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GALAPAGOS: The Endemics Cruise
10 - 17 November 2006

WAVED ALBATROSS

Leader: Jose Illanes

Report written by Jose Illanes and Chuck Bell

ALL photos in this report were taken on this tour by Jose Illanes/Tropical Birding

Itinerary:
November 10: Fly to Baltra and North Seymour
November 11: Santa Cruz Island (Puerto Ayora)
November 12: San Cristobal and Española
November 13: Champion Islote and Floreana Island
November 14: Isabela Island (Punta Moreno)
November 15: Fernandina Island ( Punta Espinoza)
November 16: Genovesa Island
November 17: Playa Bachas

Daily Log:

10 November
After a short meeting with the group we went to the airport and took a morning flight to Baltra on the Galapagos via Guayaquil. We arrived in Baltra around noon and were met by Ivan, our Galapagos National Park Service guide, and a native of the islands. Soon after we were getting our first dose of endemics. We got our first of the infamous Darwin finches - Small and Medium Ground-finches - right out in front of the airport, as well as a Galapagos Dove. We boarded a bus which took us to the dock where we were met by our ship's long boats. While waiting near the dock we decided to check out the beaches closeby. As we got close to the benches we noticed that every bit of available space was already occupied by snoozing Sea Lions! They barely even opened an eye as we walked around them, this complete lack of wariness around humans is something that is common among many of the islands resident birds and animals and makes it such a dream destination for birders and photographers alike. We the boarded tour boat, the Yate Fragata (Frigatebird Yacht), and checked into our cabins.

MARINE IGUANA

LAVA LIZARD

We sailed over to North Seymour, got off our boat and began our first serious birding of the tour. We walked through some dry, leafless scrub on a low island peninsula. Human visitation to the Islands is strictly controlled. During the walk we saw a load of Galapagos Sea Lions, many with pups, a number of small Lava Lizards, in addition to some large Land Iguanas. Prehostoric-looking Magnificent Frigatebirds cruised overhead, and out at sea we saw our first of many Nazca Boobies with their striking pied plumage. We observed and photographed many nesting Frigatebirds at extremely close quarters, that included both Greater and Magnificent Frigatebirds, with the young of the Greater having rufous on its head and the adult having a green sheen on the back. We saw several male frigatebirds displaying their most photographed feature - their large vivid scarlet gular sacks. From both the beach and the boat, we observed Eliot's Storm Petrel and Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel. Our first full day on the Galapagos was just wonderful, with birds everywhere and not the least afraid of humans.

Out on the boat deck at night, we saw a sky full of stars, with no human lights to be seen anywhere. On this night we also saw two white bird forms as they flew beside our boat, possibly attracted to the yacht lights. These ghostly white birds moved gracefully in the dark, sometimes very close to the boat when we could see well that they were Swallow-tailed Gulls. Our nights were spent aboard this small, comfortable yacht, and we turned in early and fell into a deep sleep, being gently rocked as the boat traveled to our next location.

SWALLOW-TAILED GULL

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD

11 November
We woke up this morning in the harbor of Puerto Ayora (on the island of Santa Cruz), one of the largest towns in the Galapagos, with a population of around 18,000 people. We took the dinghies to shore and boarded a bus to go up into the hills just behind the town. We walked a fair distance up the paved road bordered by a forest of small trees, vines, and thick undergrowth, picking up many new species. This is one of the few areas in the Galapagos that the trees were dressed with green leaves. Trees on the other islands have shed their leaves and only regrow them once the rainy season starts. This was a "milestone" day for two of our group. Nancy Bell hit 4000 bird species, with another of Darwin's famously tricky finches - this time a Warbler Finch, and a short while later her husband Chuck got his very own 4000th, with a Woodpecker Finch, which he was the first in the group to spot and identify, that must have been a good touch for such a landmark bird. Other new species included Galapagos Flycatcher, Galapagos Mockingbird, Small and Large Tree-finches, and Vegetarian Finch, as well as all three ground-finches (Small, Medium and Large Ground-finches). Most of these finch species are hard to identify, although the great views of birds on the Galapagos allowed us some great studies of them. Having got a good feel for the finches, we drove up a steep dirt road and looked for a long time for the Galapagos Rail, unfortunately was nowhere to be found.

