American flamingo feeding, Isla Isabela

I first saw flamingos in India, just outside Jamnagar, in early 2007, and in 2011 I saw two species of flamingo in great numbers on the wind-swept, high altitude lakes of the Bolivian altiplano. But it was on Isla Isabela in the Galápagos earlier in the 2011 South American journey that I saw the most brilliantly coloured flamingos. Apparently, diet affects the vividness of the colour, so whatever these American flamingos were feeding on must have had a powerful influence. This was one of the birds that frequented the Poza Salinas, the small saline lake near my hostel on the edge of Puerto Villamil.


[12 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 228 mm, ISO 400, 1/1600 at f7.1]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

Lava lizard, Isla Isabela

The best known reptiles of the Galápagos archipelago are the iguanas (particularly the marine iguanas) and the giant tortoises. But others live here too: the secretive Galápagos snake (which I was fortunate enough to see), sea turtles (which I was fortunate enough to snorkel with), and nine species of lizards in the genus Microlophus, which every visitor will be bound to see.  M. albemarlensis inhabits Isla Isabela, where I spent ten days, and Fernandina, inaccessible to those, like me, not on expensive cruises. Female lava lizards can be easily identified by the orange throat and face; males lack this but have a black throat patch.

I never did manage to discover whether the orange specks were seeds of some plant or, more probably, mites.


[10 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 45 mm, ISO 400, 1/250 at f8]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

Sally lightfoot crab

While the death of Lonesome George consigned his subspecies to the oblivion of extinction (and don't try to tell me cloning might bring him back — it can't), not all Galápagos species are threatened with imminent extinction. These Sally lightfoot crabs (Grapsus grapsus) certainly seem to be thriving. On a grey day threatening rain, they added a delightful touch of colour to the lava rocks along the coast of Santa Cruz.


[6 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/250 at f8]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

This is what extinction looks like

Lonesome George has died. The last of his subspecies of giant Galápagos tortoise, he was thought to be about a hundred years old. I met him in September last year; by then his subspecies had long been doomed to extinction, but his death two days ago (24 June) saddens me nevertheless.


[7 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/200 at f8]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

Smooth-billed ani, Santa Cruz

Smoothbilled anis (Crotophaga ani) were apparently introduced to the Galápagos in the 1960s by farmers because they're known to glean ticks from cattle (Rosenberg et al. 1990). They're more wary and harder to approach than the animals that evolved on the islands; they're also considered a pest species because they compete with native birds, disperse weed seeds, and potentially transmit diseases that might affect native birds.


[7 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/1000 at f5.6]

All content © 2012 Pete McGregor

Mangrove branch

Mangroves, despised by so many people, have a role along the world's coasts that can hardly be overestimated. I love them mostly because they provide homes for so many animals of such a diversity, and perhaps also because they're so resilient, so tough. Survivors that look after others.

[17 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 23 mm, ISO 400, 1/400 at f16]

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Blue-footed booby on the Tintoreras

The best view of a bluefooted booby in the Galápagos was on the Tintoreras, the small islets next to the wharf at Puerto Villamil on Isabela. No mistaking the identification here.

I'm now in Arequipa in the south of Peru; next stop Puno and Lake Titicaca. The Galápagos seem so long ago now, but I'll never forget them. 

[16 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 136 mm, ISO 400, 1/640 at f8]

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Frigate bird, Puerto Ayora

Despite their size, frigate birds can jink and turn in an instant; if one decides it wants your fish, resistance is futile — you can't outfly it. This one at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz was one of a good number looking for scraps from a fisherman cleaning his catch.



[19 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 100 mm, ISO 400, 1/800 at f7.1]

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Early morning, inside; Galápagos

Jumping back a few weeks — my room on Isabela, the largest island in the Galápagos archipelago (I love that word — "archipelago"). The room was actually partitioned, and I slept in the other area in a larger bed — with sheets. I wrote at the tiled bench in the kitchen area; I wrote in restaurants, I wrote at a little bar on the waterfront, I wrote wherever and whenever I could.

