Española Island
The Galápagos are a group of volcanic islands which at first impression all seem quite similar in appearance but in fact nothing could be further than the truth. All the islands are different: all of them rocky but each with its own flavor.
Today we visited Española Island, which happens to be the south-easternmost island of the group: thus being the oldest in geologic time. We can say that Española Island plays an important role in the evolution of organisms and their dispersal towards other places. Being the oldest island of the group, Española is the one that is more likely to be the first place of arrival for life forms transported by ocean and air currents.
Our expedition started at our time of disembarking at Punta Suarez. As we landed, we were greeted by sea lions and thousands of red crabs crawling on the rocks. Some few yards inland we found ourselves surrounded by nature in its purest state: the trails are crowded with marine iguanas and sea birds such as blue-footed boobies, nesting alongside Nazca boobies and swallow tailed gulls. The landscape of the island deserves attention as well: rocky cliffs where the winds produce updrafts are dotted with birds gliding effortlessly.
The most amazing bird on the island is unquestionably the majestic waved albatross that nest by the thousands all over Española. Waved albatrosses nest every year on this island only, thus being the only tropical albatross on earth. Today we could see that the island is actually a bird’s paradise: on land you find them nesting and in the nearby waters you’ll find them foraging in large flocks. Boobies are observed doing their plunge diving and petrels feeding in a quite different way, by picking plankton-sized creatures from the water’s surface.
In the afternoon we visited the north side of Española Island. Here, we partook in a lot of activities, among which kayaking, snorkelling and-glass bottomed boat rides. The snorkelers enjoyed their first encounter with the exotic marine life: schooling and colorful reef fish and playful sea lions.
Looking forward to seeing a lot more!
The Galápagos are a group of volcanic islands which at first impression all seem quite similar in appearance but in fact nothing could be further than the truth. All the islands are different: all of them rocky but each with its own flavor.
Today we visited Española Island, which happens to be the south-easternmost island of the group: thus being the oldest in geologic time. We can say that Española Island plays an important role in the evolution of organisms and their dispersal towards other places. Being the oldest island of the group, Española is the one that is more likely to be the first place of arrival for life forms transported by ocean and air currents.
Our expedition started at our time of disembarking at Punta Suarez. As we landed, we were greeted by sea lions and thousands of red crabs crawling on the rocks. Some few yards inland we found ourselves surrounded by nature in its purest state: the trails are crowded with marine iguanas and sea birds such as blue-footed boobies, nesting alongside Nazca boobies and swallow tailed gulls. The landscape of the island deserves attention as well: rocky cliffs where the winds produce updrafts are dotted with birds gliding effortlessly.
The most amazing bird on the island is unquestionably the majestic waved albatross that nest by the thousands all over Española. Waved albatrosses nest every year on this island only, thus being the only tropical albatross on earth. Today we could see that the island is actually a bird’s paradise: on land you find them nesting and in the nearby waters you’ll find them foraging in large flocks. Boobies are observed doing their plunge diving and petrels feeding in a quite different way, by picking plankton-sized creatures from the water’s surface.
In the afternoon we visited the north side of Española Island. Here, we partook in a lot of activities, among which kayaking, snorkelling and-glass bottomed boat rides. The snorkelers enjoyed their first encounter with the exotic marine life: schooling and colorful reef fish and playful sea lions.
Looking forward to seeing a lot more!
