Punta Moreno
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| Starting out on a lava walk from Punta Moreno - still near the coast |
Our fifth day in Galapagos and again many new experiences. We started with a dry landing from the panga at Punta Moreno and a lava walk over pahoehoe lava. Fascinating terrain, so forbidding and lifeless at first glance, and yet various plants, including cactus and even a fern, had managed to take root on this rough lava.
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| View back towards coast across pahoehoe lava |
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| Plant gaining a foothold |
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| Note the green fern in crevice in foreground |
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| Cactus on lava |
There was also insect life on the lava. A Galapagos Painted Locust, quite impressive at about four inches long, was the most colorful insect I have ever seen other than butterflies.
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| Galapagos Painted Locust |
In the distance we could see two major volcanoes as we walked across the lava.
Freshwater lagoons had formed in several places and were surrounded by green vegetation - a surprise when walking across such a hostile-looking and forbidding part of the landscape.
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| Lagoon in depression in pahoehoe lava |
We spotted Black Necked Stilts, Common Gallinules, and even Greater Flamingoes in one lagoon. Every time Greg had told us we "might" see something like the vermilion flycatcher in the highlands of Santa Cruz, or flamingos here on Isabela in a lagoon surrounded by lava, but he cautioned us there was no guarantee, we had seen it, so he was getting a good reputation for these predictions.
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| Flamingos in lagoon on extensive lava flow on Isabela |
Returning to the bay to get back in the panga, mangroves and other vegetation was thick along the shore of the bay.
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| Returning towards the bay |
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| The bay was surrounded by mangroves |
After our hike we snorkeled again from the panga, this time in water that was 61 degrees F.
Elizabeth Bay
Following the snorkel, we traveled to Elizabeth Bay, also surrounded by mangroves, where we enjoyed a delightful late afternoon panga ride around the bay and observed more wildlife. Here we had great views of several Flightless Cormorants. Their wings are pathetic compared to flying birds, but it doesn't seem to matter as this bird is adapted to swimming rather than flying and feeds underwater. We also saw the Galapagos Penguin, the most northern species of penguin in the world, and the only one that can be observed around and in mangrove trees!
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| Panga in Elizabeth Bay |
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| Flightless Cormorants |
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| Flightless Cormorant |
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| Galapagos Penguin |
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| Galapagos Penguin in Mangroves |
We laughed at the "tree" lion, having been told that Sea Lions like to climb up onto the branches of the mangroves to rest. This behavior makes sense, as this is a convenient resting place out of the water. Nevertheless seeing a Sea Lion in a mangrove was an incongruous idea when we started.
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| Sea Lion resting on Mangrove branch: "Tree Lion" |
Brown Pelicans, Blue Footed Boobies, and Marine Iguanas were either in the trees or on the rocks around the bay. We saw several Pacific Green Sea Turtles from the panga. After one false alarm, Greg spotted and pointed out a a pair of Sea Turtles copulating, which they do at the surface of the water. Very interesting sight.
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| Pacific Green Sea Turtles copulating: Elizabeth Bay |
NEXT POST: Urvina Bay (Isabela) and Fernandina - Day 6
