Galápagos Day 4, Part 1: Urbina Bay

Isabela Island is the largest island in the archipelago. At one point, it was six separate islands. However, over time, as the volcanoes grew in size, their resulting islands grew, and they merged into one large landmass. Not only does the island constitute about half of the total surface area of the archipelago, Isabela is shaped liked a seahorse.

We started on the western side of the island, at Urbina Bay. Here, in 1954, there was a huge uplift, and nearly half a square mile rose dramatically from the sea, stranding all creatures. It's pretty amazing. Today, we were on the lookout for land iguanas during our hike. Jason didn't want to get everyone's hopes up, but he told me that there was also a good chance we'd see giant tortoises. Not only would this be our first sighting, but if we did, it would be in the wild, a rare treat.

 Rather a different scale, but this little hermit crab greeted us on the beach.

 And we were in luck! There were a number of large females grazing on the foliage just off the beach. Some were solo, some were in pairs. These are Alcedo Volcano tortoises -- each volcano is home to a distinct species. And you can tell them apart by the shape and distinctive line formations of the scutes on their shells. Well, the experts can, at any rate.

 Yup, giant tortoise tracks. This will probably never come up in a tracking class, but I'm now ready for giant tortoise and marine iguana, in case.

 Two females heading off to catch some shade. The sun was getting intense at this point.

 Finches! Definitely a Darwin island, with tortoises, finches, and iguanas. We saw lots of small and medium ground finches this hike. (Thank goodness for the guides -- I never could tell the finches apart. They're small and fast, and we didn't get to study them for hours at a time.)

 Isn't she lovely? Right in the middle of the path. Amazing how the front legs look like they completely twist over at the end of the walking cycle.

 Overexposed, and uncorrected, image. But, look at the lines on her face, the scuff marks on her shell. What a story she could tell. And so sweet and gentle.

 Pretty serious claws on the back feet for digging. 

 Ah, now to match my poor botany notes with my photos. I believe this pretty plant is the one they call Galápagos cotton. Brought by the Inka? Rafted over on a log? Theories abound.

 This is yellow cordia. It's found all over the islands. They also get called Galápagos gum. The flowers are small as they are pollinated by a nocturnal moth.

 Turn the corner and look what's on the path.

 Slide by the tortoise, continue straight for a few meters, turn another corner, and voilà, land iguana.

 Actually, as we stood there, along came another. And they started posturing. Front feet planted, head up, then rapid head bobbing. Not much noise, though quite the display.

 Then we noticed a third. See the differences from the marine iguanas? Not just the color, adapted for being in the sun, but also the face, which doesn't have to shorten the rostrum in order to eat algae off of rocks. Jason figured that there probably was a female in the nearby shrubs, so we had a bit of a territory war going on. So we hung around....

 And no fight occurred. Two walked away.

 This is an iguana burrow.

And more tortoises, of course. Many people do travel to the Galápagos. And while the giant tortoises are very large animals, and certainly among the most famous and celebrated, the grand majority of visitors only see them in captivity at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. They are endangered, and many folks don't get to visit the islands where they are still wild. More, if people are there, their visits don't often intersect with the tortoises. We were so lucky this trip, seeing them in the wild two separate times and on two separate islands. Pretty remarkable. 

What else from Isabela? Goats and donkeys are gone, which is huge. But paper wasps reign. These are also invasive introduced species, and they are still figuring out the effects, besides being a nuisance to visitors. (Two of the teenagers in my group were stung.) There are poisonous trees like a crab apple, which the tortoises love. We saw monarch and queen and sulphur butterflies. And carpenter bees, which I love. Actually, that may have been the point where I first bonded with our guide -- I can't imagine they ever expect travelers to proclaim their love for carpenter bees, and be able to discuss the truly incredible nature of pollinators and the devastating effects that they are suffering now and the potential implications of that.... Yes, I know. And my dear cousin is fond of reminding me by asking if we really are related.