The Tip Top IV bobs quite unlike a cork just north of Floreana, a welcome change from our spot just south of Espanola.
August 31, 2006 - Ecuador, Day 9
The Tip Top IV bobs quite unlike a cork just north of Floreana, a welcome change from our spot just south of Espanola.
A great blue heron reminds me of Ft. Myers.
The famous Post Office where visitors drop off letters and post-cards, taking one from their hometown to hand deliver.
Ancient lava breaks the waves and provides a craggy home to Sally Lightfoots.
Two "beach masters" growl and fight for dominance of a beach and its harem.
Our first sighting of a Galapagos penguin - a species unique to this island chain, who find a home in a deep-water, cold current.
(I had a close encounter with another one while snorkling later in the day.)
Blue-footed boobies clean their feathers amongst their guano.
A lava heron (very colorful and also unique to the Galapagos) looks for breakfast in the azure waters.
A group of adult (black head) and juvenile (white head) magnificent frigate birgs rest in a red mangrove tree.
Our first green turtle sighting. (We'd swim with one later.)
Well, they left the door open... but they have an open-bridge policy, anyway.
Cool boat!
Magnificent frigates draft off the boat for a mile or more at a time.
We stop here for a quick cold snorkle. Amongst the highlights were the aforementioned penguin and a pair of six+ foot white-tipped reef sharks.
A brown pelican finds a nice home on our unoccupied dinghy.
The olivine sand of Floreana.
Sea lions hang out on some rocks.
This bull likes the soft sand on the path and wants to block our path...
A soft, white-sand beach, meters from the coarse olivine beach, but around a rocky corner.
Funky jelly.
Sea turtle eggs, hopefully hatched and not robbed, sit atop an old nest.
More flamingos and a red-legged stilt.
Pinkie heads our way...
Hellllooooo Mr. Flamingo...
Flamingos hold their beaks basically upside down and vibrate them to strain tiny, tiny saltwater shrimp from the murky lake after they stir them up with their long legs.
My sweetie poses in front of the pink sweeties.
Tomorrow - North Seymour island.