In 2010 it was a three week trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, once again the quality of photography was not of the highest and this was combined with some difficulties with the memory cards that meant quite a bit of the first part of the trip around Ecuador and the Amazon Jungle were lost. I have managed to show some of the key moments and events, but my overall memory of the complete itinerary is much reduced.
We arrived in Guayaquil after a stop over in Miami that was horrendous that created a vow never to travel to that airport ever again. From Guayquil we headed into the centre of Ecuador, which meant climbing to a maximum altitude of just over 4,000 metres. Travelling from sea level this was very difficult and at times vision was almost black and white and even walking was very difficult.
Our first destination was Cuenca, a city in Ecuador's southern Andes and a designated UNESCO site. Its central plaza is home to a beautiful blue-domed cathedral, the Catedral Nueva. Cuenca, though is probably better known for being the home of the Panama Hat.
A string of volcanoes can be found running north to south through Ecuador, some like Cotopaxi are active volcanoes, while others are inactive. We were taken up Chimborazo, and inactive volcano, but the highest in Ecuador at 6,263 metres. We were taken up to about 4,000 metres and then given the opportunity to climb to 4,300 metres.
The digestion process takes a really long time– up to 45
hours– which is why these birds spend about 80% of their time lounging around;
they often aren’t able to fly when their crops are engorged with fermenting
leaves. Even on an empty crop, the Hoatzin isn’t a strong flyer because its
sternum and flight muscles are less developed than those of other flying birds.
There’s only so much room in the body of a Hoatzin and the flight muscles may
have been reduced during the evolution of the species to make room for that
huge crop.
Hoatzins reportedly not only smell bad, their taste is also
pretty unpleasant. Maybe that’s why they haven’t been over-hunted like many
birds.
Hoatzins build their nests in branches that overhang bodies
of water, laying 2-3 eggs per brood. Each Hoatzin chick has two claws on
the digits of each wing for the first 3 months of its life. If a Hoatzin nest
is approached by a predator, the chicks will drop from the nest into the water
below. These capable swimmers paddle to
safety and hide along the bank until the predator moves on. Then they use
their little claws to climb back up the tree and into the nest.
The presence of wing claws in Hoatzin chicks once led
scientists to investigate the possibility of a link between this species and
the long-extinct Archaeopteryx, one of the earliest known flying animals
that is related to early birds. But it turns out that numerous birds– including
familiar species like chickens, ducks, and ostriches– have claws on the digits
of their wings. These claws were present in the dinosaur ancestors of birds and
some modern bird lineages still have vestiges of that anatomy.
The Hoatzin has no close relatives that aren’t extinct. Genetic research in 2015 indicated that this species is the only living representative of a lineage that branched off of the avian family tree about 64 million years ago, shortly after the great extinction event that killed all of the non-avian dinosaurs.
The genetic/evolutionary relationship of the Hoatzin to
other birds is still a mystery. No amount of fossil or genetic data has yet to
clear up where exactly they belong on the evolutionary tree of birds. Some
previous research suggested the Hoatzin is most closely related to chickens
(birds in the order Galliformes), while other studies pointed to the cuckoos
(Cuculiformes) or one of several other groups as being the best match. One thing we do know (from genetic data) is
that the Hoatzin lineage is ancient and branches off of the avian family tree
near the base.
After the hummingbirds the Hoatzin was probably the bird of the trip.
Another highlight from one of the river cruises was a group of River Dolphins, known as either Boto or Pink River Dolphin. To visitors of the Amazon, the “boto”, or pink river dolphin is a rare and beautiful creature.. In reality, the pink river dolphin is one of two species of endangered freshwater dolphins that are found in similar locations throughout the Amazon and Orinoco river basins.
The Amazon pink river dolphin is the subject of many South
American folklore, not all benevolent. One such legend claims that the dolphins
morph into handsome men known as “boto encantado” to seduce and impregnate
womenfolk by night. Another claims that if you go swimming alone, the dolphins
may whisk you away to a magical underwater city, which has led to the local
fear of going near the water between dusk and dawn, or entering water bodies
solo. It is considered bad luck to harm the dolphins, and even worse luck to
eat them.
