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This is the view that says Galapagos without words. Taken shortly after dawn it reveals the mystical mix of lava and vegetation growing and eroding through the ages. The island is named for Bartholomew James Sulivan, an officer on the HMS Beagle.
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This is the landing that begins the walk through barren landscape of volcanic ash. It takes 372 wooden steps to reach the summit. The most photographed and recognized view of Galapagos, Pinnacle Rock, with its two arc-shaped beaches comes into view.
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A long constructed stairway up Summit Trail (114 meters) provides a magnificent view of Pinnacle Rock. The walk is accompanied by volcanic terrain and an assortment of plant life. This is not a lunar landscape.
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A mix of basaltic lava and tuff stone created this unusual sculptured and indented shoreline that is both organic and surreal. What a place to marvel at Nature’s determination to endure and question the power of humanity to protect or squander.
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The entire Galapagos archipelago is volcanic. On Isabella, named for Queen Isabella of Spain, lies the spectacular shield volcano. Part of it has disappeared into the ocean. The fusing of six major volcanoes formed Isabella. Its land mass is greater than all of the other islands in the Galapagos combined.
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Palo Santo trees provide white contrast to this surreal setting. The lagoon with its mangroves and brackish water attracts flamingos. The beach sand contains crushed olivine that gives it a greenish color.
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Flamingos wade in shallow water and sift through the mud for their diet of shrimp and small crustaceans. The Galapagos flamingo does not migrate.
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Zodiac rides provide viewing opportunity as landing is not allowed. The cliffs are home to the endemic Flightless Cormorants, Galapagos fur seals, Blue-footed Boobies and marine iguanas. This is a great snorkeling area to see the Eastern Pacific green sea turtles.
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Swimming and diving became the modus operandi as the flightless cormorant adapted to this new environment. It is endemic to the Galapagos and, while not an endangered species yet, it is vulnerable to the threat of wild dogs…wantonly introduced by man.
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This lava cactus was the first plant to grow on the barren sunbaked lava fields when these islands were created by bursts of volcanic activity.
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More than one hundred species of crab inhabit the Galapagos but none is more colorful than the skittish Sally Lightfoot. It dances over both lava and water nibbling tidbits of algae and detritus.
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This booby, most probably a red-footed booby, was washed ashore where its remains provide sustenance for the Sally Lightfoot crabs.
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There are eleven sub-species of the Giant Tortoise on Galapagos. The saddle-shaped tortoise of Espanola is one of several giant tortoises that live at the Charles Darwin Research Station.
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The large male tortoises of Santa Cruz leave their nesting females in the lowlands to seek greener pastures in the highlands as part of their annual cycle. Their migratory route now traverses the farmlands of a local resident as they took this path long before the farm was established.
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The large male tortoises of Santa Cruz leave their nesting females in the lowlands to seek greener pastures in the highlands as part of their annual cycle. Their migratory route now traverses the farmlands of a local resident as they took this path long before the farm was established.
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The large male tortoises of Santa Cruz leave their nesting females in the lowlands to seek greener pastures in the highlands as part of their annual cycle. Their migratory route now traverses the farmlands of a local resident as they took this path long before the farm was established.
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The marine iguana of the Galapagos is the only sea-going lizard in the world. It branched from the land iguana that arrived here on the serendipity of one of Nature’s rafts. It feeds predominately on algae. Its coloration, except during mating season is black and white…except on Espanola, where it is a more colorful red.
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The jagged lava landscape camouflages their presence until they suddenly become visible.
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Most vivid on Espanola, male iguanas take on varied coloration of red and green during mating season. Nests are dug in the sandy soil where the eggs are laid.
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There are two species of iguana in the Galapagos: the Conolophus and the C. pallidus. This is a close-up of the South American Iguana that rafted to these islands and eventually led to the development of the two Galapagos land iguanas. The marine iguana branched from this iguana as well.
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This land iguana, photographed on the mainland in Guayaquil, originally rafted to the Galapagos Islands. Some stayed on land and some ventured into the water where they spent more and more time. The marine iguana springs from the land iguana.
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There are seven species of lava lizards inhabiting all but three islands (Tower, Wolf and Darwin). The eat insects and seem to be everywhere. The female has red throat marking while the male has black and yellow coloration. The lava lizard can grow a new tail if it gets bitten off in battle. High rocks become observation platforms.
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This green sea turtle hatched in daylight. In spite of its small size it was clearly visible to the soaring frigate birds. As soon as it reached the water it was devoured in an effortless swoop by a frigate bird. It seemed harsh at the time but it was Nature’s way of insuring the future of the green sea turtle. The survival of this doomed creature would ultimately contribute to more sea turtles hatching in daylight…and never making it to the ocean.
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This creature was born at the wrong time…in daylight. Nature has it designed for them to hatch under the protective cover of night. The mother turtle comes onto the beach, well out of tide’s reach, to dig a hole and lay her eggs. She then returns to the water. When the babies hatch they must journey to the sea to survive.
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The sea lion’s ability to twist and contort adds to his endearing and amusing qualities. He is as engaging on the beach as he is in the water. Visitors must remember not to get too close as he can also bite.
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The beach here is like raw sugar and the sea lions dot the shorelines. The changing forces of Nature affect the number of sea lions. Their social and inquisitive behavior provides endless amusement and photo opportunities on the beach and in the water.
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This is the largest marine mammal in the Galapagos. Related to the California Sea lion, it swam its way to the Galapagos eons ago…and stayed. Colonies of sea lions, comprised of dominant territorial males and their respective harems, are sprinkled along both beach and rocky shoreline on many of the islands.
