Isabela and Fernandina Islands
The western side of the archipelago has so many incredible surprises that it is always rewarding to wake up early. Today we discovered that we were in the company of flocks of birds of different species flying very close to the ship.
We sailed around “Roca Redonda,” the remains of a bigger volcano with impressive cliffs. The air was clean, as always, there was a warm breeze and a wonderful blue sky. These factors made the beginning of our morning very special.
February is an exceptional time of the year, not only because we have an incredible weather but this is also the nesting season for the Galápagos marine iguanas.
This afternoon as we walked along the trails on Fernandina Island, something spectacular got our attention. We saw little clouds of dust and as we approached the place we discovered that female marine iguanas were responsible for that, while excavating holes in the ground. After looking for a little while we realized that they were digging their nests and that there was also a lot of competition amongst them for a place, so many fought for the same nest. We spent some time staring at them when we found this little female; she apparently had gotten a place and it was probably laying her eggs.
This week there were many nests and a lot of activity. As the females get into their nesting habits, the males are starting to take it easy. They sunbathe, and relax while taking long siestas. The main duty of these males was to look very attractive and gather as many females around them as possible, and of course mating with them. Their work is done and now it is time to enjoy their apparently easy and nice life.
After watching these iguanas we came on board to enjoy and relax while the sun disappeared beneath the horizon.
The western side of the archipelago has so many incredible surprises that it is always rewarding to wake up early. Today we discovered that we were in the company of flocks of birds of different species flying very close to the ship.
We sailed around “Roca Redonda,” the remains of a bigger volcano with impressive cliffs. The air was clean, as always, there was a warm breeze and a wonderful blue sky. These factors made the beginning of our morning very special.
February is an exceptional time of the year, not only because we have an incredible weather but this is also the nesting season for the Galápagos marine iguanas.
This afternoon as we walked along the trails on Fernandina Island, something spectacular got our attention. We saw little clouds of dust and as we approached the place we discovered that female marine iguanas were responsible for that, while excavating holes in the ground. After looking for a little while we realized that they were digging their nests and that there was also a lot of competition amongst them for a place, so many fought for the same nest. We spent some time staring at them when we found this little female; she apparently had gotten a place and it was probably laying her eggs.
This week there were many nests and a lot of activity. As the females get into their nesting habits, the males are starting to take it easy. They sunbathe, and relax while taking long siestas. The main duty of these males was to look very attractive and gather as many females around them as possible, and of course mating with them. Their work is done and now it is time to enjoy their apparently easy and nice life.
After watching these iguanas we came on board to enjoy and relax while the sun disappeared beneath the horizon.
