Galapagos Adventure
The Galapagos Islands straddle the Equator in the mid-Pacific Ocean 600 miles west of Ecuador. They are the peaks of gigantic volcanoes, composed almost exclusively of basalt. The Galapagos archipelago is situated at the confluence of three tectonic plates, which are moving in different directions at different rates. There is a weakness in the earth’s crust (a ‘hot spot’) where the island of Fernandina lies and intermittently there is a volcanic eruption. Situated on the Equator but bathed for much of the year by the cool waters of the Humboldt and Cromwell currents which bring rich food, the islands have a special mix of tropical and temperate environments, which is reflected in the ecology of the unusual plants and animals.
The islands were discovered in 1535 by the Bishop of Panama when on his way to Peru. His ship was becalmed and swept off course by the currents. Later, English pirates arrived and named the islands. In 1832 Ecuador annexed the islands and Spanish names were also given to them. In 1835 HMS Beagle arrived. Its task on its five year voyage was to chart lesser known parts of the world. The resident naturalist aboard was Charles Darwin. During the five weeks spent in the Galapagos, Darwin went ashore to collect plants, rocks, insects and birds. The unusual life forms and their adaptation to the harsh surroundings inspired his revolutionary theory on the evolution of life. In 1859 he published ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection’.
Our journey to the islands began at Heathrow and involved three planes to arrive at the air-strip on Baltra Island. A ferry took us to the nearby larger island of Santa Cruz. Small settlements remain on the four larger islands. Some of the introduced plants and animals went wild and have done much damage to the wildlife and habitats. Having traversed the single road to the south of the island, we arrived at Puerto Ayora on Academy Bay from where we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station established in 1960. Most of the scientific work carried out by resident scientists is directed towards conservation goals. In an effort to protect the habitat, official visitor sites are serviced by way-marked trails and the licensed naturalist guides accompanying each small group ensure that people keep strictly to them.
The scientists are trying to boost the populations of endangered species. Giant Tortoise eggs are brought to Santa Cruz for captive raising followed by repatriation. The sex is determined by the heat of the incubator, 29OC for a female and 26-27OC for a male. In enclosures they had a few adult Giant Tortoises of the two different types of shells. The dome-shaped shell types are found on the higher, lusher islands. They do not need to reach so high for their food and must be able to push their way through dense vegetation where a protected front end could be useful. The saddleback-shell type, which has a longer neck and limbs and raised carapace (shell) front, is found on the lower, drier islands where the vegetation is not so dense and is more difficult to reach.
Returning to the jetty at
Puerto Ayora we got into an inflatable rubber boat called a Panga
and sailed in the dark to join our ship. It goes dark at 6 pm and
comes light at 6 am. During the night we sailed 130 miles north
and at 6 am we were on deck to sea-watch around Roca Redonda off
the north coast of Isabella Island. We saw Audubon’s
Shearwater, Brown Noddy, Masked Booby, Wandering Tattler,
Red-billed Tropicbird with long tail streamers and Galapagos
Petrels which breed on Roca Redonda. 
After breakfast we left for a Panga ride around
Punta Vicente Roca on north Isabela. Clinging to the rocks were
bright red Sally Lightfoot crabs and black Marine Iguanas.
Perched on rock ledges were Blue-footed Boobies, Masked Boobies
and Brown Noddies. After lunch we arrived at Punta Espinoza on
Fernandina which is closest to the ‘hot spot’. There
was a big eruption of the volcano in 1995. We landed on very
jagged and broken lava which is difficult to walk on. The more
stable areas of lava are host to small clumps of endemic lava
cactus, a pioneer plant important in the initial stages of soil
formation and animal colonisation of the islands. The stands of
green mangroves lining the shore derive their sustenance from the
sea. Marine Iguanas were lying huddled together. Birds seen
included Blue-footed Booby, Galapagos Mockingbird, Lava Heron,
American Oystercatcher, Ruddy Turnstone, Whimbrel, Great Blue
Heron on its nest in the mangroves and Galapagos Flightless
Cormorant.
The following morning we were on deck at 6 am watching two Bryde Whales spouting and leaping. By hanging over the bow of the ship we watched a pod of ten dolphins riding the bow waves. We were assured that they were not being pushed by the vessel but did it for the fun of it – the dolphin equivalent of surfing. By 8am the Panga was taking us for a wet landing at Urbina Bay, Isabela. We could not land easily because of the big waves and we were soaked to the skin. On the black beach we were privileged to watch a sea turtle using its flippers to dig a nest hole in which to lay its eggs. We walked inland where there were thickets of Acacia trees, Yellow Cordia, Galapagos cotton trees, Salt Bush and Palo Santo trees. Sulphur butterflies flitted around as did the brightly coloured Yellow Warbler. Further along we found endemic Land Iguanas and wild Giant Tortoises in the shade of the trees. Compared to the smaller, black Marine Iguanas, the Land Iguanas are stockier animals and their colour ranges from yellow to red.