Although Amazon pink river dolphins are famous for its pink hue, they weren’t born this way. The dolphins are actually born gray and slowly turn pink as they age. Male dolphins are strikingly pinker than their female counterparts; the coloration thought to be a product of scar tissue resulting from rough games or fighting over conquests. However, their final color can be influenced by their behavior, capillary placement, diet, and exposure to sunlight; with brighter pinks attracting more attention from the females. These river dolphins can sport markings that range from mostly gray with some pink spots, to full flamingo pink.
Pink river dolphins are super agile, as the vertebrae in their necks are unfused, unlike other dolphins. The ability to turn their heads to an angle of 90 degrees allows them to maneuver around tree trunks, rocks, and other obstacles. They can also swim forward with one flipper while paddling backward with the other, letting them turn with more precision. They can often be seen swimming upside down, possibly to help them see the bottom of the river better. Despite their small eyes they have good sight above and underwater and have no trouble navigating the Amazon’s muddy waters to catch their prey thanks to an excellent sense of echolocation.
One event of note from the visit to the Amazon was a trip to the local village, there we met the tribe leader and his very annoyed wife who was not that complimentary to him. We were invited to drink and taste the sacred drink of the Amazon jungle. The locals, mostly women, chew yuca and spit the masticated root into jars for fermentation. The resulting alcoholic beverage is the local staple called masato. Refusing to drink is social suicide. The bowls with what was a white sticky liquid in them were passed around and I must admit to pretending to drink, the smell was bad enough.
What masato is not and is sometimes confused with is Ayahuasca is a South American psychoactive and entheogenic brewed drink, traditionally used both socially and as a ceremonial or shamanic spiritual medicine among the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin.
The visit though is best remembered for the vampire bat that fell from the roof, the wife ran out into the middle of us and beat the bat with a broom, then the chickens ran in and ripped it apart, all this to stunned silence from the visitors, due to the spectacle that was playing out and the fact that we now realised there were vampires in the roofs.
Once back in Coco we transferred to Quito where we stayed before flying to Guayquil and the transfer to the Galapagos. The best said about Quito was that it is a city at 2,850 metres above sea level and a population of just over two million. I can remember little about it other than the equator park (Ecuador was named for the equator, the name meaning equator in Spanish) and the way the urban sprawl followed the sides of the valley.
We arrived in Guayaquil and then transferred to the flight to the Galapagos where we met our cruise ship for the seven day tour around the Galapagos islands. It was just over a two hour flight to the Seymour airport on Baltra
Timing of the visits to the islands is again hazy so I will focus on what was seen. I do know that we started off visiting the island of North Seymour for the Blue-footed Boobys and the Magnificent Frigatebird colony.
Named after the English nobleman Lord Hugh
Seymour, North Seymour was formed by a series of uplifts of submarine lava
along with Baltra and the north-eastern part of Santa Cruz, resulting in flat
plateaus.
The highlight of a visit to North Seymour Island in the Galapagos archipelago is seeing the large male Magnificent Frigatebirds. During mating season they inflate their gular sacs, which are vivid red, in hopes of attracting a female flying overhead
Frigatebirds soar effortlessly over the ocean rarely
flapping their long, pterodactyl-like wings and using the long tail to steer.
Though they are frequently seen soaring, they are masters of pursuit. They
chase other birds including frigatebirds, forcing them to regurgitate their
recent meal, which they scoop up before it hits the water. Their gracefulness
ends as soon as they head towards land, where they awkwardly perch in low
shrubs and trees. Their strong toes help them hold onto branches, posts, and
boat masts, but their small feet in combination with their short legs makes it
nearly impossible for them to walk on land. On land, males often flutter the
balloonlike throat sac (or "gular pouch") to cool off. Males and
females also regulate their body temperature by holding up their wings up to
sun themselves. To get airborne, they flap a few times and use the wind to help
lift them into the air. Male Magnificent Frigatebirds gather in groups to court
females. They perch in low trees and shrubs with their red throat sac inflated
like a balloon and clatter their bills, waving their heads back and forth, and
calling at females flying overhead. Females choose a mate and begin building a
nest on the male's display perch. The pair stays together for up to 3 months,
after which the male leaves and the female raises the chick alone for up to 1
year.
