June 25, 2008

2008 Itinerary

We awakened this morning to the sounds of bird calls and surf. A beach walk at 7 am revealed conch shells, beautifully colored rocks, sand dollars, a puffer fish and many boats bringing in their daily catch to be cleaned and sold. A male Magnificent Frigatebird, with its black body and red throat pouch, watched from atop a power pole as native Ecuadorian fishermen cleaned their catch at the community market. Following our morning beach stroll, we relaxed on the porch of our hotel, the Hotel Mandala in Puerto Lopez, and enjoyed a breakfast of fresh fruits, fresh breads with jam and butter, coffee, juice and eggs.

After breakfast, we met our guide, Adam, and the crew of the Explora I for an all-day adventure to Isla de la Plata. The island is situated 40 km from the coast of Puerto Lopez and is comprised of continental crust, rather than being a volcanic island as the “true” Galapagos are. On Isla de la Plata the animal life is very similar to that found on the Galapagos.

En route to the island, we spotted Humpback Whales surfacing to breathe (whales are mammals and must breathe air). When a whale’s blowhole (nostril) breaks the surface of the water, the whale forcibly exhales, causing a spout of moist air and water surrounding the blowhole to shoot many feet into the air. Spouting is what makes spotting whales an easier task. The size and shape of a spout can also be used to identify the species of whale that made it. For instance, a Humpback Whale’s blowhole is divided into two and therefore its spout typically has two columns. On our trip out to the island, Beth Howard was particularly skilled at spotting the whales. Almost every whale sighting had a similar pattern: a water spout followed by the breeching of the whale’s back. Occasionally a whale would surface more than once or show its tail fluke.

Once we arrived at the island, we went on an adventuresome hike a little over two miles long. The island is uninhabited and is run by the National Park Service of Ecuador. Our hike took us through steep terrain to the top of the island. Along the hike, we were treated to sightings of many birds in flight. Along the winding paths, we watched as male Blue-Footed Boobies, showing off their beautiful blue feet and pointing their necks skyward, performed mating dances for the females. We also saw numerous Nazca Boobies resting in their dirt nests (really just rings of excrement on the ground) as they incubated eggs on the tops of their feet. Sightings of an Albatross on its nest and a sea lion sunning itself on the rocks below a steep cliff added to our experience. Our hike back down Isla de la Plata ended with a welcome 4 pm lunch of tuna sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, watermelon and pineapple.

During our trip back to Puerto Lopez we spotted several more whales. When we arrived back on the beach, the local children offered to wash our feet, for a price. What an awe-inspiring, natural history-filled day for us all!

Q & A for June 25

<< Previous | Journal Home | Next >>