Fernandina Island
What an exciting day filled with unique creatures! The early morning circumnavigating Roca Redonda we observed large numbers of various seabirds: Nazca and blue-footed boobies, shearwaters, storm petrels, brown noddy terns, frigate birds and even the dark-rumped or Galápagos storm petrel. This last one is endangered and was considered to be same species as the Hawaiian storm petrel, but now is considered endemic to the islands. Fortunately, due to the National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station conservation programs, this seabird population is growing back.
Bottle-nosed dolphins appeared out of nowhere, bow-rode the Polaris for a while, and jumped high.
The late morning, during our Zodiac ride along the southern end of the collapsed caldera from Ecuador volcano, named Punta Vicente Roca, we had a timeless experience imagining the lava coming out through the dikes and sills on this impressive landscape. It seemed to be that a congress of flightless birds was taking place here. The penguins and cormorants were swimming and eating around the Zodiacs. However, the sea turtles were also mating nearby, sea lions playing and marine iguanas fighting, all of which stirred our emotions. Some of us spotted the oceanic sunfish, manta rays, eagle rays, and even a sea horse was seen.
The combination of indescribable feelings from the morning continued, as we had the chance to snorkel with some of these wonderful animals later. By coincidence, just as the snorkelers went out, dolphins appeared nearby, and so both snorkelers and last-minute takers for an impromptu Zodiac ride spent a good hour with a pod of about 30-40 bottle-nosed dolphins who hung out in the same area for quite a while. In the late afternoon, the rainy season showed its first signs, but the drizzle didn’t stop our hike at Punta Espinoza. This location exemplifies the word origin: red and white mangroves along the shoreline contrasted with the pioneer lava cactus growing on the dark “pahoe-hoe lava” and “aa lava” fields. The natural magic of this place talked silently. The marine iguanas were lying down, exhausted after diving to feed on the algae; the cormorants were stretching their wings as they dried them, and the sea lion pups were nursing.
What an exciting day filled with unique creatures! The early morning circumnavigating Roca Redonda we observed large numbers of various seabirds: Nazca and blue-footed boobies, shearwaters, storm petrels, brown noddy terns, frigate birds and even the dark-rumped or Galápagos storm petrel. This last one is endangered and was considered to be same species as the Hawaiian storm petrel, but now is considered endemic to the islands. Fortunately, due to the National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station conservation programs, this seabird population is growing back.
Bottle-nosed dolphins appeared out of nowhere, bow-rode the Polaris for a while, and jumped high.
The late morning, during our Zodiac ride along the southern end of the collapsed caldera from Ecuador volcano, named Punta Vicente Roca, we had a timeless experience imagining the lava coming out through the dikes and sills on this impressive landscape. It seemed to be that a congress of flightless birds was taking place here. The penguins and cormorants were swimming and eating around the Zodiacs. However, the sea turtles were also mating nearby, sea lions playing and marine iguanas fighting, all of which stirred our emotions. Some of us spotted the oceanic sunfish, manta rays, eagle rays, and even a sea horse was seen.
The combination of indescribable feelings from the morning continued, as we had the chance to snorkel with some of these wonderful animals later. By coincidence, just as the snorkelers went out, dolphins appeared nearby, and so both snorkelers and last-minute takers for an impromptu Zodiac ride spent a good hour with a pod of about 30-40 bottle-nosed dolphins who hung out in the same area for quite a while. In the late afternoon, the rainy season showed its first signs, but the drizzle didn’t stop our hike at Punta Espinoza. This location exemplifies the word origin: red and white mangroves along the shoreline contrasted with the pioneer lava cactus growing on the dark “pahoe-hoe lava” and “aa lava” fields. The natural magic of this place talked silently. The marine iguanas were lying down, exhausted after diving to feed on the algae; the cormorants were stretching their wings as they dried them, and the sea lion pups were nursing.
