Espanola Island
Our first landing on Punta Suarez started with a sea lion welcoming committee on the coast. The little pups were having breakfast and nursing from their mothers. The first two weeks are very important for them, because they need to gain at least double their weight. The milk they drink is 25% fat-rich and 14% protein, compared with ours, which is only 3% fat-rich. The pups need the fat for their blubber.
The marine iguanas with their beautiful red courtship colors were basking right next to the sea lions. The iguana mating season will begin soon and the males need to show a brighter red to be more attractive. Some mockingbirds and little Sally light-foot crabs were having breakfast from the skin of a dead marine iguana. The last of this year’s albatross fledglings were sitting around, waiting for their parents to come and feed them. They will probably leave the island in a few more weeks. They won’t come back to Espanola until they are 5 years old, having reached sexual maturity and beginning their search for a mate for life.
We had a wonderful sunny afternoon with water activities at Gardner Bay. The water temperature couldn’t be any better, and the exciting and colorful marine life made us stay an hour at the snorkeling site. Meanwhile, curious sea lion pups, while waiting for their mothers at the white sandy beach, were interacting with us. As we sat, they smelled our feet. Fortunately, we didn’t smell like their mothers… we AND they might have been in trouble if they wanted to nurse from us!
Our first landing on Punta Suarez started with a sea lion welcoming committee on the coast. The little pups were having breakfast and nursing from their mothers. The first two weeks are very important for them, because they need to gain at least double their weight. The milk they drink is 25% fat-rich and 14% protein, compared with ours, which is only 3% fat-rich. The pups need the fat for their blubber.
The marine iguanas with their beautiful red courtship colors were basking right next to the sea lions. The iguana mating season will begin soon and the males need to show a brighter red to be more attractive. Some mockingbirds and little Sally light-foot crabs were having breakfast from the skin of a dead marine iguana. The last of this year’s albatross fledglings were sitting around, waiting for their parents to come and feed them. They will probably leave the island in a few more weeks. They won’t come back to Espanola until they are 5 years old, having reached sexual maturity and beginning their search for a mate for life.
We had a wonderful sunny afternoon with water activities at Gardner Bay. The water temperature couldn’t be any better, and the exciting and colorful marine life made us stay an hour at the snorkeling site. Meanwhile, curious sea lion pups, while waiting for their mothers at the white sandy beach, were interacting with us. As we sat, they smelled our feet. Fortunately, we didn’t smell like their mothers… we AND they might have been in trouble if they wanted to nurse from us!
