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
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
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
LAVA GULL
were very easy to find and followed in quick succession by the endemic
but what was spotted next would have been a shock to anyone
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.
GALAPAGOS DOVE
KILLDEER
an occassional visitor from the America's to Great Britain soon got things back on the rails.
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.
That first morning also entailed the finding of a
which had caught a
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'.
(examples of which are found at the Charles Darwin Centre)
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
with this my own crude offering enhanced by those of my dear friends
(French Guiana 2013) to whom this post is dedicated.
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
the most northerly of the Species in the World and the remarkable
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.
