Giant Tortoises

Something not often noticed about these slow moving giants is that they have some significant toe nails. I presume this is to help in foraging for food.

Penguins and Tortoises

A last look at a couple penguins before heading back to shore. Our next outing on Isabela Island was to a tortoise farm.

Galapagos Green Turtle

This green turtle seems to be having a nice, relaxing swim in the warm water of this small protected inlet.

Penguins, Sharks, and Turtles

These two penguins are sunning themselves and getting warm. You will notice that they both seem to have large sections of their white chest plumage appearing as a light yellow.

Penguins and a Great Blue Heron

On the lava near the shore, we see a penguin family. The nearest one is still molting into adult plumage.

Boobies and Penguins

Just south of Isabela Island is a collection of rocky, mostly barren, lava outcroppings called Los Tintoreras. Here we find blue-footed boobies and Galapagos penguins.

The blue feet really stand out against the dark lava.

More Boobies and Pelicans

When blue-footed boobies take flight after diving for a meal, they use their feet to push against the water to help get the speed to get airborne.

Boobies, Pelicans, and a Whimbrel

A common beachcomber in the Galapagos is the Galapagos whimbrel. White his characteristic curved bill, he scours the beach for morsels to eat.

Boobies and Plovers

One of the better things to do on the beach is watch the boobies fly along the shallow waters and search for food.

Lava Heron

At first glance, the laval heron is a rather drab looking bird. Yes, it has the typical shape of a heron, but little else to recommend it.

Boobies, Turnstones, and a Lava Heron

The grace and coordination of the boobies in flight as they sail along the wave crests is mesmerizing. I could stand there and watch them for hours.

On the Sea and in the Air

The turnstones and the plover have found a small outcropping of lava just at the water's edge to scour for food morsels.

Along the Lava at the Beach

One of the shore birds we find wandering the lava at the beach is the black-bellied plover.

Flamingos and Pelicans

I suppose that you can tell which flamingos are well fed by looking. The pink color comes from the carotenoids in the shrimp they eat. The more shrimp, the darker the color.

Flamingos and a Duck

I'm quite sure that none of the animals we see are aware of how handsome/surprising they are. But I sure do appreciate the delicate coloration of the back feathers on this bird.

Flamingos Continued

These really are elegant birds. I'm always amazed to see all the things that birds do with their beak. Of course, if you only have a beak, then you learn to do everything with it. But still... it is pretty incredible.

Isabela Island - Flamingos

 

It took a couple hours to get from Santa Cruz island to Isabela island. then we got a car to take us to our hotel. After a bite of supper, we crashed for the night. The next morning we started before breakfast with a walk across the street to a small pond that provided food for several Galapagos Flamingos.

Marine Iguana

 

Not entirely clear why this place is named Tortuga Bay since it is thick with marine iguana. Perhaps at a different time of year...

Marine Iguana and Brown Pelican

I'm quite certain that should one of these crawl up on my bed, I'd levitate somewhere near the ceiling. Not that they are likely to do that since they are plant eaters and not interested in me.

On the Beach at Tortuga Bay

The sally lightfoot crab is ubiquitous on the Galapagos Islands and their bright colors make them quite eye-catching.

Walking to Tortuga Bay

Like the finches, mockingbirds come in a variety of species. This one is the Galapagos mockingbird and can be found on all the islands except three. those three island each have their own endemic species.

Galapagos Land Iguana

Today we have have the last of the land iguana as we prepare to leave South Plaza Island. I'm pretty sure that this partial creature in the foreground is a sea lion.

Lava Gull and Galapagos Land Iguana

Some of these animals seem to be a strange hodgepodge of adaptations. The laval gull is colored nicely to match the laval where it nests, but them has pink/orange/red feet! Go figure. On the other hand, the small crab on the rock just below the gull does a great job of blending in with the background.

Land Iguana, Blue-Footed Boobie, and Lava Gull

These iguana are indeed striking creatures. I'm quite sure that if these fellows were not herbivores, I'd not be so close to them.

Land Iguanas and Lava Lizards

The image above seems to summarize much of the Galapagos: a land iguana, a laval lizard, and a chunk of lava. 

South PLaza Island - III

South Plaza Island is not limited to providing habitat only to Galapagos land iguana, here we also find birds. Here is a small ground finch.

