Day 7 --> Espanola - Punta Suarez
Galapagos Sea Lions (sz)
Sea Lion pups with female (sz)
Here the marine iguanas are the most colorful than elsewhere in the archipelago. Also called Christmas Iguanas, they are bright red and green.
Marine Iguanas on the rocks (sz)
Galapagos Marine Iguanas (sz)
Blue-footed Boobies mating (ps)
Blue-footed Booby with newborn (ps)
Blue-footed Booby with twins (ps)
We also saw boobies sitting on eggs, sheltering newly hatched fledglings under their bodies in the nest, and feeding larger fledglings via the parents" long beaks. The Nazca (Masked) Boobies, the largest booby in the Galapagos, were doing the same, but up on the cliffs. They also lay two eggs, but only raise one chick.
Nazca (masked) Booby feeding its huge chick (sz) (sz) (ps)
We also saw a large number of other birds and shorebirds as well as experiencing rock outcroppings unlike any we had quite seen before. The mockingbirds are a different species, with longer bills and aggressive behavior.
Nazca (masked) Booby with Swallow-tail Gulls (sz)
Nazca (masked) Booby on the cliffs (ps)
The boobies keep a watchful eye out for the Galapagos Hawk, which will pick off any chicks left unguarded.
Galapagos Hawk (photo taken through binocular lens (sz)
Nazca Booby and Hawk (ps)
Galapagos Hawk in tree (ps)
Albatross swooping over the landscape (sz)
Looking down below (sz)
We then turned inland in search of the promised albatrosses. We had been told we were there at the very end of their season in this part of the world, and that although we would hopefully see some, it was not guaranteed. Just as we were about to give up, these birds, famed in lore and literature, appeared. Although they were smaller than we had thought, their characteristic flight patterns and behavior made them a sight to behold. (See the video clips below).
Albatross swooping over the landscape (sz)
Another attraction is the blowhole, where a vapour spout blasts a misty spray high into the air through a gap in the rocks, up to 25 meters (on video only).
