Baltra and North Seymour Islands - January 27, 2007

The name "Galapagos" comes from the early Spanish explorers of the islands. They noted in their journals that many of the large tortises had shells in the shape of saddles. The Spanish word for saddle is, galapagos.

We arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador at 11:30 pm on Friday night after our wonderful day in the Everglades and were greeted by the Lindblad-National Geographic Expeditions team at the airport. We had to wait for about 50 other expedition travelers to get through customs and baggage claim so it was after midnight by the time we arrived at the hotel. Everything was very well organized and we were greeted by the hotel staff with cool towels and tropical fruit juice.

This morning we awoke to another urban sunrise, had a light breakfast, and then got on a bus back to the airport to catch our flight to the island of Baltra in the Galapagos.

The Galapagos islands are about 600 nautical miles off the coast of Ecuador. The flight took about an hour and a half. Once we arrived we were efficiently loaded onto waiting buses and driven to a dock where we got on inflatable Zodiac boats and transported to our new home, the Polaris.

After a safety drill and some lunch we picked up anchor and headed for our first excursion to North Seymour Island which is only about 6 nautical miles from Baltra Island. The primary attraction of North Seymour Island at this time of year is that it serves as a home to breeding populations of frigate birds. We walked a short 1.5 mile loop path that took us through a rocky terrain initially and then along a sandy beach. It was a short hike but it took several hours because there was wildlife to see every few steps! What is particularly amazing about the Galapagos islands is that the wildlife is completely without fear. We practically tripped over sea lions in the well-marked walking path and the blue-footed boobies carried on only inches away from us as if we weren't even there! It was definitely sensory overload. I could have spent the whole day watching one pair of birds. I've posted some pictures which you can see by following the link to CB's Pretty Good Photos.

We are beginning to get to know some of our fellow passengers. It is quite a mixed lot but, not too surprising, includes a lot of scientists/biologists. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. The boat itself is quite comfortable, the food is excellent, and the staff have been very welcoming.

The coffee in Ecuador is fantastic. Very strong and rich in flavor. Makes my Dunkin Donut coffee I hunted down with a GPS unit yesterday seem weak as dishwater in comparison!

Tonight we set course for Espanola Island.

Weather:
Partly cloudy, 80 F, variable winds

Birds sited today:
Brown pelican
Blue-footed booby
Magnificent frigate bird
Great frigate bird
Lava gull
Swallow-tailed gull
Brown noddy
Ruddy turnstone
Sanderling
Small ground finch

Mammals:
Galapagos sea lion

Reptiles:
Marine iguana
Land iguana
Galapagos lava lizard