South Plaza Island - II

The land iguanas are everywhere there is a bit of shade on this small island. Most of that shade is under a prickly pear cactus which these fellow love to eat.

South Plaza Island

On this day we took a boat ride around Santa Cruz to the small South Plaza island (not far from the North Plaza Island) to see the animals there. We transferred from the boat to a zodiac to head into the shore. when we arrived, there was a "swarm" of sea lions frollicking in the water beside where the boat docked. 

Birds on Santa Cruz Island

The Galapagos flycatcher above is sitting on a limb waiting for the next insect he wants to eat to come by.

Denizens of the Shore

The ubiquitous sally lightfoot crab is out for a bit of sun. The camouflage is interesting. It both blends in with the rocks with it's spotted markings and stands out because it a pretty big crab.

Galapagos Mocking Bird and a Brown Pelican

Last time, I showed you this handsome mockingbird sitting high on a bare limb. Here he is near the ground and closer to me. He's quite a interesting bird.

Along the Beach and then Inland

A common sight along all the beaches we visited we the sally lightfoot crabs. Named for a dancer of yore, these can curry all over the rocks with ease.

A Tortoise and a Sea Lion

In his usual slow motion way, this tortoise is preparing to get a drink of (fairly nasty looking) water. Note that you can just see the remains of several meals on his mouth.

A Duck and More Tortoises

Above is the white-cheeked pintail duck. These fellows are found from as far north as southern Florida and as a far south as the southern tip of South America. This one is just chillin' by the small pond where the tortoises are hanging out.

Tortoises Hanging Out

In addition to growing moss on their skin, they also seem to not lick their lips either.

Tortoises Everywhere

If you ever wondered how you'd clean yourself if you lived outside, ate off the ground, and had no hands to wipe your mouth with, here you go. Not exactly the neatest critters around.

Santa Cruz Island and the Tortoises

So, we wrapped up our adventure ion San Cristóbal Island, boarded a boat to Santa Cruz Island, dropped our luggage and headed out to the center of the island to a tortoise farm.

Sally Lightfoot and Blue-Footed Booby

This crab is called the sally lightfoot crab. They get their name, perhaps, after a Caribbean dancer.

The Blue-Footed Booby

This booby is a handsome bird. This one is giving me lots of time to get some portraits while he sits, preens, and relaxes before the next hunt for food.

Gray Warbler Finch and Blue-footed Booby

If it is not a seabird, then it is usually a finch of some sort. This is the gray warbler finch. It is only found on San Christóbal and a few other very tiny islands on the eastern side of the archipelago.

Magnificent Frigate Bird

Frigate birds have a problem. Their plumage is not waterproof. This means that when they are at sea, which is most of the time, they cannot land on the water nor can they dive for food. If they do, they become waterlogged and drown.

Swallow-tailed Gull and Smooth-billed Ani

Since you had a strinking view of an immature swallow-tailed gull, I thought you also deserved to see a few images of the adult.

Black-necked Stilt, Hermit Crab, Swallow-tailed Gull

Not every bird found on the islands is one that is only found here. The black-necked stilt is one of these common birds found in lots of places that has made its way here.

Marine Iguana, Brown Pelican, Yellow Warbler

The marine iguana is such an iconic animal and so primitive in appearance that I found them endless entertaining to photograph. It is clear why these were often chosen for those '50's sci fi movies.

Marine Iguana, Brown Pelican

One of the iconic animals we got to see on this trip was the marine iguana. You'll see many more images of these unique animals as we proceed through the trip.

Medium Ground Finch, Galapagos Flycatcher, Brown Pelican

The medium ground finch is ubiquitous on San Cristóbal. This one seems to be staring me down.

Yellow Warbler, Brown Pelican, Medium Ground Finch

The yellow warbler is a fine looking bird. With the greens abd browns of the forest, it is a striking image.

San Cristóbal Mockingbird and the Yellow Warbler

The mockingbirds are where Darwin made his name for sorting them out. This one is endemic to only San Cristóbal Island, hence the name.

Welcome to San Cristóbal Island

Our journey began in earnest by flying to San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos. The first afternoon, I took a walk through the forest and up a hill to a lookout where we hoped to see some frigate birds. On the way, we spotted a variety of birds. Above is a medium ground finch.

Off to Rio Quijos

One last look at the sapphire throated hummingbird and then we pack up and head to a different location by a river for some lunch and different birds.