlands.
Suddenly, a glimpse of red crossing the air above us surprised more than one of the tortoise observers. We identified the fast moving bird as a vermilion flycatcher. To our delight it stopped and perched on top of the shell of a giant tortoise. What a great sight! The flycatcher moved to a neighboring tree. The red bird showed no concern about his observers. He continued with his normal life, flying short distances and from time to time catching insects. The vermilion flycatcher is a gorgeous bird that always captures the attention of our visitors. Today, we admired it at very close range and one of our guests got an amazing photo.
Giant tortoises at their best! During the afternoon’s visit, these impressive reptiles were observed roaming freely in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. In silence we admired their majesty. At one point I could not avoid thinking that they look just like relics form prehistoric times. The Galápagos giant tortoises are the animal emblems of Ecuador. It is moving to be able to observe them in the wild. A very fine mist, known locally as “garua,” was our companion during the visit with these giant creatures. The “garua” added a halo of magic and mystery to the lush green environment of the highlands.
Suddenly, a glimpse of red crossing the air above us surprised more than one of the tortoise observers. We identified the fast moving bird as a vermilion flycatcher. To our delight it stopped and perched on top of the shell of a giant tortoise. What a great sight! The flycatcher moved to a neighboring tree. The red bird showed no concern about his observers. He continued with his normal life, flying short distances and from time to time catching insects. The vermilion flycatcher is a gorgeous bird that always captures the attention of our visitors. Today, we admired it at very close range and one of our guests got an amazing photo.
