Galapagos

Darwin finches and fearless blue boobies.

Frigate bird.
More sally lightfoot crabs. More frigatebirds, which spend most of their lives airborne.
Sunset off the rear deck of the Encantada. Briefing for day 3.
Marine iguanas. More marine iguanas.
Still more marine iguanas. Closeup profile of . . . marine iguana.
Blue footed booby (mating display). Blue footed booby (napping). These pictures are only taken with a basic handheld digital camera; the birds and sea lions really have no fear of (or interest in) humans.
Sea lion juvenile. Sea lion juvenile.
Very young sea lion.
Sea lions rolling in the surf. Maybe it serves some purpose (fur-cleaning?), but my guess is that it is just for fun.
Sea lion (nursing). Sea lion (tired of nursing).
Family beach gathering. The name otariid comes from the Greek otarion meaning "little ear", referring to the small but visible external ear flaps (pinnae) which can be used to distinguish them from the phocids. (Wikipedia)
Tagged for research, I presume. Male albatrosses, fencing to impress the ladies.
and we have a winner.
Albatross in flight.
Swallow tailed gulls.
Swallow tailed gull. Marine iguana. These guys go swimming in the ocean for food, and in some cases (like this one) regularly climb up hundred-foot cliffs just for a good spot to sunbathe.
More swallow-tailed gulls. Carefully hidden marine iguanas.
So many marine iguanas. Sheesh. No, not yet Mr. Albatross! Go to the edge of the cliff before you try to fly.
Ok, you are at the edge of the cliff. That is a better albatross take-off place. I am getting ready to fly . . . I am getting ready to fly . . .
Success! Masked boobies.
The Albatross "airport". Masked booby.
The whole Encantada gang. Tidal lava tubes emulating geysers.
Nesting booby. They poop in a circle and kick it out to mark a do-not-disturb zone.
Nesting booby -- note the egg underneath. Booby couple talking to each other.
Blue footed booby. Blue footed booby mamma and fledgling boobies.
Masked booby. Masked booby (napping).
Masked booby (flying by). GalÃ¡pagos Hawk, famous for its indifference to humans, polyandrous mating, and status as the only endemic predator (i.e., from the Galapagos and eats other land-based species, not fish). This is a point-and-shoot camera, I am about five feet away, and he is not even looking at me.
GalÃ¡pagos Hawk surveying its domain. Seth with boobies. The blue footed boobies are also pretty fearless.
As are the lava lizards. Lava lizard.
Land iguana. Larger and less common/numerous than marine iguanas. The GalÃ¡pagos Mockingbird may be the most fearless creature of them all.
The GalÃ¡pagos Mockingbird, studying his reflection in my camera lens. So, just to review and see how many animals can be fit in one photograph: GalÃ¡pagos mockingbird; marine iguana; sea lion.
Marine iguana + encantada. Fish attracted to warm water coming from cooling the Encantada engine.
Giles and Anna watching the fish. A school of spotted eagle rays.
Group photo on deck (photo courtesy Giles Lamb).
Last day briefing. Note the 5:40am rise time; they make sure to fit in as much as they can for you. Route of the Encantada.
Woody prickly pear cactus. Very tall. Tortuga Bay Beach, near Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island.
Sally lightfoot crab on Tortuga Bay beach. Sally lightfoot crab on Tortuga Bay beach.
Charles Darwin research center, Puerto Ayora. Display of collected, marked Galapagos tortoise eggs. Non-endemic, introduced species tend to want to eat the eggs, so there is a large effort to collect the eggs and raise the tortoises for the first few years in captivity (until they are too large to eat).
Galapagos tortoise (eating). Galapagos tortoise (comatose).
Galapagos tortoise (napping). Because are required to have a guide, and many islands are hard to get to, a boat-based tour is pretty much the norm.
The Encantada, home for four days. Briefing for the first full day of the tour on Floreana island.
Giles Lamb, secret agent. Ms. Anna Rowley.
Florian.
Post Office bay. Historically where pirates, traders, navies, and other people with boats left notes for each other. Nowadays you can leave post cards, and look through for ones addressed to people close to you such that you can hand deliver them. Lava lizard.
Giles Lamb, spooky man, in a cave on Floreana.
Lagoon at Point Cormorant, Floreana Island. Yo, Seth, we are trying to look cool here. Quit smiling.
Flamingoes in Lagoon at Point Cormorant, Floreana Island.
Flamingo in lagoon at Point Cormorant, Floreana Island. Lagoon at Point Cormorant, Floreana Island.
Getting back to the boat. On deck on the Encantada.
The boat schedule is very much centered around the lunch/dinner bell. Dining room.
Briefing for day 2, Isla Espanola and Isla Lobos.

