San Esteban and Rasa Islands
The sounds of yellow-footed gulls nesting along the beach at San Esteban Island welcomed us as we landed there early this morning. Down-covered gull chicks watched us as we walked past them on our way to Arroyo Limantour, were we began our search for some of the island’s famous reptiles. Soon we saw our first one, basking on the rocks next to a short ironwood tree: a spiny-tailed iguana. Contrary to its wary disposition, this specimen allowed us to approach very close and take pictures, an opportunity that many among us took delightfully. It wasn’t long before a pinto, or piebald, chuckwalla was discovered under the spiny branches of a chain-link cholla. And as a search-image developed in our minds, more and more chuckwallas showed up everywhere! Photographing the various reptiles or admiring the blossoms of the desert plants, we all enjoyed a most pleasant morning wandering around the desert community of San Esteban.
After sailing north-west for a couple hours, the Sea Voyager reached Rasa Island. As the nesting site of 95% of the world’s population of both Hermann’s gulls and elegant terns, this tiny island is full of life and it is possible to feel the energy emanating from it. There, we met Dr. Enriqueta Velarde, who has dedicated 28 years of her life to study and protect this unique place. Her long commitment with Rasa included, together with the late Jesus Ramirez, the eradication of introduced black rats and mice that made the island once more a safe nesting place for the birds. We walked very carefully along the nesting gulls and admired the elegant terns that returned to their nests with anchovies in their beaks to feed their chicks, like the one on the photo. After visiting the island, Zodiac cruises were organized and we were able to get a more complete view of the whole place. As hundreds of thousands of birds flew around us and made for a most remarkable sight, I couldn’t help but think “Gracias, Enriqueta!”
The sounds of yellow-footed gulls nesting along the beach at San Esteban Island welcomed us as we landed there early this morning. Down-covered gull chicks watched us as we walked past them on our way to Arroyo Limantour, were we began our search for some of the island’s famous reptiles. Soon we saw our first one, basking on the rocks next to a short ironwood tree: a spiny-tailed iguana. Contrary to its wary disposition, this specimen allowed us to approach very close and take pictures, an opportunity that many among us took delightfully. It wasn’t long before a pinto, or piebald, chuckwalla was discovered under the spiny branches of a chain-link cholla. And as a search-image developed in our minds, more and more chuckwallas showed up everywhere! Photographing the various reptiles or admiring the blossoms of the desert plants, we all enjoyed a most pleasant morning wandering around the desert community of San Esteban.
After sailing north-west for a couple hours, the Sea Voyager reached Rasa Island. As the nesting site of 95% of the world’s population of both Hermann’s gulls and elegant terns, this tiny island is full of life and it is possible to feel the energy emanating from it. There, we met Dr. Enriqueta Velarde, who has dedicated 28 years of her life to study and protect this unique place. Her long commitment with Rasa included, together with the late Jesus Ramirez, the eradication of introduced black rats and mice that made the island once more a safe nesting place for the birds. We walked very carefully along the nesting gulls and admired the elegant terns that returned to their nests with anchovies in their beaks to feed their chicks, like the one on the photo. After visiting the island, Zodiac cruises were organized and we were able to get a more complete view of the whole place. As hundreds of thousands of birds flew around us and made for a most remarkable sight, I couldn’t help but think “Gracias, Enriqueta!”
