Galapagos Islands Cruise aboard the National Geographic Islander Nov 06—15, 2010
Posted by Paul Greenfield
Paul Greenfield
Paul Greenfield grew up near New York City and became interested in birds as a child. He received his B.F.A. from Temple University where he was an art major at the Tyler S...Related Trips
Our November 2010 Galapagos Cruise aboard the National Geographic Islander confirmed once again just what a total experience Galapagos presents. Ocean cruising, Zodiac rides, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, sea-watching, great cuisine, beach-bumming, great lectures, wildlife observation, and of course, as an integral part of it all…birding. All of this on the most fascinating of oceanic archipelagos, straddling the equator, yet with cool waters, fearless animals, and more unique daily experiences than one could possibly imagine.
Daily excursions, sights, and experiences were so varied that it quickly became impossible to keep track of time. Each of us probably had our personal favorite island and memories of what we saw and did. I can only mention briefly a few of my own, and those that I think must have impacted most of us: snorkeling with playful and curious sea lions and penguins, the improbable Flightless Cormorant, green sea turtles, white-tipped reef-sharks, huge manta rays, or garish tropical fish; an impressive pod of striped dolphins, visits by common bottle-nosed dolphins, and sightings of Bryde's whales all from aboard ship; walking "through time" on lava flows; and observing nature's life processes as firsthand as one could hope to get. We watched the displays of dancing boobies, ballooning frigatebirds, and dueling albatrosses and saw many seabird chicks, perhaps the coolest belonging to Waved Albatross. We observed such beauties as Swallow-tailed Gull and Red-billed Tropicbird as close as one could ever have wished for, and saw all the local endemics possible based on our itinerary. We even enticed many of the "non-birders" aboard the Islander to take a walk on the "wild" side… in "our" world… and I think they even enjoyed it!
Through it all, it seemed hard to ignore the spirit of Charles Darwin and what he must have puzzled over as he formulated his theory on the Origin of the Species based on things he saw and experienced on these very islands.
The birding formed an integral part of this macro/micro-experience: spotting shorebirds while stepping over basking marine iguanas and sea lions; comparing Magnificent and Great frigatebird chicks while getting closeup studies of land iguanas and lava lizards; and spying seabirds off the bow of our ship while enjoying dolphin and whale sightings. We studied Darwin's finches at every turn and even saw examples of the new split in what was once the Warbler Finch—now considered two separate species. Most all species were seen ridiculously well, basically at our feet, and we were fortunate enough to be able to enjoy excellent looks at the often elusive Galapagos Martin. We lucked out with super looks at a group of Red-footed Boobies that opted for a swim right alongside our ship as we took an ad-lib swing around Enderby Islet in the hopes of getting a chance at just glimpsing the species.
The Galapagos Islands cannot be adequately described, nor can the experience of being there be transmitted effectively to others by stories or pictures, of which hundreds or even thousands were taken, but are something that must be taken in firsthand—you've got to walk the walk—it's just the way it is!