Española Island
Today was the last full day of the Caltech Galápagos cruise. Española Island was a wonderful place to wrap things up. In spite of the heavy cloud cover that surrounded us from early in the morning – actually it was quite cold – the first activity of the day was a success. All the participants enjoyed a kayak outing, for we paddled in waters that emulate those times lost in the pages of legends and mythology.
The constant garúa (a fine mist in the air) was not an impediment for the snorkelers to take pleasure in exploring the undersea – a practice that has become part of their daily routine. Later on, we took a stroll along Gardner beach and watched the many Galápagos sea lions that live there, and we spotted some Española mockingbirds and the “Christmas marine iguanas,” which were simply fascinating. We all had an emotive morning, crowned by a mid-morning emergence of sun light.
The afternoon gave us a delightful view of huge waves along the shore lines of Punta Suarez. Hundreds of Nazca boobies and blue-footed boobies were standing on the edges of the cliffs ready to depart in a trip for their survival – to find food.
Perhaps the most enthralling moment of our visit came when all of the sudden a bird that looked just like “Big Bird of Sesame Street” walked towards us right in the middle of the trail. It was such a crazy sight – a Waved albatross displaying an air of confidence and authority that made us hesitate for a second. After all, they own the place, and therefore they put no restrictions on themselves while walking to the albatross airport, as we call the place they use for their initial flight and later on for any other further flight.
Today the landscape, the light, all the birds and reptiles, the power of nature in general contributed to create a special atmosphere that was fully appreciated by all.
This overwhelming week has done something that I have seldom seen in my past 23 years as a Naturalist. In our farewell cocktail, men and women of science, Crew and Staff, all were sharing a tear… just like mine.
