Content note, for those of you reading this by email: For some reason the email delivery of this blog strips the video content and I haven't been able to figure out why (thanks Google or MailChimp). So, if you want to see the videos (and you should, they're really cool), click the "View this email in your browser" link at the top of the email. This also applies to the two previous Galapagos emails.
It took all night to get to Isabela Island, our next destination. In fact, as the sun rose we were still motoring toward our anchorage in Tagus Cove. It became clear quickly that we weren't in the old flat islands of the east anymore, but now in the young active volcanic islands of the west. Isabela is huge, the largest of all the islands in the archipelago by quite a bit at 62 miles long. It was formed in the last million years by the merger of 6 shield volcanos, 5 of which are still active. It is one of the most volcanically active places on earth.
Tagus Cove is on the western side of the island at the north end of the Bolivar Channel, the narrow straight between Isabela and Fernandina Islands. Here upwelling from the Cromwell Current brings cold nutrient and food rich water to the surface. This is where we would see some real specialties of the Galapagos.
This part of the island is volcanic cliffs at the water edge, not a place for a land visit. So we loaded up the zodiac boat with all of us, plus our two guides and a driver, and headed out for a cruise.
It wasn't long before we spotted our quarry - Galapagos Penguin and Flightless Cormorant. This species of penguin is the northernmost in the world, the only one that can be seen north of the equator. The Flightless Cormorant is equally interesting, with evolution it's stubby wings no longer able to sustain it in flight. But as we'll see later in the day, it has no problem "flying" underwater and feeding efficiently. Others on the cliffs for our enjoyment included Brown Noddy, Galapagos Brown Pelicans, and Great Blue Herons.
Possibly the most entertaining (and rare) sighting of the day came when we spotted a well-intentioned "nesting condominium" for Galapagos Martins. Galapagos Martins aren't like eastern Purple Martins, and don't nest in colonies. But someone thought it was a good idea to put up a nesting box. And then we spotted a martin sitting on the ledge of the house! But wait, on closer inspection it was a decoy! It had us all fooled briefly. Thankfully, eagle-eye Susan spotted a real one soaring high overhead and we all got a brief but adequate look. There's no other bird in the Galapagos that it could have been mistaken for.
After the cruise we moved the big boat further down the coast to Punta Morena for some snorkeling and another zodiac cruise. The snorkeling was amazing. We were unceremonially dropped along the shoreline, right in the middle of a baitfish school! The action was incredible as birds swooped overhead, and a flightless cormorant put on a show right in front of me - darting about catching fish! To top it all off, I was "photobombed" by a sea turtle and a couple of Galapagos Sea Lions. Too cool.
Susan and Alvaro are ready for a swim
Snorkeling with the fishes
The afternoon zodiac cruise took us along a fascinating lava lowlands, complete with native cactuses, and lots of penguins and marine iguanas. Too much fun.
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