Espanola Island
It is early in the morning and our guests are already experiencing the warmth of the equatorial sun at the anchoring site of Punta Suarez. It's obvious that it is going to be hot in the middle morning, and we are prepared to take our visit not after eight. We know of albatrosses’ migration pattern; however Espanola is always a complex environment full of surprises.
Of course we were highly rewarded; hood mockingbirds came as soon as we landed and started with their inquisitive behavior. Also several finches flew by, and we recognized the very famous large cactus finch and the gorgeous doves, as well as many painted locusts, all of them endemic representatives of the archipelago.
Upon arrival the welcoming committee made of several young sea lions astonished us with their summersaults and their sheepish looking. They were so cute! Not far from there a Galápagos snake wandered among the rocks, surely looking for prey. A bit further onto the trail, we raised our heads to watch and listen to four hawks that were displaying a very impressive courtship “aerial fly”, together with tropic birds and boobies passing by.
We were in the afternoon already; the morning went by like a flash. Being the beginning of the trip, our guests were a bit concerned about our next activity; snorkelling, but as soon as they were given the snorkeling gear, a good spirit was evident. Later on, this good spirit allowed us to have a very good introductory session. In the meantime, the rest of the group was having a great time at the beach pacing near the always sleepy sea lions. This all happened at Gardner Bay on the northern most extreme of Espanola Island.
Late in the afternoon everybody returned to Polaris; the last ones to approach are the kayakers, and while looking at them with the sun light in their backs, my mind is transported to the early days of exploration when humans started to cross the ocean in search of something new and exciting, probably with some dreamy images of a tropical Shangri–la; maybe some place called the Galápagos.
It is early in the morning and our guests are already experiencing the warmth of the equatorial sun at the anchoring site of Punta Suarez. It's obvious that it is going to be hot in the middle morning, and we are prepared to take our visit not after eight. We know of albatrosses’ migration pattern; however Espanola is always a complex environment full of surprises.
Of course we were highly rewarded; hood mockingbirds came as soon as we landed and started with their inquisitive behavior. Also several finches flew by, and we recognized the very famous large cactus finch and the gorgeous doves, as well as many painted locusts, all of them endemic representatives of the archipelago.
Upon arrival the welcoming committee made of several young sea lions astonished us with their summersaults and their sheepish looking. They were so cute! Not far from there a Galápagos snake wandered among the rocks, surely looking for prey. A bit further onto the trail, we raised our heads to watch and listen to four hawks that were displaying a very impressive courtship “aerial fly”, together with tropic birds and boobies passing by.
We were in the afternoon already; the morning went by like a flash. Being the beginning of the trip, our guests were a bit concerned about our next activity; snorkelling, but as soon as they were given the snorkeling gear, a good spirit was evident. Later on, this good spirit allowed us to have a very good introductory session. In the meantime, the rest of the group was having a great time at the beach pacing near the always sleepy sea lions. This all happened at Gardner Bay on the northern most extreme of Espanola Island.
Late in the afternoon everybody returned to Polaris; the last ones to approach are the kayakers, and while looking at them with the sun light in their backs, my mind is transported to the early days of exploration when humans started to cross the ocean in search of something new and exciting, probably with some dreamy images of a tropical Shangri–la; maybe some place called the Galápagos.
