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.

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.

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 - 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.