Galapagos
October 2000
- Trip Report
The
Galapagos Islands are perhaps the mostly unlikely paradise you'll
ever visit. Paradise is supposed to be lush, teeming with vibrant
life and an unlimited supply of resources. The Galapagos, however,
seem to be a world pared down to basics. The wildlife is almost
as bizarre as the landscape. Some -- like the flamingos that
dance in brackish lagoons 1,000 miles away from their nearest kin
- seem out of place. Few animals have thick bank accounts on the Galapagos:
it's a constant challenge just to survive. Only a small number
of individuals within a species actually leave their genetic legacy
-- one in 20, perhaps, for the Darwin's Finches, fewer for individuals
born in El Nino years. But whether these animals contribute
to future Galapagos generations or are just excesses of nature, we
were lucky to share their lives for a time on these remote and wild
islands.
Tuesday,
October 3
Few of us on this journey will forget this day of confusion; our little
group scattered through three airports in Florida due to a tropical
storm that dumped 20 inches of rain in Miami. The Kempers had
the distinction of being bumped for President Clinton, who, it seems,
was stranded as well. We all endured an extra wait to get to
one of the far reaches of the world.
Wednesday,
October 4
Finally on our way! We cheered as we left that Miami runway
and were en route to Quito, Ecuador. Getting through customs
and to our hotel went smoothly. At the Hotel Sebastian, the
lovely wood interior and huge bouquets of roses were welcome sights,
as were our beds after this strenuous trip. Nancy and Rob distinguished
themselves as the group's only night owls, enjoying a walk through
Quito at night to clear their heads from travel.
Thursday,
October 5
This morning we were back in full form as we headed out to Otavalo
Market, about two hours north of Quito. Pablo, our lively and
knowledgeable guide, told us much about the customs, agriculture,
and landscapes that we saw en route. Who will forget
the giant pigs hanging ready for weekend feasts, the views of Pinchincha
Volcano, or traveling up and down valleys roller-coaster style to
reach our destination. At the market, we began a frenzy of shopping.
Everyone scattered to the winds to look at rugs, paintings, hammocks,
sweaters, and more.
Then
we went to Hacienda Cusin, one of several great Ecuadorian ranches
now open for tourism. At the ranch, we entered a world of the
past - including lovely antiques and artwork, and a great sense of
welcome. Gathered at one big table, we made our introductions
and enjoyed quite a feast. During a walk in the garden after
the meal, Giant Hummingbirds and Green Sapphires visited bright flowers,
Rufous-crowned Sparrows and Great Thrushes sang to us, and a young
llama and its mother were quite curious.
As
the afternoon was still lovely, we ventured to Cuichocha Reserve.
On the way we scaled quite a hill on an impressive road diversion
that gave witness to the power of Andean storms. The walk up to the
edge of the Pinchincha crater was wonderful, providing both a peek
at new snow on the Andes and a chance to see orchids, Blue-winged
Mountain Tanager, and Cinereous and Band-tailed Pigeon. Floating
on the deep blue water in the crater, the Masked Ducks looked like
tiny toys from our bird's eye perspective. We made a final stop
in the leather town of Cotachachi before heading back to the hotel.
We didn't come home to roost until 9:00 p.m. - a very full day!
Friday,
October 6
Galapagos here we come! We left early to catch the flight, and just
after lunch we spotted for the first time the turquoise waters of
the reefs around the island. We landed on Baltra, the old U.S.
airbase that is now the major airport for the Galapagos. Among
the first things we saw upon entering this great national park were
oddly shaped cactus and Darwin's Finches. We were whisked away
to the port, where a sleeping sea lion didn't even wake as our feet
pounded above her on the ramp to the boats. Here we saw our
first Brown Noddy, Blue-footed Booby, and Magnificent Frigatebird.
Our guide Orlando, in his classic style, explained all the rules,
regulations, and customs of boat life; soon we heard the first rumble
of an anchor being lifted as we headed to Santa Cruz Island for our
first excursion.
