Española Island
This is one of the oldest islands of the Archipelago, therefore it has a high degree of endemism. Most of the species found here are unique to this particular place on Earth. The marine iguanas are the most colorful of all the Galapagos subspecies. The mockingbirds and the lava lizards are also distinctive. This morning we encountered and learned about all of these endemics. In addition, we watched the intimate behaviors of several species of seabirds; some were still courting, some were incubating eggs and others tended their chicks. Near the end of the morning walk, we reached the waved albatross airport. This is an open area where they usually land. As they are big, heavy birds, they must jump into the updrafts in order to fly; so to take off, they walk all the way to the edge of the steep cliffs.
In the afternoon we enjoyed water activities. We swam and snorkeled from a beautiful white sand beach, or chose to go by Zodiac to an offshore islet for deep water snorkeling. The temperature of the water was “refreshing” and we were glad we had borrowed wet suits from the Polaris! The water visibility was pretty good and we saw many species of tropical fish. One of my favorites was the three banded butterfly fish pictured here.
This is one of the oldest islands of the Archipelago, therefore it has a high degree of endemism. Most of the species found here are unique to this particular place on Earth. The marine iguanas are the most colorful of all the Galapagos subspecies. The mockingbirds and the lava lizards are also distinctive. This morning we encountered and learned about all of these endemics. In addition, we watched the intimate behaviors of several species of seabirds; some were still courting, some were incubating eggs and others tended their chicks. Near the end of the morning walk, we reached the waved albatross airport. This is an open area where they usually land. As they are big, heavy birds, they must jump into the updrafts in order to fly; so to take off, they walk all the way to the edge of the steep cliffs.
In the afternoon we enjoyed water activities. We swam and snorkeled from a beautiful white sand beach, or chose to go by Zodiac to an offshore islet for deep water snorkeling. The temperature of the water was “refreshing” and we were glad we had borrowed wet suits from the Polaris! The water visibility was pretty good and we saw many species of tropical fish. One of my favorites was the three banded butterfly fish pictured here.
