A visit to North Seymour

A-ent off on our first official tour of the tour (Monday's trip was an add-on).  We got off to a good start.

After a 45 minute bus trip, we reached North Seymour island, where we saw several blue-footed boobies and frigates.  The blue-footed booby is a mostly white bird with bright blue feet and nose.  We had hoped to see the mating dance,  but as with any animals,  there is no guarantee you'll see anything.   Our guide decided to help us along - he came up behind him and caused him to flap his wings and do a little dance.   In addition, we did see several adorable babies with their mom.

Another set of birds on the island was the greater and magnificent frigates.  They are also called a "pirate bird" because they rob other birds of their food, rather than catching their own.    When the male frigate is ready to mate,  he grows a huge red gular pouch.  Three to for days after he mates, he starts losing his pouch (guess he doesn't feel the need to keep up appearances once he's married).

The last animal we saw on the island was a land iguana.  Instead of the dark colors of the marine iguana, the land iguana is bright yellow (likely to match the colour of the dirt), rather than dark like the marine iguana that hands out on the black lava rocks).  And he was so nice to stop in a somewhat open area and wait for ours all to get pictures!  When we got back to the boat, there were three sharks and a stingray swimming around the back of the boat.  I watched for a while,  and although I could see the shadow below the water,  they never got up above the water.

After North Seymour, we sent to Santa Fe island to watch flamingos and snorkel.  Unfortunately, the wildlife followed the shark's example and did not accommodate our interest in them.  Instead they never showed up.  We walked all the way to the lake (at least a 10 minute walk!),  and it was empty.  Oh well, we have been very lucky to have wildlife that aren't afraid of humans, and are willing to stay srill and pose for the camera.  Also, unlike the others in my group,  I got to see flamingos on my pre-trip at Isabela.

I walked back slower - me being easily distracted.  This time it worked to my advantage.  One of the guys in our group noticed a giant green sea turtle swimming in the ocean.  Every once in a while the turtle would lift his head out of the water (to breathe, I assume).  I tried to get a picture,  but between the distance and unknown as to when he would come up, it was impossible.  So I just stopped trying to get a picture and enjoyed watching him.

I also had to stop at a group of rocks that had tons of Sally Lighthouse crabs.  I love these guys.  When we passed the rocks the first time, we saw a female go up to a make and sort of lightly tap him with one of her legs (okay,  that sounds weird, but what else do you call what they walk on but legs).  Anyway,  she taps him. Nothing happens. Taps again.  Nothing.  Again. Nothing. Once more, and he runs away.  Leaving poor Sadly all alone.

So anyway, on the way back, I looked at the rock and there were several turf wars going on.  Not sure the crab dynamics, but one would bully another one or two,  and chase them of the rock to another.  Which would have been interesting,  But this was happening on two or three rocks at a time.  And the crabs who left just coming back for more. Tenacious guys. Fondly had to supp watching since the tide was coming in and I was getting soaked.  Side note - I love the way they walk!

On the way home, I wanted to get a picture of the collapsed lava tube we passed on the way to the boat. It looked like a huge crater from the bus.  With Paul's help, we talked our guide into stopping for 3 minutes, 28 seconds (Paul's warped negotiation humor that I'm not sure the guide got). I was surprised at the amount of vegetation in the hole, but then our guide told us it sank over a million years ago.   For some reason when he originally told us,  I assumed it happened in our lifetime.  In either case, it was cool and very prehistoric.

Edward's New Animals (renaming after nephew, Travis Edward, who has had an album on my tablet for years called "Edward's animals". Everytime I visit, he and his sister, Molly, beg me to look at the animals, and every new animal picture ends up in his album):  land iguana, Galapagos shark, swallow tail gull, great blue heron