Galapagos
11/25/07-12/1/07
(Click on each picture for a larger image)
I was finally able to fulfill one of my childhood dreams and
tour the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. We cruised among the
islands on the Celebrity Xpedition, a small and intimate cruise ship that
served as our home base for our daily adventures. To protect the unique
and fragile ecosystem of these truely magical islands, most of the land
is preserved by Ecuador as a national park and can only be accessed through
tours lead by a park naturalist and the number of tours, and tourists, are
strictly limited.
Tourism is an important source
of income to the islands and funds for their preservation. Yet, those same
tourists pose a threat to this delicate and endangered land. The Galapagos
could indeed be in danger of literally being loved to death. Strict rules
have been imposed to protect the parkland and its inhabitants. For example,
all trails are clearly demarcated by these Stop signs and visitors
may not stray past them. In case you have not guessed from the color of
its webbed feet, the bird is a blue-footed booby. The wildlife has little
fear of humans. To avoid turning the Galapagos into a petting zoo and to
protect the fauna, park rules prohibit harassing, touching, or even approaching
the animals too closely (sometimes a tough rule to keep as they often approach
you!). (North Seymour Island)
Birds do it, fleas
do it, even blue-footed boobies do it. . . . We arrived in time for the
blue-footed booby mating season and often witnessed the delightful nutipal
dance of these turquoise-toed love birds. Note the male is holding a twig
in his beak as a gift to his beloved. (North Seymour Island)
This is a frigate
bird, so named because they often steal food from other seabirds. While
rather sinister looking on land, in the sky they skim gracefully through
the air like elegant kites. (North Seymour Island)
One extraordinary expedition
was an early morning circumnavigation by Zodiac of Kicker Rock . The spectacular
stony landmark is so named because from one side it resembles a boot (well,
if you use a bit of imagination). To give you an idea of the size, the tiny
dark dot between the rocky cliffs is one of the Zodiacs.
Bright against the black volcanic
rocks are an Espanola marine iguana and a Sally lightfoot crab. The marine
iguanas are descended from land iguanas and have adapted to the limited
resources offered by these islands by diving into the ocean to feed on seaweed.
The ones on Espanola Island are distinguished by their reddish markings.
A preening pair of boobies
on Espanola.
Espanola Island
is the nesting ground of the waved albatross. This is a partially fledged
baby. The nest is little more than a slight hollow scratched out among the
twigs and rocks.
A great blue heron poses
proudly against the blue waters and bluer skies of Floreana Island. The
Xpedition sails in the background.
A Sally lightfoot
crab on Floreana.
Beautiful Las Bachas
beach on Santa Cruz Island.
Pretty in pink,
a flamingo strikes a pose in a brackish lagoon near Las Bachas. There are
also flamingos on Floreana, as well as a nearby colony of penguins. I think
only in the Galapagos is it possible to see flamingos and penguins all on
the same day!
And speaking
of penguins, here they are in Elizabeth Bay near Isabela Island. The Galapagos
penguins are the northernmost penguins in the world. Also pictured are the
famed flightless cormorants.
We were there
during the breeding season for the green sea turtles. It was not unusual
to see female turtles close to land, looking for nesting sites, and we also
saw turtle tracks and nests on the sandy beaches. During my first deep sea
snorkle, I was able to follow a few feet behind a sea turtle as it swam
slowly and gracefully by. (Elizabeth Bay)
The beautiful and
barren landscape of Bartolome Island, a young and volcanically active isle.
A yellow warbler
hops among the black volcanic rocks of Puerto Egas on Santiago Isand.
A Sally lightfoot
crab perches on the rim of a formation known as a lava rose. (Puerto Egas).
This is one
of my favorite photos from the trip. Being cold blooded, the marine iguanas
often huddle together on the beach to try to warm up after their dips in
the chilly seawater. (Puerto Egas)
Although not cold
blooded, the ever-present sea lions spent a lot of time snoozing in the
sun too. On the ledge above, a gathering of iguanas also catch a few rays.
The female and juvenile sea lions are extraordinarily curious and playful,
often swimming along side the Zodiacs or diving in to join snorkling humans,
sometimes swimming up to blow bubbles in their face masks or tug at their
flippers. During one snorkling expedition, a young sea lion swam up behind
me and tried to nibble one of my flippers. I pulled up my legs and swam
in a small, tight circle, with my flippered playmate following me for a
half dozen rotations before he or she dove underneath me, bobbed up in front
of my face to peer at me through my face mask, then torpedoed off. (Puerto
Egas)
A family
of oystercatchers out for a stroll. A tiny, well-camouflaged chick walks
between the adults. (Puerto Egas)
A marine
iguana poses before a stand of tree-like cousins of our Texas prickly pear.
(Cerro Dragon, Santa Cruz Isand)
A cactus
finch at Cerro Dragon on Santa Cruz Island. Although the Darwin finches
with their wide variety of beaks are famed examples of natural selection,
at the time the young Charles Darwin made his voyage to the Galapagos, he
failed to recognize the importance of the variations among these little
birds' bills.
Then,
of couse, there is the famous giant Galapagos tortoise. The tortoises were
once widely spread throughout the islands, each island having its own unique
species. These volcanic islands, because of their isolation and limited
supply of fresh water, were spared exploitation by humans until relatively
recently in their history. However, humans quickly made up for lost time.
