2-20-01

Isla Baltra

We've been here at Baltra since yesterday evening. We have breakfast late - about 8:00. They sidle the boat's stern up to the dock for fuel. This whole story of needing to leave Isla Genovesa at one yesterday thus makes little sense - as we could have just as well left at 5 or 7. 

The story is that we were originally told that we would be able to fuel at 7:30, but when we arrived, they decided that they didn’t want to work in the dark. It becomes clear how important timing is as other boats arrive to fuel. They will be waiting much longer. These are all new procedures since the oil spill at San Cristobal a few weeks ago. 

We head out about 10:15 for Cerro Dragon on Santa Cruz for a dry landing and a hike. It's pretty overcast and hazy as we sail along. But it's very pleasant on the sun deck listening to the birders ooh and ah. 

Cerro Dragon on Isla Santa Cruz

It is hot and dry as we head inland past a lagoon with two flamingos. The lagoon is obviously salty as there is salt crust on the ground from when the lagoon was higher. One of the flamingos comes within 10 yards as the shutters click. It is rooting around in the bottom of the lagoon for food. They become bright pink as a signal that they are ready to mate. 

The predominate tree is the Palo Santos, but these are quite a bit bigger and still leafless. A finch with a pale yellow breast flits about and we spot several mockingbirds.

We can only see the head of the first iguana we spot poking out from under a bush. Soon we spot 5 or 6 more including one marked as "09.” They are beautiful with yellow and brown markings. 

As we head back to the boats, pelicans fish in the surf while crabs scurry about on the rocks.

During lunch as we move away from the beach, Galan spots two turtles mating in the water. 

Isla Rabida

It's going to be hard to describe all the great stuff we saw at Isla Rabida. The name comes from the iron oxide in the soil. When landing on the beach, we immediately see a blue footed boobie, an iguana, and many many sea lions. As I started to snorkel, a sea lion decides to play with me. This means swimming right at me and opening his jaws about two feet from my left shoulder. Sea Lions have a lot of teeth. 

The snorkeling was not great. The water was too murky. There were at least three variety of fish with yellow tails, sea urchins, lots of small fish, fish that look to me like rock fish. I followed the main group out and I thought they were still in front of me - but when the waves started breaking over me, I noticed that I was much further out than the others. Upon returning -and there must be a move efficient way of operating flippers, there are penguins on the lava shelf. These are immature penguins and there are about three pairs of them. 

There are still sea lions all about and some pretty crabs. Marine iguanas feed on the seaweed.

There must be a hundred sea lions lying on the beach as we walk down it. Mostly they ignore us, but some of them eye us, and some of than even rise up to look us in the eye. The beachmaster does a little posturing just for forms sake. When we return to where the snorkel equipment is, a sea lion is busy examining it. Some Marine Iguanas pose for pictures.