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The black volcanic beaches of Santiago are home to a large population of sea lions.
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The red-footed booby lives predominately on Genovesa where it builds nests of twigs and shrubs. Although its red feet are often concealed by foliage, its magnificent blue bill is identification give-away.
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The Nazca booby, endemic to Galapagos, is considered to be the brightest white of all seabirds. The yellow and orange bill and eye, surrounded by a black mask, give it a visually spectacular appearance. This bird has one breeding period a year and lays two eggs. Even when food is plentiful only one chick survives as the more mature chick pecks to death the second to hatch. It is rare to see a Nazca booby with two chicks.
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Here is an anomaly of Nature. When this immature frigatebird was first spotted nesting with the mature male Nazca Booby, naturalists thought it might have been adopted (rare in Nature). Months of observation revealed that the frigate parents returned to feed their chick every few days and between feedings it nested with the booby.
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Courting time is over so the gular sack and daddy frigatebird is sitting with his offspring.
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Dimorphism means two distinct forms of the same species. Ninety percent of the red-footed boobies on the Galapagos are brown and the remaining ten percent are white…with no apparent reason or benefit. Interestingly, the percentages are reversed elsewhere in the world.
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Here is a newly hatched blue-footed booby chick in a nest marked by a white circle. The nesting boobies excreted this circle, an accumulation of guano, as they rotate to follow the sun during the incubation period. All blue-footed booby nests bear this white guano marking.
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Frigatebirds inflate their gular sacs to attract their mates during courtship season. These bright red balloons dotting the landscape make a spectacular sight.
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The crisscross clacking of beaks captured in this image is part of courtship behavior. Between 1999 and 2002 this booby’s name was changed from Masked Booby to Nazca Booby because specific colorations of this species are found on the Galapagos that differ from the rest of the world.
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Also known as Galapagos albatross it breeds primarily on Española. This dance is part of their courting ritual.
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They catch the wind with their enormous wingspan and can glide for miles. While the breed on Española they will spend non-breeding time off the coast of Peru and Ecuador.
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The swallow-tailed gull is as beautiful as it is unusual. It is endemic to the Galapagos and completely nocturnal in its feeding habits. The white markings on its bill are visible in the dark for hungry chicks to locate food. These gulls leave for the cooer water of the Humboldt Current off Peru but return to Galapagos to breed.
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This swallow-tailed gull chick blends into its surroundings. Look closely or you will miss it. The speckled egg from which it hatched blended into its next. One egg is laid about every ten months. It takes about five years for a chick to reach maturity.
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This baby frigatebird, waiting to be fed, can go several days between feedings. It takes two years for frigatebird parents to raise their single chick to independence.
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The blue-footed booby is the smallest and most abundant of the three species of boobies. His blue feet become the focal point of his courtship ritual that is rather hilarious.
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The cormorants ability to fly great distance originally brought it to the Galapagos millions of years ago. Over the course of time its wings diminished in size, its body became lithe and its feet became flipper-like. The flightless cormorant is endemic to the Galapagos. It lives in small coastline colonies all around Fernandina and on parts of Isabella.
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Confined to the shores of Isabella and Fernandina, this endemic and rare creature swims for food and builds its next with matter retrieved from the sea. Its inability to fly makes the flightlexx cormorant extremely vulnerable to the impact of man.
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The jagged lava landscape camouflages their presence until they suddenly become visible. Entangled in a social mass they sky-point
To prevent over-heating. Their posture allows alignment with the sun’s rays while letting airflow beneath them.
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This view of the red-footed booby shows its splendid red feet that are usually obscured by branches and leaves. Genovesa is a birder’s paradise and provides ample opportunity to see this least seen of the three Galapagos boobies.
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Penguins swam up the coast of South America with the cool waters of the Humboldt Current eons ago. These little creatures, no taller than 20 inches, weigh less than 6 pounds. Related to the banded penguins, the Jackass, Magellenic and Humboldt, they are the only penguins that live north of the equator. They adapted to their environment and are endemic to the Galapagos Islands. The isolated location and protection from water currents kept man away and let Nature to evolve untouched by man till the 1800’s. Adaptation of many species is part of what makes the Galapagos so important. Charles Darwin spent three weeks here during his voyage on the HMS Beagle in the 1830’s and this ultimately led to writing his Origin of Species that was published in 1859
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The opuntia cactus is a prickly pear variety that is endemic to the Galapagos. Six species of opuntia have adapted into fourteen varieties and provide food and nesting habitat. To prevent extinction from hungry tortoises, the opuntia in this photograph evolved into a tree-like plant. Look closely and you will see a bird perched on top. On islands where there are no tortoises the opuntia cacti are shorter.
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The Charles Darwin Research Station, CDRS, is home to several giant tortoises that are unable to fend for themselves in their natural habitat. They are cared for on the premises…and at feeding time display voracious appetites! Seriously, the CDRS is the scientific information-gathering center and it works with the Galapagos National Park Service to manage these special islands. Programs that are designed to maintain and restore the ecology of the Galapagos include a giant tortoise-breeding program that repatriates tortoises to their islands of origin.
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These tortoises have been incubated and have been living and cared for in a manner similar to their natural habitat at the Charles Darwin Research Station. They will be repatriated to their islands of origin when they are six years old and have reached the size deemed safer for them to survive in the wild. Feral pigs, dogs, cats and black rats have become predators of tortoise eggs and donkeys and cattle can trample their nest sites while grazing.
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Jacques Cousteau said that people use water like garbage cans. For a long time ocean liners have been dumping their garbage in the oceans and currents washed this refuse onto a Galapagos shoreline. It’s a travesty…