First used as refuge by pirates and a stopping place by whalers, the islands
were eventually settled. The slow moving, slow breeding tortoises were massacred
for meat and oil. Humans introduced goats and cattle, which competed with
the tortoises for food, and rats and fire ants, which devoured tortoise
eggs and young. On some islands, the tortoises were completely wiped out
and on others only a few remained in isolated areas. A conservation and
breeding program is bringing back some of the surviving species. These are
wild males in a field in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island.
This
picture gives you an idea of their size. (Santa Cruz)
These three senior citizens
reside in the Darwin Reseach Station on Santa Cruz. They are each thought
to be 100 years old or more.
The Galapagos Conservancy advocates
for the protection of the Galapagos Islands and raises funds for conservation
and education. It helps support the vital work of the Charles
Darwin Research Center and the Galapagos
National Park Service. If you would like more information about the
Galapagos Islands and the threats to this unique and fragile ecosystem,
please visit these web sites.
Birds do it, fleas
do it, even blue-footed boobies do it. . . . We arrived in time for the
blue-footed booby mating season and often witnessed the delightful nutipal
dance of these turquoise-toed love birds. Note the male is holding a twig
in his beak as a gift to his beloved. (North Seymour Island) 
This is a frigate
bird, so named because they often steal food from other seabirds. While
rather sinister looking on land, in the sky they skim gracefully through
the air like elegant kites. (North Seymour Island)
One extraordinary expedition
was an early morning circumnavigation by Zodiac of Kicker Rock . The spectacular
stony landmark is so named because from one side it resembles a boot (well,
if you use a bit of imagination). To give you an idea of the size, the tiny
dark dot between the rocky cliffs is one of the Zodiacs. 
Bright against the black volcanic
rocks are an Espanola marine iguana and a Sally lightfoot crab. The marine
iguanas are descended from land iguanas and have adapted to the limited
resources offered by these islands by diving into the ocean to feed on seaweed.
The ones on Espanola Island are distinguished by their reddish markings.
A preening pair of boobies
on Espanola.
Espanola Island
is the nesting ground of the waved albatross. This is a partially fledged
baby. The nest is little more than a slight hollow scratched out among the
twigs and rocks.
A great blue heron poses
proudly against the blue waters and bluer skies of Floreana Island. The
Xpedition sails in the background. 
A Sally lightfoot
crab on Floreana.
Beautiful Las Bachas
beach on Santa Cruz Island.
Pretty in pink,
a flamingo strikes a pose in a brackish lagoon near Las Bachas. There are
also flamingos on Floreana, as well as a nearby colony of penguins. I think
only in the Galapagos is it possible to see flamingos and penguins all on
the same day! 
And speaking
of penguins, here they are in Elizabeth Bay near Isabela Island. The Galapagos
penguins are the northernmost penguins in the world. Also pictured are the
famed flightless cormorants.
We were there
during the breeding season for the green sea turtles. It was not unusual
to see female turtles close to land, looking for nesting sites, and we also
saw turtle tracks and nests on the sandy beaches. During my first deep sea
snorkle, I was able to follow a few feet behind a sea turtle as it swam
slowly and gracefully by. (Elizabeth Bay)
The beautiful and
barren landscape of Bartolome Island, a young and volcanically active isle.
A yellow warbler
hops among the black volcanic rocks of Puerto Egas on Santiago Isand.
A Sally lightfoot
crab perches on the rim of a formation known as a lava rose. (Puerto Egas).
This is one
of my favorite photos from the trip. Being cold blooded, the marine iguanas
often huddle together on the beach to try to warm up after their dips in
the chilly seawater. (Puerto Egas)
Although not cold
blooded, the ever-present sea lions spent a lot of time snoozing in the
sun too. On the ledge above, a gathering of iguanas also catch a few rays.
The female and juvenile sea lions are extraordinarily curious and playful,
often swimming along side the Zodiacs or diving in to join snorkling humans,
sometimes swimming up to blow bubbles in their face masks or tug at their
flippers. During one snorkling expedition, a young sea lion swam up behind
me and tried to nibble one of my flippers. I pulled up my legs and swam
in a small, tight circle, with my flippered playmate following me for a
half dozen rotations before he or she dove underneath me, bobbed up in front
of my face to peer at me through my face mask, then torpedoed off. (Puerto
Egas) 
A family
of oystercatchers out for a stroll. A tiny, well-camouflaged chick walks
between the adults. (Puerto Egas)
A marine
iguana poses before a stand of tree-like cousins of our Texas prickly pear.
(Cerro Dragon, Santa Cruz Isand)
A cactus
finch at Cerro Dragon on Santa Cruz Island. Although the Darwin finches
with their wide variety of beaks are famed examples of natural selection,
at the time the young Charles Darwin made his voyage to the Galapagos, he
failed to recognize the importance of the variations among these little
birds' bills.
Then,
of couse, there is the famous giant Galapagos tortoise. The tortoises were
once widely spread throughout the islands, each island having its own unique
species. These volcanic islands, because of their isolation and limited
supply of fresh water, were spared exploitation by humans until relatively
recently in their history. However, humans quickly made up for lost time.
First used as refuge by pirates and a stopping place by whalers, the islands
were eventually settled. The slow moving, slow breeding tortoises were massacred
for meat and oil. Humans introduced goats and cattle, which competed with
the tortoises for food, and rats and fire ants, which devoured tortoise
eggs and young. On some islands, the tortoises were completely wiped out
and on others only a few remained in isolated areas. A conservation and
breeding program is bringing back some of the surviving species. These are
wild males in a field in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island.
This
picture gives you an idea of their size. (Santa Cruz)
These three senior citizens
reside in the Darwin Reseach Station on Santa Cruz. They are each thought
to be 100 years old or more.