The Galapagos Islands: Ugly Creatures

Many of the birds of the Galapagos are cute including the boobies (especially the masked Nazca boobies), and the sea lions are adorable (especially the babies), but there are also many interesting creatures that are let us say, less attractive. This post is dedicated to them.

The most famous of these creatures are probably the giant tortoises. We spent a day off the ship starting with a visit to the Charles Darwin Foundation where we learned about their breeding program to maintain giant tortoise populations. When people began to visit the Galapagos, giant tortoises were taken as food, and because the females were smaller (about 200 pounds compared to 400 for mature males), most of the animals taken and eaten were females, which caused several sub-species of the long-lived giants to go extinct.

Later, we visited a location where the adult tortoises travel through on a consistent basis, and got to see a lot of them. They are very impressive creatures. And they can move faster than you think.

The other turtle species we saw were the Galapagos green sea turtle, which we saw on many of our outings, including while snorkeling. In fact, on one snorkeling adventure, there were so many turtles that it was hard to avoid touching them. Shana managed to run into one while we were moving backwards to avoid a shallow area and the rocky coast.

Moving further up the "ugly" scale, there are two different types of iguanas in the Galapagos: land and marine. The Galapagos land iguana is similar to iguanas in other parts of the world, and can grow quite large.

If you look carefully at the photo on the left above, you can see two iguanas, in the foreground is a male, while a female is just entering her den near the scrubbrush on the left.

Unlike the land iguanas, marine iguanas are unique to the Galapagos. Darwin called them "imps of darkness," and they are like mini Godzillas. They eat algae in the ocean, but come out of the water to rest and warm up in the sun. While we did see a couple while snorkeling, we saw many on the land. As you can see, the marine iguanas literally pile together in order to warm up in the sun.

Nonetheless, we did sometimes see individuals alone, often heading toward or away from a mass of others, but sometimes simply staying warm on a lone rock.

The number of these creatures that we often saw in one place was impressive. One of our fellow passengers provides a good counterpoint to the mass in this photo. All of the lines in the sand are from their tails.

The final creature we saw all over were the Sally Lightfoot crabs. As they age, the colors of these crabs become very vibrant with a red/orange base, but including many greens, blues and other colors. In reality, the crabs were not really very interesting, but they were very common and provided a backdrop on many of the islands we visisted. They are impressive for how they can hold on to the rocky terrain.

So, while not as cute as the birds or sea lions, we wanted to make sure that the tortoises, turtles, iguanas and crabs got their due as they definitely added to our learning in the Galapagos.

More soon,

Jeff and Shana

Birds, Birds, Birds – So Many Birds!

Full disclosure – we are not birdwatchers. And Netflix’s terrific show “The Residence” didn’t convince us to take it up; neither did this trip. Yet the Galapagos did provide a lot of inspiration and respect for avian diversity. Honestly, I broke out laughing when I saw Jeff taking photographs . . . of birds! He never takes photos, much less of birds. So that tells you how intriguing and impressive the birds are.

It’s hard to know where to start. Obviously, the Blue Footed Booby was high on our list of “must see” creatures. And we saw one on the first day – what a relief. But in the end, the Blues (or Bloobies as one naturalist jokingly called them) were not even my favorite bird of the trip. Although watching them dive into the sea as they hunt is mesmerizing. They do seem to have the best talent agents though, based on their representation in all things souvenir.

There are 3 types of boobies in the Galapagos, and each has its own “look.”  The Blues seem like the conspirators of the islands, or perhaps the secret service. They have a very serious and skeptical gaze. In the photo below, they seem to be plotting with one keeping a lookout. The Red Footed Boobies are multi-colored and perhaps the prettiest birds we saw.

Then there are the Nazca Boobies, named for one of the tectonic plates that the islands sit between. (They are sometimes referred to as “masked.”)

The Nazcas are vocal and bossy and appear mischievous, like the lemurs in the animated film “Madagascar” – you’re waiting to see what they might do next.

The pelican is also fun to watch diving to catch fish, albeit a much shallower dive than a booby, but you can see pelicans in many parts of the world. We did see a baby pelican in a nest for the first time, and it was quite noisy.

We also saw the Great Blue Heron and Lava Heron, both of whom are elegant.

One of the most amazing things about all these birds is that they are not afraid of people. They don’t fly away as you are walking among them or near their nests, even with a fledgling inside. They practically pose for photos.

The second photo above is a Nazca that had adopted and was raising a Frigatebird chick. It’s an unusual situation between 2 distinct species. But nature has a way and never ceases to amaze.

Swallow-Tailed Gulls are nocturnal, note their distinctive eyes. The pairs generally stay together year after year.

This was the only type of bird that took umbrage to our presence and squawked at us to move along after our group had remained close for too long.

While kayaking and snorkeling we saw Flightless Cormorants who are very good swimmers and divers.

