ECUADOR, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS: SANTIAGO ISLAND, Part 1

 March 25, 2022 - Morning  

We were feeling a bit waterlogged after a lot of snorkeling on this trip and decided to opt out of the morning snorkeling trip in anticipation of another snorkeling trip planned for the afternoon. We planned to just stay in our room and get caught up on reading, journaling, etc. 

However, one of the employees came to our cabin to tell us Fernanda had called and asked him to see if we wanted to go exploring in a panga. That sounded like fun, so off we went.

The panga traced a path along the shoreline, and we saw all kinds of animals--boobies, sea lions, pelicans, diving birds, and more.

I had fun taking pictures of Bob taking pictures.

Here are some of his bird photos. Isn't he a great photographer?

Blue-footed booby

A true "bird brain" bird

Magnificent frigatebird

Adult lava heron

Juvenile lava heron
(wonderful contrasting colors in the wings and legs)

Galapagos hawk

The jewel-toned water is such a wonderful color.

. . . and it was fun to watch three sea lions playing in it.

Another photo of Bob taking photos . . . 

. . . and a few more of his photos:

Galapagos fur seal

Galapagos sea lion

By this time many of those who had been snorkeling had joined us in the panga . . . 

providing a nice audience for this swan seal dive.

We motored up to a rocky point to check out the birds.

Bob was in his element, that's for sure.

A few more of his photos:

Brown noddy

Swallow-tailed gull

Galapagos brown pelican

My cell phone photos don't have the clarity that Bob's long lens gives, but I love this sequence of a pelican landing and then surveying the scene with his back to the intruders in the panga.

The geology of the islands varies so widely, from beautiful lagoons and beaches to rugged, unyielding cliff faces.

Back onboard the Alya, we had a wonderful lunch of soup and fish and veggies . . .

. . . and finished it off with a piece of delicious lime pie.

We were ready for the afternoon!