Floreana Island
We saw them right after we disembarked at Punta Cormorant – high up there were two weird-looking birds flying towards us. Skinny and silhouetted against the early morning light, we thought they might be herons, but soon after their pink color revealed their true identity – greater flamingos. With the rising sun it was a glorious sighting at 6:30 in the morning.
An extremely high tide caused by a recently passed full moon was detected in the hyper saline lagoon where our two new acquaintances, the flamingos, were wading. The surrounding areas were also impressive with a deep green color displayed by all the plants of the dry forest in foliation. It has been raining.
Once we crossed from the landing beach to the so called “flour beach” we noticed a great numbers of turtles nests. This is a good sign. We know that these gentle and cosmopolitan marine reptiles have a respite here in the Galápagos, so it’s good that their nesting activity is productive!
At mid-morning an extraordinary Zodiac ride around Champion Islet was fruitful for photography and for many wildlife sightings as well.
Later on under a very radiant sun our group went kayaking in two separate sessions. The exotic place we paddled – “La Loberia” near Post Office Bay – was teeming with life. Sea lions jumped constantly along our way making us but laugh. Hidden among the twisted branches of the mangrove trees we spotted pelicans and herons that were roosting or simply perched.
As the day marched to its end we spent some time checking out the addresses of many postcards left at the Post Office barrel. Other travelers leave them here for hand delivery. This is a well-established tradition from the times when the whalers were common visitors of these islands.