We saw several other types of birds that I didn’t even photograph. Some are just too elusive to capture, especially when you’re relying on a phone. We were lucky enough to snorkel with Galapagos Penguins, who are swift and nimble in the water. And the binoculars came in handy for getting a glimpse of a Galapagos Short-eared Owl.

While the birds in your neighborhood may seem less interesting than these, keep a lookout, as you never know what you’ll see!

Shana & Jeff

The Galapagos Islands: Sea Lions!

We saw many amazing animals in the Galapagos, but probably our favorites were the Galapagos sea lions. We saw them everywhere: in the water while snorkeling, resting near or on the shore of several islands, even in town. We also saw many adorable pups, including some practicing their swimming in smaller inland pools left as the tide retreated.

Here is a sea lion who decided he was done with his nap, so he jumped into the water fight in front of our kayak:

This adorable little guy was only a few weeks old, and was waiting for his mother to return from feeding:

Sea lions are always looking for a "comfortable" place to warm up and sleep after going out in the ocean to eat, or even swimming from island to island.

The two sea lions in the bottom photo above were not happy with the intrusion of the third who had just jumped out of the water onto their rock. The male made his displeasure known and the interloper quickly moved on.

Mother and baby:

I think we like the sea lions so much because they are very much like dogs...cute and playful.

These were our favorite sea lion pictures. We spent one day on Santa Cruz Island, and had lunch in the largest town in the Galapagos, Puerto Ayora (population about 12,500). On our way to lunch we saw a couple of sea lions lazing around town; one of them appeared to be waiting for a bus.

Unfortunately, we do not have pictures of our favorite sea lion experience because it took place while we were snorkeling: two playful sea lions swam with us for a good 20 minutes, swimming very close, diving down where we couldn't follow, and then returning to us as if to see if we were still paying attention to them (and we were). It was a blast.

Instead, here's a photo of Shana, positioned almost like a sleeping seal on the zodiac to warm up after snorkeling in 65 degree water. 

More soon on the other amazing wildlife in the Galapagos.

Jeff and Shana

The Galapagos Islands: An Introduction

We headed to the Galapagos Islands to conclude our trip to the western hemisphere. The Galapagos had been on my bucket list for some time, and we thought of it as a “prize” after our US sojourn. The islands are a unique destination that did not disappoint one bit.

We chose the National Geographic / Linblad Expeditions’ Gemini, a 48-passenger ship. We rarely take group tours, with the occasional allowance for a day trip, but we made an exception as doing the Galapagos on our own would have been difficult and inefficient. The islands are a national park and visiting any part requires a licensed tour guide. By choosing the cruise, we were able to visit 8 islands in 7 days – Baltra, Santa Cruz, Rabida, Santiago, Isabela, Fernandina, Genovesa, and Bartolome. Everything about the trip exceeded our expectations.

There are no large ports in the Galapagos, and for this reason the cruise ships are small (generally about 100, 50, or 16 passenger capacity). 48 passengers was our “Goldilocks” solution – just the right size. We splurged for a balcony to ensure that little bit of extra space and fresh air. The balcony came in handy for drying swimsuits and water shoes.

Without ports, you never actually dock, which means that egress from and ingress to the ship is by zodiac. We learned that driving a zodiac is truly a skill. Note the crane on the back of the ship to raise the zodiacs up each evening and that zodiacs can tow multiple kayaks.

While zodiacs are not the most comfortable mode of transport, you do get used to them quickly.

Despite our study of the Spanish language, we did not know the significance of the word “Galapagos.” It has a dual meaning, signifying tortoise and saddle. Tortoise is related to the famous gentle giants who have roamed the islands for centuries (as opposed to turtles who gracefully glide through the sea), and saddle for the shape of the shells, especially a certain sub-species with the marked saddle shape (which allows this type to reach higher trees and shrubs).

That’s Lonesome George, the most famous Galapagos tortoise, known for being the last of his species, the Pinta Island tortoise. He died in 2012, and the American Museum of Natural History (NY) helped preserve him for posterity. Explorers ate tortoise meat and mostly captured the smaller females, leading to challenges for reproduction, and leaving George without possible mates. He is on display at the Charles Darwin Research Station, which is doing amazing preservation work. More on that later.

The Galapagos are a photographer’s dream – a target rich environment. I only used my phone for the photos featured in these posts, having given up on schlepping all the camera gear I previously owned. These days, phones take very good pictures. Several others on the trip had the big guns out, and their photos were definitively a step above. And although sometimes I miss shooting with a “real” camera, overall, I don’t.

Here are a couple of photos of Darwin’s famous finches, which are still thriving throughout the islands – some species better than others. Being so small, they are tougher to photograph. These are the only 2 photos of them I took. But don’t worry, there will be plenty of bird photos in a later post.

Lastly, the Galapagos are volcanic islands. The landscapes are barren, wild, and rough. I wasn’t sure I’d appreciate this geology, but the amount of wildlife it supports, and the unusual scenery was fabulous.

Much more to come soon,

Shana & Jeff