Galapagos Islands Adventure 2009 – Part 8

Entering the cove we see Blue-footed Boobies lining the rocky shoreline along with Lava Herons, Striated Herons, Yellow-crowned Night Herons and Pelicans. Finches and Yellow Warblers are heard more often than seen.

Brown Noddies feed in the shallows. Often waiting for pelican to dive for fish, the noddies will land on the pelicans’ head and pick up the stunned baitfish that fall from its bill!

Entering the shallowest areas in the estuary can be tricky, but well worth the effort! We often find Golden Rays, White-tipped Reef Sharks and other surprises.

Polarized sunglasses help us see into the water, and polarized filters on the cameras also remove the reflections to allow the camera to see underwater.

We find our prize… at least a dozen of the ‘Galapagos Black’ sub-species of the Green Sea Turtle are visible with our polarizers. The swim slowly in circles. Males, I suspect, waiting for a female to arrive.

Every few minutes they raise their head out of the water for a breath. The cameras click and the head disappears.

Exiting the cove we find a familiar friend, a Great Blue Heron. Not uncommon in the Galapagos, they do have an attitude with which we are unfamiliar… no fear of man.

Allowing close up photos from many photographers, he seemed un-phased as the sun set and we returned to our yacht.

Next island… South Plaza…