Yellow Iguana
Iguanas in the Galapagos Islands come in several colors and some of them, like this one, are quite large. They were all very relaxed about the presence of people which made the photography much easier.
Sea Lion Mother and Pup
We saw several pups with their mother, some of which were nursing. We saw sea lions at almost every stop we made in the islands and most of them were asleep.
Sally Lightfoot Crab on Volcanic Rock
Sally Lightfoot Crabs were everywhere and because of their color they were pretty easy to spot. They are an endangered species so it is illegal to molest them but one of our guides said that they were not endangered when he was younger and the meat is very sweet.
Whitetip Reef Shark
We saw a few of these sharks as we snorkeled. They were entirely benign so there was no danger. One person dove down to one on the bottom and it simply swam away. Other fish stayed away from it but did not seem to panic.
Cacti on Lava
We visited Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island, site of a volcano and lava flow in the late 1800s. The many forms and patterns that the lava hardened into were very interesting from formations that looked like a vat of spilled pudding to twisted fibers. We saw just a few bursts of color like this on our walk on Santiago Island.
Red-footed Booby Chick
A very young booby chick at Darwin Bay on Isla Genovesa, still without any feathers, is kept warm by its very protective mother. They were in a bush at face height right next to a busy trail so it was easy to get a close-up shot. Darwin Bay is volcano cone so we anchored far over to one side because the center is way too deep for the anchor to reach.
Frigate Bird Resting
Still at Darwin Bay I got another close-up thanks to a bird with no apparent fear of humans. They are rather large birds, bigger than a red-tailed hawk.
Maddy and Red-footed Booby
Maddy, age 8, got a good look at a red-footed booby that was perched right next to one of the main trails at Darwin Bay.
Red-Footed Booby at Sunset
Late in the afternoon we climbed Prince Phillip's Steps, very steep and uneven stone steps to walk on one side of Isla Genovesa. The setting sun illuminated the booby's foot and shows the structure of the toes and webbing. It was scratching an itch on its chin.
Galapagos Tortoise
What would a visit to the Galapagos Islands be without seeing a tortoise? Just before leaving we went to a tortoise farm where we saw several. It turns out they are migratory animals, moving perhaps 10 kilometers up and down the hills with the seasons. The are, no surprise, very large and very heavy. When they cross a road vehicles have to stop or find a way around them although that can take some time.
