Galápagos Day 3, Part 2: Punta Espinosa

We spent the afternoon at Punta Espinosa, on Fernandina Island. Fernandina is the westernmost island in the archipelago, and therefore the youngest. The island's volcano is nearly 5000 ft high, and is very active. As we came around in the boat, all we could see was lava -- lots and lots of black lava. 

And yet the island teems with life. Not much flora yet, just a few pioneer plants working to convert the basalt to soil, and some mangroves (white, red, and black, interestingly). But with tons of critters. The ocean upwellings are rich, and so the birds and marine life feast. We made a late afternoon landing so were able to see the island in incredible light.

 Marine iguanas do swim! Some of the group were in the water with them during snorkeling sessions. Their tale is flat on the sides, to better propel them through the water. It's pretty amazing to see them swim.

 I think this is one of my favorite pictures. Not only did I do a pretty good job with the contrast, but every time I see this, I think Henry V and the quote "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers....." Of course, these four could be female and were in a pile of probably fifty....

 Like this. After the cold of the ocean, they tend to clump together to regulate body heat and warm up. That, and sit in the sun with their black hides.

 The island is full of this lava, called pahoehoe in Hawaiian. It's "ropy." The field we were on was laid down in 1825.

 Lava cactus! So beautiful. If you look at their roots, you can see the soil they are creating. Amazing.

Yup, that's a crab on top of the iguana. Crabs are scavengers, and this one was having a bit of a snack.

 Brown pelicans are really big birds.

 Sea lions came by.....

and the sea turtles were there too. We had a bit of everything, surprisingly. Even a blue whale!! The senior naturalists were in agreement -- the plume, the size of the body we could see at that distance, the rate of travel -- it could only be a blue whale. WOW!

 Mature Sally Lightfoot crabs are this incredible color. They are stunning.

 Hehe! This iguana "sneezed" into the wind a few too many times, trying to extrude the salt from his system. I wonder if he can even see?

Flightless cormorants are one of the most unusual birds. As you can see, those wings aren't much use for flying. Over time, cormorants have evolved to reduce the size and utility of their wing function, as they have resorted more and more to diving and swimming for their food. They are incredibly agile in the water. Yet another example of evolution in action.

 Pretty! These are from a pencil-spined sea urchin.

 Idyllic. Everyone probably has this photo. 

 A reminder of the cycle of life. At another point in the trip, I caught a pile of marine iguanas resting on a decomposing carcass like this one, of one of their brethren.

 But with death often comes life. This is a placenta, with lots of flies buzzing on it, and several lava lizards enjoying the insect feast. Lots of life/death going on here.

 And just a few feet away, the day-old sea lion with its mom. And mom was not afraid to tell is if someone got too close!

 The only sign I saw noting that the islands belong to Ecuador.

We were back on the boat in time for cocktails at sunset. Another glorious day.