We
had our first wet landing on Santa Cruz Island's Playa Las Bachas,
a sandy beach in a sheltered cove that is much coveted by nesting
sea turtles. Here we saw our first bright Sally Lightfoot Crabs and
the amazing Marine Iguanas, lumbering up the sand. The highlight
was time spent with some Galapagos Flamingos - four of them in a secretive
lagoon, where the salt content was perfect to meet their feeding needs.
We watched them stir up the mud with their peculiar dancing rhythms,
oblivious to our presence. Lots of cameras were clicking, and
already travelers were concerned about film supplies. We also
saw Great Blue Heron on a nest and a good variety of shorebirds in
the lagoon. After dinner, we started the deep-water crossing
to Tower Island -- our introduction to nighttime rock and roll, Galapagos
style!
Saturday,
October 7
Tower Island is one of the more remote islands of the Galapagos, accessible
only to the faster, more powerful tour boats. It is a small
island (10.5 sq. km.) of low relief; it is also one of the most pristine
of the archipelago, with no introduced species. We woke at first light
to find ourselves anchored within the crater of a once-powerful volcano,
now known as Darwin's Bay. The rock walls around the bay were
like artist's tapestries, revealing past stories of lava, ash, and
tuff flows.
Red-billed
Tropicbirds were graceful additions to the seabirds, as were several
species of the small, butterfly-like Storm Petrels. Great Frigatebirds
were numerous here; they relentlessly pursued and picked on any other
species carrying food. When we paddled out in sea kayaks to
explore further, Audubon's Shearwaters crisscrossed the sky above
us. On the morning walk, we survived the climb up "Prince Phillip's
Steps" (the Prince did walk here in 1964) and crossed the island to
impressive sea-cliffs where thousands of Storm Petrel flew in wildly
active spirals above the sea. Galapagos Doves, so colorful and
tame, were there to greet us. We also saw the incredibly tame Masked
and Red-footed Boobies. Both species had big chicks, embodiments of
patience, waiting and fattening up for their lives at sea. Those
red feet were just too much - tucked around branches of the Palo Santo
and Cordia Lutia trees.
We
also got a great bead on the Warbler Finch, such a tiny active marvel.
We saw Lava Cactus and Lava Morning Glory, Lava Heron and Lava Gull.
The highlight for many, the short-eared owl, is a distinct subspecies
on the Galapagos. Imagine the huge eyes of this keen predator
just a few feet away, watching you as if you are a passing rock or
tree. At close range, this bird's beauty and fine feather detail
were just enchanting.
Before
lunch, several travelers ventured out for the first deepwater snorkel,
hoping to see Hammerhead Sharks. Because the water was murky
from blending currents, we did not see these great beasts. But
during the afternoon we did enjoy first looks at Yellow-tailed Mullet,
Bumphead, Blue-chin Parrotfish, Coronet Fish, Rainbow Wrasse, Sergeant
Major, Yellow-tail Damselfish, and more. For our second walk
that afternoon, we wandered a beach among mangroves, sea-lion resting
pools, and weird tall cacti. We saw dozens of Red-footed Booby,
as well as mockingbirds having a family quarrel. We wrestled
with the identification of the Darwin's Finches, even though there
are only three species on this island! Several folks enjoyed
a swim. Carol and Rob had great fun with their new digital cameras
and began to collect a library of images that was to be our nightly
entertainment.
Sunday,
October 8
By morning we had returned to Santa Cruz Island - more specifically,
to the fantastically weird setting of Cerro Dragon, or Dragon's Hill.
The landscape seemed perfect for its resident Land Iguana, queer beings
that we were lucky to see thanks to the skills of our guides Harry
and Orlando. A friendly competition emerged as we searched for
them, which by mid-morning became difficult as the lizards sought
shade and cover. We actually watched a big male devouring cactus
fruits, its major food source. The view from Dragon's Hill was
splendid, affording us a view of many of the islands we would visit
in the coming days.
During
lunch, we boated to Rabida Island, along a beautiful route passing
close to several other islands. Huge flocks of tiny Northern
Phalarope were active at sea. On Rabida's red sand beach of
eroded pyroclastic rocks we could hear sea lions barking. We got to
spend a lot of time with these gentle animals after we came ashore
for an afternoon walk. Almost all the females had young or were
about to have young. We saw week-old babies with giant eyes
and tiny little heads trying to find their mothers' teats to nurse.
