 |
 |
| We arrived on Floreana early in the morning and stopped briefly on the beach for a lecture from Geoff on marine life in the area, including this pencil anemone. | We then walked over
the island, wondering where in this dry area we would find the promised
lagoon. |
 |
 |
| And there
it was, complete with the flamingos we were seeking. |
We were told that it was unusual for the flamingos to be so close to the shoreline. |
 |
 |
| The flamingos, like other Galapagos wildlife, seemed unconcerned by us. | They demonstrated their feeding behavior for us, stirring up the mud with their feet and straining it through their beaks. |
 |
 |
| In addition to the flamingos, there were other shorebirds, like this stilt, searching for food along the edges. | We then continued our walk over the island to a beach where we could observe shorelife like crabs and rays. |
 |
 |
| There was even a sea turtle, although this is as much of him as we ever saw. There were turtle nests above the high-water line. | The blue-footed boobies
made their appearance as well. |
 |
 |
| Then, as we rode in the pangas to another part of the island, we saw the Galapagos penguins. Where else on earth would you find penguins and flamingos in the same area? | Some of the penguins were a little shy.
|
 |
 |
| We then proceeded to Post Office Bay, a unique Galapagos landmark. Since the days of the whalers, people have left letters and cards in the postbox here for people on later ships to pick up and deliver to their addressees. We continued the tradition by mailing some cards and some of our group took cards addressed to people in their towns and agreed to hand-deliver them. A card that Pat "mailed" arrived in San Diego less than three weeks later. | |
 |
 |
| We then climbed to a high point on Floreana Island to enjoy the view. | Alex told us stories about the early European inhabitants of Floreana, complete with a murder mystery. |
 |
 |
| Then we hiked back to the shore to catch the pangas back to the ship. As always, Joop, Alex, Mario, and Geoff were there to help us negotiate the steep parts. | On the way back we enjoyed the sight of a great blue heron resting on the rocks and later taking to graceful flight. Another spectacular day in the islands. |
| Previous |