May 26th - Floreana
May 26th - Floreana - Punto Cormoran, Champion and the highlands
We arrived offshore at Punta Cormoran on Floreana after an overnight transfer. At the previous evening's briefing by Ernesto we were under strict instructions that as this would be a wet landing and because there was another boat visiting at the same time as us, we should be expeditious in disembarking from the pangas onto the beach and subsequently getting our feet dry and shoes on, as he was anxious to be the first to walk over the headland onto the white sand 'flour' beach on the other side, where there was a possibility of Turtles, as it was a nesting beach. Things didn't go quite to plan and we were a little on the slow side, and I could see Ernesto getting more and more 'twitchy', especially when the other group landed and were off before us! However we needn't have worried as they only walked a short distance to view a small lagoon and didn't even bother with the white sand beach! The sand on the white sand beach was like talcum powder. We could see the depressions where Turtles had laid their eggs and we could see some baby turtle tracks but there was no sign of any adults. The sudden arrival of a very close Frigatebird flying along the beach took us by surprise, and then alarm, as it swooped down and was seen to carry off a very small baby turtle in its bill. Also very obliging here were a couple of Sanderling, 6 [Ruddy] Turnstone, and a Grey Plover [known in some quarters as Black-bellied Plover]. We made our way back over the headland and took a side track to view a small brackish lagoon. Here, we found a Franklin's Gull, another 'three star' bird! There were also a few White-cheeked Pintails, Common Gallinule, a Lava Heron, and Great Blue Heron. We also checked out the green beach [the one we had landed on], and found a good number of Blue-footed Boobies on the low cliff.
Just offshore here is the small island of Champion and as soon as we could, we did a circumnavigation of the island in the pangas to look for another important bird - the Floreana [or Charles] Mockingbird [Mimus trifasciatus], which is endemic to this small island. Despite the quite choppy sea we eventually saw, and managed to get photos of several birds.
We arrived offshore at Punta Cormoran on Floreana after an overnight transfer. At the previous evening's briefing by Ernesto we were under strict instructions that as this would be a wet landing and because there was another boat visiting at the same time as us, we should be expeditious in disembarking from the pangas onto the beach and subsequently getting our feet dry and shoes on, as he was anxious to be the first to walk over the headland onto the white sand 'flour' beach on the other side, where there was a possibility of Turtles, as it was a nesting beach. Things didn't go quite to plan and we were a little on the slow side, and I could see Ernesto getting more and more 'twitchy', especially when the other group landed and were off before us! However we needn't have worried as they only walked a short distance to view a small lagoon and didn't even bother with the white sand beach! The sand on the white sand beach was like talcum powder. We could see the depressions where Turtles had laid their eggs and we could see some baby turtle tracks but there was no sign of any adults. The sudden arrival of a very close Frigatebird flying along the beach took us by surprise, and then alarm, as it swooped down and was seen to carry off a very small baby turtle in its bill. Also very obliging here were a couple of Sanderling, 6 [Ruddy] Turnstone, and a Grey Plover [known in some quarters as Black-bellied Plover]. We made our way back over the headland and took a side track to view a small brackish lagoon. Here, we found a Franklin's Gull, another 'three star' bird! There were also a few White-cheeked Pintails, Common Gallinule, a Lava Heron, and Great Blue Heron. We also checked out the green beach [the one we had landed on], and found a good number of Blue-footed Boobies on the low cliff.
Just offshore here is the small island of Champion and as soon as we could, we did a circumnavigation of the island in the pangas to look for another important bird - the Floreana [or Charles] Mockingbird [Mimus trifasciatus], which is endemic to this small island. Despite the quite choppy sea we eventually saw, and managed to get photos of several birds.
Later on in the day we landed at Post Office Bay. This is a famous spot on Floreana where mariners of old took shelter. The bay is named after a barrel erected in 1792 by whalers, which served as a primitive post office for passing mariners whose voyages could last up to 5 years. The idea was to leave a message you wanted sending, in the barrel. Passing mariners would then check the barrel to see if any message was directed to somewhere they might visiting, and if so, take it and eventually deliver it. The tradition is carried on to this day by visiting tourists. Much to my surprise we found a post card in the barrel which was addressed to a house in the next street to ours in Penarth! Needless to say we took it. We also found another one for an address in Bridgend so we took that too. Ironically they had been 'posted' only a few days before we were there. In the photo above the reddish barrel on the post is the one currently in use. The post office box on the left is what remains of the original I think.
We also took a walk up into the highlands of Floreana during the afternoon, and visited the area where in 1932 Heinz and Margret Wittmer arrived with their son Harry, and shortly afterwards their son Rolf was born there, the first citizen of the island to have been born in the Galápagos. They had escaped troubled Germany, and lived in a cave in the highlands for quite some time - we were able to see that cave. Their son Rolf was the eventual founder of TipTop travel which owns the TipTop fleet of which our boat is one. We saw no new birds but found a few finches and at some point during the day we saw Smooth-billed Ani. We had already seen a few of these elsewhere. They were introduced to control ticks on cattle but are now so successful that they are causing problems by causing the spread of introduced plants by spreading their seeds in their faeces.
As a side note here I am not sure how we got up into the highlands - whether we walked or had transport.
We also took a walk up into the highlands of Floreana during the afternoon, and visited the area where in 1932 Heinz and Margret Wittmer arrived with their son Harry, and shortly afterwards their son Rolf was born there, the first citizen of the island to have been born in the Galápagos. They had escaped troubled Germany, and lived in a cave in the highlands for quite some time - we were able to see that cave. Their son Rolf was the eventual founder of TipTop travel which owns the TipTop fleet of which our boat is one. We saw no new birds but found a few finches and at some point during the day we saw Smooth-billed Ani. We had already seen a few of these elsewhere. They were introduced to control ticks on cattle but are now so successful that they are causing problems by causing the spread of introduced plants by spreading their seeds in their faeces.
As a side note here I am not sure how we got up into the highlands - whether we walked or had transport.