The other attraction here are the Blue-Footed Boobies. Blue-footed boobies are aptly named, and males take great pride in their fabulous feet. During mating rituals, male birds show off their feet to prospective mates with a high-stepping strut. The bluer the feet, the more attractive the mate.
They live off the western coasts of Central and South America. The Galápagos Islands population includes about half of all breeding pairs of blue-footed boobies.
Land iguanas were introduced to North Seymour in 1932 by
Allan Hancock, they were moved by ship from Baltra Island, where they were
starving because introduced rats, cats and dogs were devastating the vegetation After eradicating the introduced species on Baltra,
the Land Iguanas were successfully reintroduced to Baltra in 1991.
Land iguanas are not as long as marine iguanas and are coloured
differently. The colour of Galapagos land iguanas varies from light brown to
yellow and amber, with black usually on their back and tails.
The other stand out species were the Sea lions
And the Swallow-tailed Gulls.
The Swallow-tailed Gull is a stunning and distinctive bird.
Breeding adults are mostly pearly grey with a black head, red eye ring, pinkish
legs, and a pale-tipped bill with a white spot at the base. In flight, note
striking three-toned wing pattern with grey, white, and black.
The next day was a visit to Espanola, and the Waved Albatross colony.
The Waved Albatross is the largest bird in Galapagos with a
wingspan of up to two and a half metres. Both sexes have a white head with
a creamy yellow crown and neck while the body is mainly chestnut brown with a
white breast and underwing. They have a dull yellow bill which appears too long
for their small heads, and bluish feet. They get their name from the wave
like pattern on the adults’ wings. As with all albatrosses they are exceptional
gliders and spend the vast portion of their lives above the open ocean.
One of their most interesting behaviours is their courtship dance, which includes bill circling, bill clacking, head nodding, a waddle and a cow-like moo. The courtship ritual is most complex and especially drawn out for new breeding pairs and pairs which had an unsuccessful breeding season.
Couples mate for life and each breeding season the
female lays a single egg on bare ground. The couple take it in turns to
incubate the egg for up to two months until it hatches. Several weeks after
hatching, chicks will be left in ‘nursery’ groups, allowing the parents to go
off and feed. On their return, the parents will regurgitate a pre-digested
oily liquid for the chicks to feed on. Around five and half months after
hatching, chicks will be developed enough to start flying and once
fully fledged the birds will spend up to six years out at sea before
returning to find a partner.
During the non-breeding and chick rearing periods the whole population migrates and can be found between the eastern waters off Galapagos and the coasts between Colombia and Peru. Often they congregate in rafts while sitting on the sea surface. They feed mainly on fish, squid and other invertebrates, often scavenging near fishing boats. They often feed at night when the squid swim closer to the surface. They are also known to steal food from other species such as boobies.
There is estimated to be between 50,000 and 70,000 individuals with approximately 12,000 breeding pairs. The main breeding grounds are on Espanola, The only time they are not on land is January to March. Eggs are laid from April to June and incubated for two months. The offspring eventually leave the colony by January the following year and spend the next six years out to sea before returning to find a mate.
Nazca boobies are white with black feathers on their tails.
The males have yellow or orange beaks, while the female’s beak is far paler and
has a more pinkish tone. However, their colours do slightly vary between
different populations. Females are also slightly larger in size. Nazca boobies
were differentiated from the masked boobies due to the difference in their bill
colour, their larger size and breeding range.
Nazca boobies catch fish by plunge-diving into the waters from heights of up to 30 metres. They usually forage in the coastal waters surrounding the Islands. They consume small fish such as sardines, but also eat flying fish, squid and anchovies during periods of El Niño, when sardines are less abundant in the marine environment. Females will dive deeper and catch slightly larger fish.
Some more of the Blue-footed Boobies.
While cruising there were birds alongside the ship
A Galapagos Shearwater
But probably the most impressive thing seen from the ship were two Galapagos Sharks that were attracted to the ship's light one evening when anchored. They would cruise back and forth and at around three to four metres long looked very menacing.
There are some iconic views around the Galapagos islands, but perhaps this one is the most famous, Pinnacle Rock on Bartolome.
We were there when the sun was getting low in the sky hence the long shadows and golden hue.
