James Island
What a grand finale! Just as we thought we’d seen everything, we came across one of the rarest birds of all: the barn owl. It was tucked in a little cave along the dramatic coastline of James Bay, sleeping and awaiting the night. Quite an accomplishment for the guides as this was the first barn owl spotted by any of us on James Island. And for our audience, it completes the set of three raptors spotted in Galapagos. The others include the Galapagos hawk and the short-eared owl.
Barn owls are nocturnal birds of prey, hunting lizards, rice rats, mice and small birds. They’re present on several of the larger islands in Galapagos where they are scarce and always nocturnal in their habits. The Galapagos hawk fills the daytime niche on James Island and like today, is practically always seen here. Both hawk and owl will operate in the same areas but divide their niches by time.
Our day started off with a fantastic lighting-up on the great view atop of Bartolomé. The clarity of the water was breathtaking as we undertook the water-activities that followed. Apart from the various sharks and rays spotted by our glass-bottom boaters, an enormous octopus played the opening act on our tour today. With that, we drop the curtain on our final scene for the week, with the hope and optimism that next week will bring forth another great drama.
What a grand finale! Just as we thought we’d seen everything, we came across one of the rarest birds of all: the barn owl. It was tucked in a little cave along the dramatic coastline of James Bay, sleeping and awaiting the night. Quite an accomplishment for the guides as this was the first barn owl spotted by any of us on James Island. And for our audience, it completes the set of three raptors spotted in Galapagos. The others include the Galapagos hawk and the short-eared owl.
Barn owls are nocturnal birds of prey, hunting lizards, rice rats, mice and small birds. They’re present on several of the larger islands in Galapagos where they are scarce and always nocturnal in their habits. The Galapagos hawk fills the daytime niche on James Island and like today, is practically always seen here. Both hawk and owl will operate in the same areas but divide their niches by time.
Our day started off with a fantastic lighting-up on the great view atop of Bartolomé. The clarity of the water was breathtaking as we undertook the water-activities that followed. Apart from the various sharks and rays spotted by our glass-bottom boaters, an enormous octopus played the opening act on our tour today. With that, we drop the curtain on our final scene for the week, with the hope and optimism that next week will bring forth another great drama.