Now I'm in Peru, ready to leave Chachapoyas, which has proved far more interesting and enjoyable than I'd expected. I'd intended taking the notorious bus to Cajamarca, but having been over part of the road yesterday on the way to Kuelap, the desire to enjoy the landscape has waned a little — 12 hours on a winding, rough, slow road no longer seems so necessary. I'll take the night bus to Trujillo instead, despite my aversion to travelling at night when I can't see what I'm travelling through (and they're not as safe as the day journeys). Then on to Huaraz in the climbing and trekking paradise of the Cordillera Blanca.





[13 September 2011 [Ecuador], Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 14 mm, ISO 400, 1/50 at f16]  

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Marine iguana, Isla Isabela, Galápagos

When I first saw marine iguanas at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, they struck me as much smaller than I'd expected. However, on arriving at Puerto Villamil on Isabela, I soon realised this perception wasn't right. On a walk at low tide along the rocky coast from the wharf back to town, I came across this massive iguana, notable not only for its size — a good metre long — but its lovely colours. I'd been charmed by the little iguanas on Santa Cruz, but for this one a word closer to "awestruck" seems more appropriate.



[13 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 234 mm, ISO 400, 1/1000 at f8]

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Leaving the Galápagos

I flew with LAN Ecuador; the AeroGal flight left first, then the TAME flight. Then the announcement: because of an "operation" at Quito airport, our flight had been delayed three hours. Perhaps the Galápagos was as reluctant for me to leave as I was to leave the Galápagos. Still, the airport on Baltra isn't one of the Galápagos' most inspiring places, although even there the little finches seemed keen on sharing one's lunch (their success was evident in their scruffier, less healthy appearance — a probable consequence of too much scavenging salt-laden "food").

This won't be the last photo from the Galápagos. This blog makes no attempt to present photographs in strictly chronological order, so you can expect anything. I'm in Cuenca now — a lovely city where I wish I could stay longer.
 


 
[19 September 2011 (Ecuador), Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 45 mm, ISO 400, 1/1250 at f16]

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Sea lions, Isla Isabela, Galápagos

Sea lions sure know how to relax. These had parked themselves on the wharf and barely bothered opening an eye when I walked carefully past.

By the time you see this, I should be approaching Cuenca, about eight hours by bus south of Quito. The long journey south will have begun.


[17 September 2011 (Ecuador), Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 171 mm, ISO 400, 1/160 at f11] 

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Ruddy turnstone, Isla Isabela, Galápagos

A good variety of shorebirds frequented the sandy beaches around Puerto Villamil. Ruddy turnstones (Arenaria interpres) were one of the most obvious species, partly because of their distinctive plumage. Photographing them wasn't easy because they moved rapidly and almost continuously, pausing only for an instant. Fortunately, they'd sometimes venture close — but then the problem became keeping them framed and in focus.


 
[15 September 2011 , Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/4000 at f5.6] 

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Flamingo, Isla Isabela, Galápagos

A lone American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) lived at the Poza Salinas on the outskirts of Puerto Villamil. Sometimes another would join it, and other flamingos patrolled other briny, muddy ponds nearby. Strange, unearthly birds, the colours and shape spectacular.




12 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/2000 at f8]  

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

The Tintoreras, Galápagos

The Tintoreras, named after the white-tipped sharks that lurk here, are a group of small islets just offshore from Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabela. Hardly more than a reef, they provide habitat for abundant wildlife — everything from the sharks and sea turtles to penguins, marine iguanas, sea lions and the famous blue-footed boobies. Like most places in the Galápagos, visits are strictly regulated and walking on the islets is restricted to a well-defined loop path — not that the tempation's great to stray from it when much of the rest of the area looks like this. This is solidified A'A' lava; the white is lichen. Not all the Tintoreras is so forbidding, though: mangroves grow in some parts and small, sandy or pebbly beaches allow sea lions to haul out and increase the diversity of habitats.

On a two and a half hour tour here I took the plunge, literally, and snorkelled from the boat at the edge of a small islet. Although the water wasn't as cold as I'd feared, I couldn't stay in for long. Well worth it, though, especially the delight of swimming underwater with a sea turtle.
 


[15 September 2011 (Ecuador), Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 14 mm, ISO 400, 1/640 at f8] 

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

La Playita, Isabela Is., Galápagos

For most of you, by the time you see this I'll be on my way back to Quito. Right now as I schedule this for posting, I have a full day here on Isla Isabela then catch the ferry (speedboat) back to Santa Cruz early tomorrow morning. I fly out around midday on Monday, back to Quito for a few days. I have a few things I'd like to do in that area, then I start the long move south, a journey that I expect to last for the next three months.

