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.