More Galapagos

The bird life on the Galapagos Islands was spectacular. In addition to the Blue Footed Booby, we got a chance to get a really good look at a species found only here, namely the only known Cormorants that have over time lost their ability to fly. 

The Galapagos Cormorant over time adapted to the unique environment by developing the ability to swim as though it was a marine species, giving it the ability to get its food from the sea. The Cormorant’s large wings made it slow in the water – over time they changed to where they are almost flippers. Since they can’t fly, they live and breed in a very small, confined area.

The Galapagos Penguin is the only penguin species residing at the Equator, and interestingly enough, is the only penguin that resides north of the Equator. Apparently this is only possible due to the Humboldt and Cromwell currents, some of which come up from the southern tip of South America and bring cool waters that result in two things – conditions that allow the Galapagos Penguin to survive, and conditions that create an abundance of sea life that feed the abundant residents. These guys were fun to watch either on land, or swimming like fish – or maybe I should say like Galapagos Cormorants!

There are 13 different species of the Darwin Finches on the Galapagos Islands. They actually belong to the Tanager family rather than the Finch family, and all likely descended from the same South American Tanager species, then adapted to their new environment. They got their name in that their variations from island to island when Charles Darwin visited on the Beagle in the early 1830’s aroused in him his theory on the origin of species, and evolution.

Every day the majestic Frigate birds would soar along over our ship, seeming to take advantage of our draft and they glided nearly motionless, with virtually no wing movement at all giving us a grand view of their deeply forked tail. These guys tend to hang around the Equator, so you can find them in northern South America as well as Africa. It was the beginning of mating season, so the male Frigates had adopted their bright red chests to lure a mate. We got a chance to see a couple of the males who had inflated their gular sac – it is quite a site to witness.

We were surprised to learn that Flamingoes are very visible residents of the Galapagos Islands. Because of the abundance of crustaceans in the waters surrounding the Islands, these wild Flamingoes display some of the deepest pink colors we have ever witnessed. While they are not particularly unique to the Galapagos Islands, and while they didn’t really have to evolve much to thrive here, they were still a joy to see in the wild.

We saw all the water birds we expected to see. We saw some Great Blue Heron chilling in the tidal pools, munching on the abundant food. We saw a lot of Great White Egrets doing pretty much the same thing. My favorites were the Striated Herons. They look very much like the Green Herons we see in the South Padre Islands, and even occasionally in Vegas. While similar, their apparent striped coloration really makes them striking. Striated Heron are generally non-migratory, so we never saw these guys in Texas – they pretty much just stay here.

Talk to you soon.