But I'm still here now on Isabela in the Galápagos, a place that simultaneously feels utterly ancient and frighteningly young. Ancient because of the animals, the sea, the sky — all of which probably appeared similar millions of years ago; young because the landscape's volcanic and one can easily imagine some of these places forming just a few weeks ago. Those rocks beneath my shoes are blacker than they appear; much of the rock looks as if it solidified as it flowed into the sea (which was often the case). One of the volcanoes I visited a few days ago erupted in 2005, and will certainly erupt again, probably soon.




[16 September 2011 (Ecuador), Panasonic Lumix GH1, 14–45 mm at 14 mm, ISO 200, 1/30 at f16]

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Sea lion, Isabela Is., Galápagos

The sea lions here seem unconcerned by humans, using the wharfs and often the moored boats as hauling-out spots — places they can lounge and sleep. At the fish-cleaning station in Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz) I've even seen them stretching up and nudging the hip of the person skinning a fish, in much the same way Jimmy (the cat from next door) will reach up and rub against me as I'm standing at the kitchen bench back in the Pohangina Valley.

Fortunately, the resident humans seem just as unconcerned by the sea lions.

[Update: new post up on Pohanginapete]



[10 September 2011, Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/320 at f7.1]  

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Striated heron, Isabela Is., Galápagos

The status of striated herons and lava herons is disputed, with lava herons sometimes considered a separate species and sometimes just a subspecies or colour morph of the striated heron. Lava herons are found only on the Galápagos Islands, but striated herons are widespread in many countries. This bird, on the coast just west of Puerto Villamil (Isabela Is.) is a striated heron; lava herons have much more uniform colouring. Curiously, it didn't seem interested in the abundant Sally Lightfoot crabs, but whatever it was concentrating on was in big trouble.

Life here is very relaxed, with the pattern of weather being rain overnight, easing to showers in the early morning, then turning warm with intermittent sunny periods in the afternoon. (Of course, I've only been here a few days, so I'm making some rather large assumptions based on not much data.) The list of wildlife sightings grows daily, and although a few have been fleeting (just two brief penguin sightings so far), I've been lucky, particularly with the photos — hence the more-frequent-than-anticipated posting. On the other hand, I doubt I'll get to see flightless cormorants because day tours don't visit Fernandina and the western side of Isabela; only the cruise ships visit those places. Food's understandably expensive, although not outrageous, and accommodation ranges from very cheap and good (guess where I'm staying) to better-not-to-ask; the choice is far greater than any of the guide books indicate, and in the off-season (now), I suspect it'd be easy to find somewhere without booking ahead.

That's all for now; more on the way (and a few from previous good times).

 

[10 September 2011 (Ecuador), Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/640 at f7.1] 

 
All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Yellow warbler, Santa Cruz, Galápagos

This little male Yellow (or Mangrove) warbler visited me as I ate pancakes for breakfast at El Chocolate and looked out at the fish-cleaning station where pelicans, lava gulls, a blue-footed booby and a sea lion all lurked hoping for morsels. Although remarkably unafraid, some of the birds, particularly the small, energetic types like this one, can be difficult to photograph — always on the move, always moving just at the point at which one presses the shutter release. Perhaps he took pity on me this time, or maybe he's just a poser.
 

[8 September 2011 (Ecuador), Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 214 mm, ISO 400, 1/800 at f5.1]  

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor

Marine Iguana, Galápagos

I made it to the Galápagos. I'm on Santa Cruz, leaving for Isabela on Thursday. This place is wonderful — I might not leave ;^) It's the only place I've ever had a bird land on the lens of my camera (more about that later). I don't pick favourite animals, but I think I'm in love with these little iguanas. They're much smaller than I'd expected — a really big one might reach 50 cm but most are much smaller, and man, do they know how to relax! They find a nice spot, often in the middle of a footpath, and spread themselves out as if they've been dropped from the sky. I'm learning to watch where I walk.


[6 September 2011 (Ecuador), Panasonic Lumix GH1, 100–300 mm at 300 mm, ISO 400, 1/400 at f6.3]  

All content © 2011 Pete McGregor