It seemed impossible that the mothers could leave them at this age
to go feed, so their reunions were heartwarming to see. The
displaced and much-confused yearlings were especially loud; some were
almost as large as their mothers, but didn't want to give up warm
milk and security. A huge beachmaster roared from the salty lagoon
behind the beach as we climbed to another vantage point with a great
view of the islands.
Monday,
October 9
More than a few of the travelers were groggy this morning after a
very rough crossing around the northern edge of Isabela Island. We were
airborne in our bunks with the rocking swells! Luckily, once
on land on Fernandina, we were quickly distracted. Just off
the rocky tidal zone through which we had maneuvered to reach the
shore, we were greeted by the calls of Galapagos Hawk and by piles
of Marine Iguanas. We watched the lizards bob heads, spit
salt, and change positions like awkward teenagers at their first dance.
Once again the landscape fit the creatures: Fernandina is the youngest
of the islands, and its immense, active crater looms above a barren
lavascape of many textures. We threaded our way through the
iguana to lush tidepools where Sally Lightfoot Crabs were plentiful.
A pair of American Oystercatchers also put on quite a show.
One group of travelers saw a whale spouting and crabs mating - plenty
of morning activity!
At close range we all saw the Flightless Cormorants, busy with nesting.
Their turquoise eyes were stunning, and their fascination with arranging
nest material was entertaining. In the water, they transformed into
elegant, efficient fishing machines. We also saw some fat little penguins
at close range; we were delighted to watch them in the water as we
took a long panga (boat) ride amid the rocks and mangroves.
Green Sea Turtles kept poking their heads up and Blue-footed Boobies
spiked long crashing dives.
During lunch we made a short crossing over to Tagus Cove, and several
people tried sea-kayaking in the calm waters. We all explored
by panga, getting close once again to the penguins and cormorants.
We rode out into the open ocean at the edge of the cove and were treated
to huge numbers of boobies as well as beautiful wave-cut formations
in the rocks.. We entered one of the coves for close looks at
Brown Noddy, and one group watched a Pilot Whale spout and dive.
We had a quick walk up to see Darwin's Lake, another water-filled
crater quite beautiful in its austere setting. Then we scurried
back to the boat to have time for whale watching, which turned out
to be more of a popcorn and pisco sour party with sunsets instead
of whales. George endeared us all with his attentions and his
constant supply of snacks.
Tuesday,
October 10
This morning we woke up anchored near Santiago Island at Puerto Egas.
Harry's grandfather had worked here while the salt mines were active,
and he shared stories with us about the island's history. We walked
to the coastal zone to see a great array of shorebirds, marine life,
sea lions, Sally Lightfoot Crabs. We also saw what was a new species
for most, the Galapagos Fur Sea Lion, playing in the pools of the
rock grottos. Here a Yellow-crowned Night Heron just fledged from
the nest was very tame; we also watched Marine Iguana feed on algae.
On
our walk back through the arid zone we got some great looks at mockingbirds,
Darwin's Finches, and the Galapagos Flycatcher. Several pair
of Galapagos Hawks put on a great show. Nancy, Carol, and Frances
hopped right in to enjoy a quick snorkel around the rocks. They
saw Yellow-tailed Damselfish, a variety of parrotfish, Brown Chromis,
Moorish Idols, and more.
Then
we were underway to the beautiful bay of Bartolome Island, which many
people have seen as a classic calendar photo of the Galapagos Islands.
Everyone made it up the 300-plus steps to the light and to a clear,
360 degree view of spatter cones and other geologic features in the
panorama before us. These are some of the most recent volcanic flows
we saw on our route. Back at the beach, we had time for snorkeling
and relaxing. The water was cold and pretty murky, but around the
pinnacle it cleared enough that we could enjoy the walls of rock and
their attending fish. Two penguins fished right along the beach, ignoring
swimmers and snorkelers except to veer around them at jet speed. A
Great Blue Heron and several Brown Pelican followed them incessantly,
hoping to cash in on the fish and their antics were flushing. How
often do you get to swim with penguins!
