Island in the Sun - Harry Belafonte

With a combination of the rain clouds gathering, a lack of subject matter and the Strange Rover having been carted off to #3 Dry Dock in Portsmouth Dockyard we once again find ourselves in the position of having to reach for the archive to slake the thirst of a

Much Valued Audience! 

The matter of the motor is not a serious one, just annual inspection and MoT, (even though it looks like it could do with a

Class A dhobie as well) so with luck it’s Out and About again manana?

On my third visit to The Galapagos Islands and quite happy to take up temporary residence in the Castro Hotel situated just off the promenade in Puerto Ayora the main town of Santa Cruz Island as on previous trips there were 2 species of birds in the forefront of my mind. Don't ask me why, just simply favourites and not even new to me, we headed in the first instance to the Lava Flow Beach where also stands the local

Fish Market

both adult and

juvenile
LAVA GULL

were very easy to find and followed in quick succession by the endemic

GALAPAGOS (Lave) HERON
but what was spotted next would have been a shock to anyone

the body of a man.
It took quite some time to get the fact over to these detectives who simply took my details should they need to speak with me again.

A second endemic and an addition to the World List
GALAPAGOS DOVE

along with a wayward and scarce visitor to the Islands
KILLDEER

an occassional visitor from the America's to Great Britain soon got things back on the rails.

   MAIN TOWN PIER

Each early morning after that there was a meeting on the quey-side with one of the Charter Boat Captains with great language difficulties but a respect that started by us saluting each other.

CAPTAIN JOSE

Inner Harbour

That first morning also entailed the finding of a

HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL
which had caught a

SALLY LIGHTFOOT CRAB
but what the hell was it going to do with it? Before my very eyes it first shook off the clump claw followed by the secondary then the 8 legs in turn. Unbelievably afterwards it simply swallowed the 6 inch diametre body whole. Knowing full well I'd get carried away, let's get back to the 'pictorial'.

    Of all the Birds on The Galapagos the Finches are the most trying, with each species looking much the same as the others.

SMALL GROUND FINCH (female)

SMALL GROUND FINCH (male)

MARINE IGUANA

MEDIUM GROUND FINCH

LAND IGUANA

LARGE GROUND FINCH (male)

LARGE GROUND FINCH (female)

MEDIUM CACTUS FINCH

VEGETARIAN FINCH

FLOREANA GIANT TORTOISE
(examples of which are found at the Charles Darwin Centre)

MEDIUM TREE FINCH

WARBLER FINCH
and likely most prized of them all and it is believed the only bird in the world
that uses a 'tool' to capture its prey the

WOODPECKER FINCH
with this my own crude offering enhanced by those of my dear friends

Frenchman Jean Francois Ozoux and Thai wife Roong
(French Guiana 2013) to whom this post is dedicated.

WOODPECKER FINCH

with 'tool'.
The final day began early on the pier as the others had in the company of
Captain Jose
who had a little trick up his sleeve, an invitation to sail with him and 2 young Finnish couples
who wished to swim with the Sealions!
What a coup as adding c2 LIFERS to the World List

GALAPAGOS PENGUIN
the most northerly of the Species in the World and the remarkable

GALAPAGOS HAWK
Breaking off only for a lunch of Fish caught at our anchorage there was also time to zoom around the headland to re-acquaint with the most eye-catching of all the Gull species in the World.

SWALLOW-TAILED GULL

juvenile

adults.