Cerro Dragon, Santa Cruz Island
We’ve arrived in the Galapagos Islands! After an early departure from our hotel in Guayaquil, then a flight to Baltra Island, we boarded our trusty vessel, the Polaris. Having settled in, all 71 of our WWF travelers were eager to make their foray into the marine wilderness. We piled into Zodiacs for a tour of Cerro Dragon, the site where scientist William Beebe first recorded finding land iguanas. As we made our approach, we were greeted by a crowded colony of blue-footed boobies. Below them on a low-lying ledge, were a few sleepy sea lions lounging in the afternoon heat. Bright splashes of orange revealed the locations of adult Sally lightfoot crabs, while the darker, young crabs were less visible. So much life on this little rock!
Closer to shore, we, too, were able to see this rare reptile, the land iguana. Despite its yellow head, it was easily camouflaged, and difficult to find, amidst its cactus-filled environment. We then slowly edged toward the mangroves, following the ripples left by black-tipped sharks. As they encircled their prey (a school of silversides) on one side of our boat, sea turtles surfaced on the other. Birders in the crowd were happy: in just an hour, we’d seen a Galapagos mockingbird, yellow warbler, and lava heron. Having taken in these spectacular sights, we were soon drenched in a heavy downpour – a fitting end to fully experiencing Galapagos nature on this first day on the WWF-Lindblad expedition!
We’ve arrived in the Galapagos Islands! After an early departure from our hotel in Guayaquil, then a flight to Baltra Island, we boarded our trusty vessel, the Polaris. Having settled in, all 71 of our WWF travelers were eager to make their foray into the marine wilderness. We piled into Zodiacs for a tour of Cerro Dragon, the site where scientist William Beebe first recorded finding land iguanas. As we made our approach, we were greeted by a crowded colony of blue-footed boobies. Below them on a low-lying ledge, were a few sleepy sea lions lounging in the afternoon heat. Bright splashes of orange revealed the locations of adult Sally lightfoot crabs, while the darker, young crabs were less visible. So much life on this little rock!
Closer to shore, we, too, were able to see this rare reptile, the land iguana. Despite its yellow head, it was easily camouflaged, and difficult to find, amidst its cactus-filled environment. We then slowly edged toward the mangroves, following the ripples left by black-tipped sharks. As they encircled their prey (a school of silversides) on one side of our boat, sea turtles surfaced on the other. Birders in the crowd were happy: in just an hour, we’d seen a Galapagos mockingbird, yellow warbler, and lava heron. Having taken in these spectacular sights, we were soon drenched in a heavy downpour – a fitting end to fully experiencing Galapagos nature on this first day on the WWF-Lindblad expedition!
