The Devil’s Crown survey had been quite an effort, especially after the early start, and the 2 hour boat trip in relatively bumpy seas to get there.
We were very pleased to be heading off to lunch! However, nature had plenty in store for us before we got to eat.
The Devil’s crown provided a home for a lot of different sea birds. On our original approach to the Crown, we saw wedge-rumped storm-petrels (Oceanodroma tethys) dancing on the sea’s surface feeding on small fish or plankton.
A red-billed tropicbird (Phaeton aethereus) flew around the rocks, and showed off its long tail streamers
There were lava gulls and Nazca boobies (Sula granti), very much like (and in the same family as) the gannet flying around and diving into the waves from a great height to catch fish.
Blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) where by far the most common birds we saw, again flying near to the surface of the waves until they saw a fish, then climbing and dropping like a missile onto their unsuspecting prey!
Before arriving at the Devil’s Crown we had seen a pair of turtles, from some distance, but alas never sawthem up close. However, as we motored to FLoreana and lunch, we were treated to an amazing spectacle. Somewhere in the region of 75 to 100 bottlenose dolphins erupted from the surf, chasing our boat, and playing in the wake. They follwed us for about 10 minutes before disappearing as quickly as the had arrived.
We carried on to Floreana for lunch really excited by our close encounter with the dolphin pod!
We got to Floreana, and were greeted in the harbour by Galapagos Sea Lions(Zalophus wollebaeki) and the largest, reddest marine iguanas we had yet encountered.
The iguanas were, by comparison with those that the students had been observing on Santa Cruz, enormous and the deepest scarlet colour adorned the males. Just like their Santa Cruz cousins, they seemed not in the slightes bit bothered by us.
Dinner was wonderful. We had eith fish or chicken, with Ecuadorian beetroot salad and rice. This was followed by fresh oranges and banana. We were joined at the table by a nuber of small guests. Normally I would be unhappy with wildlife on the dining table, but how can you be upset with a Darwin’s Finch or two (or 10)?
A great meal was had!
Finally I tried something that Charles Darwin would have done. On the dockside there is a barrel. This was the method that people used to get messages home quickly, before the post office became the the carrier of cards and letters.
The idea was that other travellers would find letters that might be close to where they lived, and take them back home. It worked quite well for decades. However, there were still cards from 2013 in there, so don’t hold yor breath back home.
Students took cards that are destined for germany and St. Albans.
I put cards in for my 3 neices (including one for one niece’s new class ‘Darwin Class’ at her school in East Sussex) one with boobies on for my nephew, I wonder if/when they will arrive.