That afternoon we went back onshore for a walk to the famous Darwin Station. There they keep several Galapagos Giant Tortoises, and also raise many young ones for future reintroduction. The Station also supports many of the studies and research carried out on the Islands, entirely through private funding. At a small snack stand, we found a another good assemblage of finches, including Small, Medium and Large Ground-finches, Large and Small Tree-finches, and Common Cactus-finch, giving us a good opportunity to study the differences in their bill structures that is the key to identifying these subtle species. A few of the birds had become quite habituated to feeding on the crumbs dropped by snack-bar patrons, and we even dubbed one finch the "Ice Cream Finch" as he fed on a dollop of ice cream that had fallen from someone's cone. On the walk back to the dock we stopped and watched while a fisherman gutted and prepared his catch of the day. A flock of 10 Brown Pelicans stood right next to him, quivering with excitement when he threw them the heads, tails, etc.! One of our group wanted to get a picture of this scene and thought she had found a perfect place for a the shot. However, as some fish pieces were tossed, a pelican near her flapped his wings to get closer and smacked her right across the arm, causing her to jump in astonishment. The locals all thought that was very funny, and displayed once again the unnatural tameness of birds on these enchanted islands.

Displaying BLUE-BOOTED BOOBY

NAZCA BOOBY

12 November
While we were sleeping our yacht made its way to San Cristóbal Island. We got off right after breakfast, boarded a truck and went up to look for the San Cristóbal Mockingbird, which we found fairly easily next to a small finca (farm). Our target seen, we headed back to the boat for our onward journey to the island of Española. Whilst at sea, we saw our first majestic Waved Albatross cruising over the ocean waves, and also the endangered Dark-rumped Petrel, which was surprisingly abundant in this small area. We also saw White-vented Storm Petrel and Madeira, or Dark-banded Storm Petrel, as well as the Galapagos Shearwater, which some taxonomists consider to be a full species. On arrival at Española, we went ashore in the long boats. Española is a truly magical island that's full of birds. Our first target was the Hood Mockingbird which we saw pretty easily shortly after disembarking, hopping around on the black lava rock shoreline. We were told these mockingbirds can be quite inquisitive and indeed they were, hopping around at our feet on a number of occasions. Its not often you can complain about the poor photo opportunities due to the bird being too close!!! The rocky shores and towering cliffs on the island are a haven for nesting seabirds. As we followed a rocky path this became clear when we walked through nesting colonies of Nazca Boobies and comical Blue-footed Boobies, as well as more close up ('in your face') views of Waved Albatross hanging about on their nesting grounds. This magnificent ocean wanderer is an Ecuadorian breeding endemic, being confined to these hallowed islands and one tiny island in the south of the country. One of the highlights of any Galapagos adventure is being able to watch the fascinating behavior of the courting boobies at close range, and this day was no exception. Although the male that was putting on a big show to impress a nearby female, received short shrift as the female merely responded by tucking her head deep into her feathers, clearly unimpressed by his efforts! The bizarre thing in the Galapagos is that this all happens only a few feet away. The behavior of the Galapagos birds is one of the most absorbing aspects of this trip, as it is rare to be able to see such activities in other areas, as the birds are too shy to allow satisfactory views of their actions. We were also treated to a marauding frigatebird that attacked an elegant Red-billed Tropicbird, going so far as to drive the delicate Tropicbird down into the sea below. The same area saw us get our first views of the endemic Galapagos Hawks, giving us both good flight views and also perched on the black lava rocks. We also squeezed another finch in as we headed back to the boat at the end of our time on this magical island, when a Large Cactus-Finch was found in some low dry shrubbery.

