Santa Cruz Island
The sun was up when we arrived to Academy Bay; the wind blew from the north east, but it wasn’t strong, only a soft breeze, therefore boats in the bay pointed to diverse directions. The island looked amazingly beautiful from the ship, and once there, with our feet on land, its beauty was even more astonishing. We saw giant tortoises at the breeding centre, and we met Lonesome George, the famous solitary male from Pinta Island. We had lunch in the highlands, where we discovered a new species in the most unusual place: a barn owl, in the men’s restroom!
The afternoon found us visiting lava tunnels in the highlands of Santa Cruz, and encountering tortoises in the wild. Some guests went to the pit craters, which possess not only interesting geology, but fascinating vegetation. Giant Scalesias crowded the area where we spotted new kinds of Darwin’s finches such as the woodpecker finch, small and large tree finch. The vermillion flycatcher was a highlight for most of us, but once on board, we had a few more novelties.
Ros Cameron from the Charles Darwin Research Station, shared with us the great things going on in the Galápagos, and Scott Henderson, from Conservation International, spoke about the marine reserve, its problems, and its pros. It was an interesting panel where many participated with questions, and I think the overall conclusion was that even tough there are many problems, we are on the right track. This is in thanks to many factors: organizations dedicated to the cause, companies like Lindblad that work hard to be so much involved in conservation, and visitors to the Galápagos who become its ambassadors. We learned so much, we saw so much; we experienced Santa Cruz in absolute!
The sun was up when we arrived to Academy Bay; the wind blew from the north east, but it wasn’t strong, only a soft breeze, therefore boats in the bay pointed to diverse directions. The island looked amazingly beautiful from the ship, and once there, with our feet on land, its beauty was even more astonishing. We saw giant tortoises at the breeding centre, and we met Lonesome George, the famous solitary male from Pinta Island. We had lunch in the highlands, where we discovered a new species in the most unusual place: a barn owl, in the men’s restroom!
The afternoon found us visiting lava tunnels in the highlands of Santa Cruz, and encountering tortoises in the wild. Some guests went to the pit craters, which possess not only interesting geology, but fascinating vegetation. Giant Scalesias crowded the area where we spotted new kinds of Darwin’s finches such as the woodpecker finch, small and large tree finch. The vermillion flycatcher was a highlight for most of us, but once on board, we had a few more novelties.
Ros Cameron from the Charles Darwin Research Station, shared with us the great things going on in the Galápagos, and Scott Henderson, from Conservation International, spoke about the marine reserve, its problems, and its pros. It was an interesting panel where many participated with questions, and I think the overall conclusion was that even tough there are many problems, we are on the right track. This is in thanks to many factors: organizations dedicated to the cause, companies like Lindblad that work hard to be so much involved in conservation, and visitors to the Galápagos who become its ambassadors. We learned so much, we saw so much; we experienced Santa Cruz in absolute!