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	Frigate bird.
More sally lightfoot crabs.	More frigatebirds, which spend most of their lives airborne.
Sunset off the rear deck of the Encantada.	Briefing for day 3.
Marine iguanas.	More marine iguanas.
Still more marine iguanas.	Closeup profile of . . . marine iguana.
Blue footed booby (mating display).	Blue footed booby (napping). These pictures are only taken with a basic handheld digital camera; the birds and sea lions really have no fear of (or interest in) humans.
Sea lion juvenile.	Sea lion juvenile.
Very young sea lion.
	Sea lions rolling in the surf. Maybe it serves some purpose (fur-cleaning?), but my guess is that it is just for fun.
Sea lion (nursing).	Sea lion (tired of nursing).
Family beach gathering.	The name otariid comes from the Greek otarion meaning "little ear", referring to the small but visible external ear flaps (pinnae) which can be used to distinguish them from the phocids. (Wikipedia)
Tagged for research, I presume.	Male albatrosses, fencing to impress the ladies.
	and we have a winner.
	Albatross in flight.
	Swallow tailed gulls.
Swallow tailed gull.	Marine iguana. These guys go swimming in the ocean for food, and in some cases (like this one) regularly climb up hundred-foot cliffs just for a good spot to sunbathe.
More swallow-tailed gulls.	Carefully hidden marine iguanas.
So many marine iguanas. Sheesh.	No, not yet Mr. Albatross! Go to the edge of the cliff before you try to fly.
Ok, you are at the edge of the cliff. That is a better albatross take-off place.	I am getting ready to fly . . . I am getting ready to fly . . .
Success!	Masked boobies.
The Albatross "airport".	Masked booby.
The whole Encantada gang.	Tidal lava tubes emulating geysers.
	Nesting booby. They poop in a circle and kick it out to mark a do-not-disturb zone.
Nesting booby -- note the egg underneath.	Booby couple talking to each other.
Blue footed booby.	Blue footed booby mamma and fledgling boobies.
Masked booby.	Masked booby (napping).
Masked booby (flying by).	GalÃ¡pagos Hawk, famous for its indifference to humans, polyandrous mating, and status as the only endemic predator (i.e., from the Galapagos and eats other land-based species, not fish). This is a point-and-shoot camera, I am about five feet away, and he is not even looking at me.
GalÃ¡pagos Hawk surveying its domain.	Seth with boobies. The blue footed boobies are also pretty fearless.
As are the lava lizards.	Lava lizard.
Land iguana. Larger and less common/numerous than marine iguanas.	The GalÃ¡pagos Mockingbird may be the most fearless creature of them all.
The GalÃ¡pagos Mockingbird, studying his reflection in my camera lens.	So, just to review and see how many animals can be fit in one photograph: GalÃ¡pagos mockingbird; marine iguana; sea lion.
Marine iguana + encantada.	Fish attracted to warm water coming from cooling the Encantada engine.
Giles and Anna watching the fish.	A school of spotted eagle rays.
Group photo on deck (photo courtesy Giles Lamb).
Last day briefing. Note the 5:40am rise time; they make sure to fit in as much as they can for you.	Route of the Encantada.
Woody prickly pear cactus. Very tall.	Tortuga Bay Beach, near Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz island.
Sally lightfoot crab on Tortuga Bay beach.	Sally lightfoot crab on Tortuga Bay beach.
Charles Darwin research center, Puerto Ayora.	Display of collected, marked Galapagos tortoise eggs. Non-endemic, introduced species tend to want to eat the eggs, so there is a large effort to collect the eggs and raise the tortoises for the first few years in captivity (until they are too large to eat).
Galapagos tortoise (eating).	Galapagos tortoise (comatose).
Galapagos tortoise (napping).	Because are required to have a guide, and many islands are hard to get to, a boat-based tour is pretty much the norm.
The Encantada, home for four days.	Briefing for the first full day of the tour on Floreana island.
Giles Lamb, secret agent.	Ms. Anna Rowley.
Florian.
Post Office bay. Historically where pirates, traders, navies, and other people with boats left notes for each other. Nowadays you can leave post cards, and look through for ones addressed to people close to you such that you can hand deliver them.	Lava lizard.
Giles Lamb, spooky man, in a cave on Floreana.
Lagoon at Point Cormorant, Floreana Island.	Yo, Seth, we are trying to look cool here. Quit smiling.
	Flamingoes in Lagoon at Point Cormorant, Floreana Island.
Flamingo in lagoon at Point Cormorant, Floreana Island.	Lagoon at Point Cormorant, Floreana Island.
Getting back to the boat.	On deck on the Encantada.
The boat schedule is very much centered around the lunch/dinner bell.	Dining room.
Briefing for day 2, Isla Espanola and Isla Lobos.