The morning was very much devoted to sea birds and soon after going ashore we became acquainted with the blue-footed booby, an impressive sea bird that cruises above the water surveying the scene for potential breakfast before nose diving vertically into the water. It uses its keen eye to snatch its prey on the way back up, although the incredible speed of the operation means it can take five or six goes on average to be successful. Quite a contrast to the pelican which crash lands on the water surface like a human belly-flopping. On one occasion when it managed to catch a small fish the poor thing was so dazed that an agile tern was able to swoop down and nick it from its beak. If Darwin had focused on pelicans instead of finches he might have thought twice about the efficiency of natural selection and evolution.
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| Galapagos Hawk |
Nearby the Galapagos Hawk sat serenely watching the proceedings, king of all he surveys. But if he is the local lord of the manor, there are some bigger visiting dignitaries - the Albatross, that sign of wind that the becalmed ancient mariner would pray for. With their huge wingspan they can make trips of 10,000 miles in search of food. On the ground life is more tricky and to me they resembled rather large ducks. They can be found at this particular spot on Española because they can land near the cliffs which makes their subsequent take off easier.
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| A pair of albatrosses thinking about mating |
In the afternoon at beautiful Gardener Bay we went snorkeling to see dark grey marine iguanas (unique to Galapagos) slide into the water to get their tea amidst the shoals of brightly coloured angel fish.
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