Bartolomé Island is a volcanic islet in the Galápagos
Islands group, just off the east coast of Santiago Island. It is
one of the "younger" islands in the Galápagos archipelago.
This island, and Sulivan Bay on Santiago island, are named after naturalist and
lifelong friend of Charles Darwin, Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan, who was
a lieutenant aboard HMS Beagle.
Being one of the younger islands there is little in the way of vegetation and the rock and soil produce an environment and landscape very akin to that seen in photographs and illustration of the planet Mars.
Pinnacle Rock, is a celebrated volcanic plug on Bartolomé
Island, it is in Sullivan Bay, part of a channel that separates Bartolomé from
nearby Santiago Island. A volcanic plug is a volcanic object
created when magma hardens within a vent on an active
volcano. The rock is part of a now largely eroded volcanic dike that
once connected the two islands.
Before walking around the island we had the chance to swim and snorkel around the base of the rock. Galápagos penguins can be found in the area, and a small cave behind Pinnacle Rock houses a breeding colony. We were fortunate enough to find one penguin, but that is enough.
The Galápagos penguin is a penguin endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is the only penguin found north of the equator (just). Ninety percent of Galápagos penguins live on Fernandina Island and the west coast of Isabela Island, in the western part of the archipelago, but small populations also occur on Santiago and Bartolomé. The cool waters of the Humboldt and Cromwell Currents allow it to survive despite the tropical latitude.
It is the second smallest species of penguin, after
the little penguin. Females are usually smaller than males. Galápagos
penguins have a black head with a white border running from behind the eye,
around the black ear coverts and chin, to join on the throat. The top of the
beak is black and fades into pink on the bottom. They have two black bands across the breast
that connect to the back, the lower band extending down the flanks to the thigh
The crab is a popular animal on the islands due to its remarkable bright colour and its agility. It is able to dance among the deep black lava rocks and withstand the crashing waves of the Pacific.
The crab is rumoured to have been named after a Caribbean dancer,
thanks to its agility and her lightfoot way of dancing. The Sally
Lightfoot crab has ten legs and can run in four directions. Additionally, their
spectacular time reaction and speed makes it seem as if they could predict the
mind of their predator and makes them next to impossible to capture.
The marine iguana is the only lizard in the world with the
ability to live and forage at sea and is endemic to the Galapagos Archipelago.
There are eleven very similar subspecies, found on different islands, with those
from Isabela and Fernandina being the largest.
The adults are black for most of the year, however the males change colour during the mating season – with different subspecies adopting different colourations. Near Española and Floreana they are most colourful – turning bright green and red; on Santa Cruz they are red and black; and on Fernandina they become dull green and brick red. The juveniles are generally black, with a lighter dorsal stripe than the adults. During the mating season males fight for dominance over harems of females, which they will fiercely defend from rival males.
Studies suggest that Marine Iguanas diverged from its sister group, the Galápagos Land Iguanas, around 4.5 million years ago. Marine iguanas are most noted for their ability to feed in shallow, marine waters. They are herbivores and eat marine algae growing along rocky shores and underwater. In the water, they swim with a snake-like motion and hold themselves against the bottom with their long claws to graze. Though they feed in the water, marine iguanas are predominately terrestrial. They are often observed warming themselves in the sun, and they nest along the shore.
Marine iguanas are also known for their very efficient salt
glands, where they “sneeze” out salt. Because they feed underwater, they
ingest a large amount of saltwater. In order to prevent dehydration, they
must expel salt without expelling water, so they have specialized glands that
remove salt from their blood.
Despite not being truly social, iguanas are highly gregarious – especially on cold nights when they tend to group together to conserve heat. In the morning, they bask in the sun, absorbing heat with their black scales until they have enough energy to swim out to sea to forage. Upon entering the water, their heartbeat slows to half its normal pace in order to conserve energy and allow them to feed for as long as possible.
Once the original Grassquits arrived at Galapagos, they
diversified and adapted to the different environments found on the Islands,
eventually becoming different species. They famously evolved to have different
beaks which are suited to different food types such as large seeds and
invertebrates, allowing them to occupy different niches.
Darwin’s finches are all very similar in shape, size and colour, but there are a few differences which can help when identifying them. These include diet, habitat, and beak size and shape. These two are the medium sized bill.