Wednesday,
October 11
We spent the day totally on land -- at the Darwin Research Station,
the town of Puerto Arroyo, and on a trip into the highlands.
The port was very busy at dawn - sort of a shock after the quiet remoteness
of the other islands we'd visited. At the Darwin Station we
met Lonesome George and the ribald Diego - two very different male
giant tortoises. Harry had given us quite an intro to Diego
at the previous night's briefing, so we were eager to meet him. There
were Darwin's Finches everywhere as we walked the grounds of the station.
At the interpretive center we learned more about the conservation
work of the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Friends of Galapagos.
Then
we walked into town to contribute to the local economy, which several
did with abandon. How many pounds of T-shirts did we carry away
this day? Then it was up to the highlands, stopping en route
to see a very large and impressive lava tube, large enough to walk
inside. During lunch at a gracious farm, we were joined by Darwin's
Finches bold enough to eat off the tables -- not what you would expect
from a bird so important to the world's recognition of evolutionary
processes!
It
was grand to sit amid a green forest after so much time in the arid
zone. The garden was full of flowers, we drove past farms
and agricultural lands, and we dined on chicken and passion-fruit
meringue pie. We were anxious to see the change in life zones and
to walk in the Scalesia Forest, a magical mist-watered realm of mosses,
lichens, Vermilion Flycatchers and Woodpecker Finches. We looked down
into the lush vegetation of the twin craters, or Los Gemalos. The
highlight of the day, however, was seeing giant Galapagos Tortoises
in the wild -- huge males that had made their way up the mountain
on centuries-old trails through the forest. Here they lounged
in wet pools and feasted on green grass. We saw many, free to
wander here now on private land. This private farm is an incredible
gem of highlands conservation that is managed for the tortoises.
The evening was mild, and several participants enjoyed sitting on
the upper deck watching the bright lights of town well into the night.
Thursday,
October 12
On today's visit to Espanola at Punta Suarez we were anticipating
seeing great numbers of Waved Albatross, which in a normal year would
be here by the thousands. Alas, due to vagaries of the Humboldt
Current, we saw only a few pairs and no chicks. From a distance,
we did see one pair doing all aspects of their mating dance.
Moving closer, we saw the side-to-side walking and the open-bill display;
we also heard a lot of the albatross' peculiar honking sounds.
We spent some lovely moments at the sea cliffs, watching the albatross
hesitate at the edge before taking flight.
The
walk along the sea-cliffs brought us right to the nesting and courting
areas of the elegant, streamlined Masked Booby. Red-billed Tropicbird
and Masked Boobies flew almost a nose length while waves crashed on
the rocky shores. Marine Iguana crawled ashore into tidepools,
and we heard and saw the great roar of the blowhole. We saw Blue-footed
Booby sky-point and display and watched their chicks just hours out
of the egg. Some chicks were big white fuzzballs the size of
their parents. Harry found the nest of a Red-billed Tropicbird,
the favorite of many of our group.
In
the afternoon, we had several hours to enjoy a classic tropical beach
at Gardner Bay, framed by turquoise waters, barking sea lions with
pups, and powerful beachmasters. Nancy snorkeled a bit by the
small islands in the cove, and our ship, the Flamingo, glowed in the
afternoon light. It seemed impossible that our voyage had come
to an end, as we gathered on the deck to watch for whales en route
to San Cristobal, where we would enjoy our final dinner.
Friday,
October 13
Those up early and on deck enjoyed a chance to see Daphne Major at
very close range. After our 10 days here, it's obvious why the
Galapagos Islands are legendary for their impact on the natural sciences;
in fact, the research Rosemary and Peter Grant and their team have
conducted for the past 20 years on the Darwin's Finches here represents
the best scientific evidence available for Darwin's evolutionary principles.
We are lucky to have experienced these islands first hand. I
hope your memories remain strong, and that you will support the Charles
Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park to ensure that this
wild place remains stunning and pristine!
Saturday,
October 14
Quito and homeward bound..
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