Espanola Island
Who is watching who? That’s the real question here in Galapagos. Today we went ashore in a couple of locations on the southeastern-most island of Española. This island is overflowing with wildlife at this time of the year. Amongst the many sightings made during the day we saw a variety of birds species, both marine and terrestrial, such as Galapagos doves, Albatrosses, Española mockingbirds, Nazca boobies and blue-footed boobies. The birds just seemed to be waiting for us on shore: ready for pictures. This was particularly appreciated today, as the keen photographers partaking in our photo-expedition left at sunrise to catch the best light on the inhabitants of this island. These are natural models, posing for cameras wherever one looks: ready to be famous around the world!
The blue-footed booby, (Sula nebouxii), is the most commonly seen of the boobies as it nests near the coast in many places and also feeds close to shore. In flight, these birds have a characteristic torpedo shape.
During the afternoon we had water activities in Gardner Bay, swimming among different kinds of tropical fish, rays and sharks for those among us who opted for the “deep water” snorkeling. We all met up on a spectacular beach of fine white coralline sand, an open area where we could truly commune with the unique environment, and roll around in the breakers with the sea lions, who accepted us as part of their world: it was a wonderful day!
Who is watching who? That’s the real question here in Galapagos. Today we went ashore in a couple of locations on the southeastern-most island of Española. This island is overflowing with wildlife at this time of the year. Amongst the many sightings made during the day we saw a variety of birds species, both marine and terrestrial, such as Galapagos doves, Albatrosses, Española mockingbirds, Nazca boobies and blue-footed boobies. The birds just seemed to be waiting for us on shore: ready for pictures. This was particularly appreciated today, as the keen photographers partaking in our photo-expedition left at sunrise to catch the best light on the inhabitants of this island. These are natural models, posing for cameras wherever one looks: ready to be famous around the world!
The blue-footed booby, (Sula nebouxii), is the most commonly seen of the boobies as it nests near the coast in many places and also feeds close to shore. In flight, these birds have a characteristic torpedo shape.
During the afternoon we had water activities in Gardner Bay, swimming among different kinds of tropical fish, rays and sharks for those among us who opted for the “deep water” snorkeling. We all met up on a spectacular beach of fine white coralline sand, an open area where we could truly commune with the unique environment, and roll around in the breakers with the sea lions, who accepted us as part of their world: it was a wonderful day!