As with all turtles, Galapagos green turtles have an
ingenious way to clean their bodies of salts; they are able to cry the
excess salt in ‘tears’ from special glands underneath their eyes to keep a
stable inner environment.
Galapagos Sea Lions are one of two types of seal found in Galapagos and are part of the eared seal family – having external ear pinnae. They are most abundant marine mammal in the Archipelago, Galapagos sea lions can often be seen sleeping on the beaches or swimming close to shore. But one encounter we had was with them under water.
Galapagos fur seals are typically found on the rocky shores
of the western islands of the Galapagos Archipelago. They are endemic to the
Islands and due to their decreasing population size, they are classed as
endangered.
These Fur seals were photographed on the island of Genovesa.
They are very similar in appearance to the Galapagos sea lion, however there are some key differences for telling them apart. Fur seals are generally smaller with broader and shorter heads. The fur seals have bulging eyes and ears that protrude more than sea lions’, and larger front flippers that aid in climbing rockier ground. The biggest difference is probably in their coat, which is much thicker than that of the sea lions.
The Marine Iguana is the most numerous visible lizards on the islands, but Lava lizards are some of the most abundant reptiles throughout Galapagos. They look similar to miniature iguanas and are often found in large groups warming up in the sun atop lava, which gives the group its common name.
And sometimes it is not just the lava they sit on.
These large cold-blooded reptiles have a mutualistic relationship with finches – which can often be seen sitting on their backs, picking ticks from between their scales.
The population of land iguanas has undergone a severe
decline over the last 150 years
Six endemic species of prickly pear cacti (Opuntia) can be
found in the Galapagos, some of which have multiple varieties.
Giant tortoises were once so abundant on the Galápagos
archipelago off Ecuador that the Spanish sailors who explored the region in
1535 named the string of islands for them. (The Spanish word for tortoise
is galápago.) Although the islands were once thought to be home to at
least 250,000 tortoises, only about 15,000 remain in the wild today.
Scientists believe that Galápagos tortoises migrated from
South America to the archipelago some two to three million years ago. By
1835, when Charles Darwin arrived for the expedition that would ultimately
inspire his theory of natural selection, these tortoises had evolved into
distinct yet closely related species. The similarities among the animals were
so striking that scientists long debated whether they were actually
different types of the same species.
Now, however, the scientific community generally
accepts that there are 13 living species of Galápagos tortoise. One of
them, Chelonoidis donfaustoi, was not identified until 2015, when
researchers determined that the tortoises on the island of Santa Cruz are in
fact two separate species. At least two species have gone extinct.
These photographs were taken on the island of Santa Cruz and were in a captive pen. We were not allowed to see wild native tortoises of the various different species.
Galápagos tortoises lead an uncomplicated life, grazing
on grass, leaves, and cactus, basking in the sun, and resting for nearly
16 hours per day. A slow metabolism and an ability to store large amounts of
water mean they can survive up to a year without eating or drinking.
Galápagos tortoises play a key role in shaping their ecosystem by dispersing
plant seeds in their dung.
Hunted as food by pirates, whalers, and traders from the
17th through the 19th centuries, between 100,000 and 200,000 Galápagos
tortoises are estimated to have been killed off. Tortoises were also
hunted for their oil, which was used to power lamps.
Today, non-native species that settlers introduced to the
islands—including feral pigs, dogs, cats, rats, goats, and donkeys—are a
persistent threat, preying on tortoise eggs and hatchlings and competing with
giant tortoises for food.
In 1959, the Ecuadorian government created Galápagos
National Park to protect the tortoises’ habitat.
Captive breeding efforts in the Galápagos are yielding
positive results. The Galápagos Conservancy has raised more than 7,000
tortoises of various species in captivity and released all of them into
the wild. Chelonoidis hoodensis, a species of saddleback tortoise
from Española Island, has grown from a population of just 14 tortoises to more
than a thousand.
Tortoises were the last specialty on the Galapagos and we returned to the mainland and the capital Quito once again.
Our final excursion was a visit to the cloud forest in Mindo, one of the primary bird watching spots in the country. A walk around the roads and countryside produced the following.
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