Española Island

This beautiful island is one of my favorites in the Galapagos. It is a very special place in many ways. The variety and abundance of the animals that live on Española is amazing. Our day started with a very nice walk. Galapagos sea lions were a great welcoming committee. These marine mammals were the delight of their observers. Everywhere we looked we encountered something interesting or beautiful to watch, so it was sometimes difficult to keep moving. This morning we had the opportunity to observe a newborn baby sea lion right next to its mother. While the mother was half sleep, her baby was having breakfast. We were so close that we could hear the baby sounds while it nursed. Some few yards away there were more sea lions, many young ones playing, some sleeping. The black and red marine iguanas were very popular as well. Blue footed boobies were also great; the colony was really busy. Many booby couples were involved in their courtship. Males trying to impress the females were sky-pointing and dancing. Some boobies were incubating eggs and a few had little chicks. Galapagos hawks, Darwin finches, Española lava lizards, Española mockingbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies and Galapagos snakes were spotted as well.

Among all these new and extraordinary sightings and feelings our visitors had today, one was very special. We saw many waved albatrosses. These majestic marine birds breed on this island. They are considered endemic to Española Island. Today we enjoyed Española at its most wonderful!