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.