KItes

With a stiff breeze about, kites were in order.

Seaside, Oregon

And now for something completely different.

Last April, the family headed south to the coast of Oregon for a little beach time in sunny Seaside. Above, you see Charlie preparing to see if China really is at the antipodes.

A Last View of the Galapagos

So at last we have come to the end of our trip and the final images. It has taken a long time to post the whole trip and I hope everyone enjoyed it. We certainly had a good time.

Frigatebirds

 

Much of what the land iguana eat is prickly pear cactus. They grow to great size on these islands and provide shade as well as food for those stuck on the ground.

Frigatebirds

First, let me apologize for my tardiness in getting post us lately. This week is a new problem. I have changed browsers and it does not seem to work with blogger so I have resorted to the old tried-and-true to get this done while I sort out how to make this all work with the new one. Now, on to the interesting stuff...

These male frigatebirds are really something with their gular pouches all inflated to the max while sitting on the nest. You can just tell he is really proud.

Boobies

As you can tell, we not especially close to the bids. This makes it hard to always tell if they are scratching or if it part of the mating ritual. I suspect that this was just a scratch.

Frigatebirds and Boobies

We saw earlier the deflated gular sac on the male frigatebird whose egg was lost. Here, we see the proud puffing of a father to be.

Iguana and Frigate Birds

And so, we leave the iguana to enjoy the rest in the shade while we continue with our explorations of the frigate birds.

Lava Lizards and Land Iguana

If this lava lizard looks hot...well it was. That's one of the things I really liked about our visit to the islands. I finally got warm through and through.

Frigatebirds and Iguana

While dad flies about looking all manly and the like, mom sits on/near the nest looking all domestic and everything.

Great Frigatebird, Land Iguana, and Lava Lizards

The male frigatebirds perch like this near their nest to rest. I am not sure, but I believe the feathers are raised and fluffy near the neck to give the bird some ventilation while resting in the hot sun.

Frigatebirds in Flight

Although there are other islands not far away, as you can see in several of the photos (including this one), North Seymour island is only about ¾ of a square mile in size. This is a mighty exposed place to imagine rearing young. Yet they do it and have done it since time immemorial.

Frigatebirds and Boobies

A female frigatebird sits on a limb near her nest.

Frigatebirds

From this close-up of the female frigatebird, you can see that they are not so dull in appearance as first looks suggest. She has a interesting combination of a blueish beak and golden head feathers along with ghostly white feet.

Leaping Lizards and Frigatebirds

After leaving Isabels Island and going back to Santa Cristóbal Island, we had one more day of exploration. This involved a boat ride to North Seymour Island. Here, we got to see a jumping lava lizard and lots of frigatebirds.

The Striated Heron

Lurking among the mangrove roots, this heron is busy searching for a meal.

Marine Iguana, Brown Pelican, and Striated Heron

I continue to be fascinated by the appearance of these iguana. Skin like armour, clawed feet, and that ridge of spines allong the back. So cool.

A Finch, an Iguana, and a Warbler

Unsurprisingly, we find a medium ground finch perched atop a cactus.

Into the Wetlands

It probably seems odd that we are taking walk to see the wetland and I start with photo of a cactus. Yet, here we are.

A Booby and Pelicans

From the one photo above, it can be hard to tell just what this booby is doing. Is he landing (badly) or taking-off? Turns out, this is a launch from sitting in the water.