Today National Geographic Endeavour II reached the oldest island of the archipelago, Española. Like San Cristobal, this island harbors a few endemics only found on Española. For example, today we observed the Española mockingbird, the Española lava lizard, and the Christmas iguana. We also saw waved albatross. These magnificent birds nest only on Española, and April is the month during which couples come to mate.
In the morning, we snorkeled around Gardner Islet and swam with sea lions, and afterwards, we visited a beautiful sandy beach. In the afternoon, we visited Punta Suarez, where many sea birds nest. We even observed a nest of the Galápagos hawk as we returned to our ship. Española never fails to amaze me—it is a paradise for the observation of wildlife.