At Urbina Bay in 1954 there was a sudden overnight volcanic uplift of the ocean floor which rose four metres. Fossils of marine organisms, including white coral, can be seen along the trail. Next we had a dry landing on a rocky coastline at Punta Moreno, which is surrounded by two massive volcanoes, one of which had a large eruption in September 1998. After a difficult hike across the rough lava we came to a few small brackish lagoons which are home to Common Galinule, Galapagos White-cheeked Pintail and a few Greater Flamingos. Back in the Panga we saw two Pelicans in breeding plumage by a nest with two young, and on the rocks were Flightless Cormorants.
Overnight we sailed 150 miles to Espanola (Hood Island), the oldest and most southerly of the islands. The seas to the south are particularly rough and everyone felt sick. After breakfast we left in the Panga for a wet landing on a glorious, white sandy beach at Gardner Bay, where there were many Galapagos Sea-lions and pups, as well as Hood Mockingbirds. A number of species are endemic to this one island. After lunch the weather was cloudy with a light drizzle and occasional sun. We set off to land at Punta Suarez at high tide. There were massive crashing waves which were quite frightening from a little boat. Passing the sea-lions and pups we walked inland. There were Blue-footed Boobies everywhere, doing their courtship dance, lifting their blue feet in turn and clattering their beaks. They are delightful birds which were not in the least disturbed by our passing, even though some nests had been built in the middle of the trail. There is a large colony of Masked Boobies on top of the cliffs. We had excellent views of Red-billed Tropicbird, Galapagos Dove, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Small Ground Finch and Swallow-tailed Gull, the only night feeding gull. We watched a Galapagos Hawk plucking a small bird. The trail takes visitors to a large colony of Galapagos Waved Albatross, endemic to Espanola. On Espanola there are many Marine Iguanas but their colouring is quite different from the usual black ones. They are red and green with a green crest on head and back.
The next island we visited was North Seymour to see the colony of Magnificent Frigatebirds. We saw males with inflated red gular sacs to attract the attention of a female. In the low trees we observed the Frigate nursery which had birds of all ages. We also saw Blue-footed Booby, Lava Gull, Swallow-tailed Gull, Galapagos Dove, White-Vented or Elliot’s Storm Petrel and Marine Iguanas. The following morning we visited Bartolome, a small island off Santiago (James Island). It is like a lunar landscape, very interesting geologically. There is little life here, just Lava Lizards and Tiquila plants. From the summit of the island there is an excellent view of the famous Pinnacle Rock, which always features in views of the Galapagos Islands. Back in the Panga we sailed round Pinnacle Rock looking for Galapagos Penguins and we found three out on the rocks. We later visited Santiago, a large island which has suffered from introduced animals, which the National Park has tried to eradicate without success. We saw Galapagos Fur Seals and the same birds as before.
We sailed north overnight to Genovesa (Tower Island) and anchored in Darwin Bay, which is the sunken caldera of the volcano. At 8 am the Panga took us for a wet landing on a white coraline beach. There is a lack of land reptiles and tortoises on Genovesa, which can be attributed to the direction of the prevailing ocean currents, which would not have carried them there. Genovesa is the bird island of the Galapagos and has the world’s largest colony of Red-footed Boobies. Unlike other boobies they perch and nest in low trees. There is also a colony of Great Frigatebirds, which often steal the catch of returning Red-foots. We sailed along the base of the steep cliffs surrounding the bay, and saw Red-billed Tropicbirds nesting in crevices. We landed at Prince Phillip Steps followed by a difficult rocky climb to the top of the cliffs, aided in parts by some wooden handrails. Red-footed Boobies, both brown and white types, were nesting in the dwarfed Palo Santo trees. The trail goes on to lava in which a colony of the minute Galapagos Storm Petrels nest in the cracks. They are the prey of the Short-eared Owl, which hunts on foot. Vampire Finch was the only different bird seen this afternoon.
During the night we sailed south to Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island from where we had begun our cruise of the islands. We left the ship in the Panga for the last time. An old bus took us up to the Highlands of Santa Cruz, to a farm which is on the migration route of the wild Giant Tortoises. As usual it was drizzling here. There were lichens hanging from the trees. We soon came across grazing Giant Tortoises. We rejoined the bus to continue down to the north east coast where we boarded the ferry to Baltra. A bus then returned us to the airport where we would board our plane to Quito and say farewell to the ‘Insulae de los Galopegos’ (Islands of the Tortoises).
Connie Stones