FLIGHTLESS CORMORANT

GALAPAGOS PENGUIN

13 November
We awoke and met up on the sun deck overlooking Champion Rock just off the island of Floreana. The main target here was a recently recognized, globally threatened species, the Charles Mockingbird, that is confined to this tiny islet in the Galapagos. Access to the islands in strictly controlled in order to preserve the important wildlife there, so we were not permitted to land on the island. However, despite this we managed to get great views of at least three of the mockingbirds hopping around in some low bushes. With the this target safely 'in the bag' we headed to another area of Floreana, and boarded a farm truck that took us to the top of the island with another specific target in mind, the Medium Tree-Finch. In addition to this key species we picked up many other of Darwin's finches in this area. It was then back to the boat for a hearty lunch while we made the short voyage to Post Office Bay. Along the way we came across another of the Galapagos' star endemics, with a Galapagos Penguin standing sentry along the shoreline. Shortly after disembarking from the boat we made our way towards the penguin to get better views and the obligatory photos, and once again the bird showed no signs of being alarmed by our close presence, merely standing there nonchalantly as if to say "not another bunch of guys after my photo!" For the first time on the tour we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches, rather than the black volcanic rock that characterizes many of the Galapagos shorelines, so some of the group took advantage of this and relaxed with some light snorkeling just offshore. It was then full steam ahead to our next island, Isabela (a mere 17 hour cruise away!) After dinner on the boat we all sat out on deck when our local guide brought a tiny Elliot's Storm-Petrel to us in his hand, that he had found stunned on deck. Nancy held it for a while before we retired to bed and arose next morning with the news that the petrel had eventually recovered and flew off into the night.

RED-FOOTED BOOBY

RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD

14 November
We awoke to the sight of Isabela just out from the boat, and were soon on a smaller boat to shore. Our first stop was to look for one of the strangest inhabitants of the Galapagos - the prehistoric-looking Flightless Cormorant. The only species in the world from this family that is completely unable to fly, having only rather pathetic-looking, stunted wings that are about one third the size of any other cormorant species. This bizarre bird is also the largest member of the cormorant family, and these range of unique features has led to this species being placed in its own monotypic genus. Soon after we got our first looks at the barren landscape if the island that underwent a volcanic eruption 85 years ago, with the subsequent lava flows leaving little behind. The environment on Isabela therefore is dominated by black lava, interspersed with some lakes that support some vivid green vegetation around their edges, providing a rare splash of color against this spartan landscape. Each of these small patches of greenery seemed to hold a few Yellow Warblers and Small Ground-Finches. One of the lakes added more color to this moonlike landscape, as there were a number of striking pink Caribbean Flamingos feeding around the edge, that were strikingly visible against the surrounding blackish lava. The mixture of salt and freshwater in these lakes are a haven for a specialist shrimp that the flamingos feed on there. Also on these lakes were some Moorhens, Blue-winged Teals, and Black-necked Stilts. We ended our day by visiting a penguin breeding colony, although the colony was a little deserted to say the least as only one lone Galapagos Penguin was found in our time there, presumably the other birds were out at sea fishing at the time.

MEDIUM GROUND- FINCH

COMMON CACTUS- FINCH

15 November
Once again we sailed through the night and woke up just off the island of Fernandina. After breakfast on board our yacht we departed on smaller boats for the island with one rare endemic target in mind - Mangrove Finch. This was not the site we had planned to get them, as their stronghold is Black Beach on Isabela island, however, the park service had recently began refusing access to this area to protect disturbance to this rare species. Thankfully we found them here anyway, as we sifted through many finches in our time on Fernandina, eventually we found a few Mangrove Finches. We then took a walk amongst a colony of rusty-colored Marine Iguanas, hundreds of which were seen loafing around on the sunbaked rocks. Sunbathing spots were obviously at a premium here, as we often saw Iguanas literally clambering all over each other to get a prime sun spot. This headland was also a key site for Flightless Cormorants and many were seen nesting around the point. Other birds around the rocky point there included another Galapagos Penguin, and American Oystercatcher and several migrant shorebirds in the form of a Wandering Tattler and a Whimbrel. Once again the scenery was dominated by blackish lava rocks, although the brilliant red-orange Sally Lightfoot Crabs wandering around within a few feet of the resting iguanas, provided a rare splash of color in this otherwise drab, otherworldly landscape. Despite the seemingly barren nature of the area, there was plenty of wildlife, like the crabs and iguanas and also a number of Galapagos Sea Lions, seen either lazily sunning themselves on the rocky shoreline or playfully fishing just offshore. We also managed to see an White-spotted Eagle Ray cruising close by offshore, that some of us even managed to photograph through the clear Pacific waters. One person commented that at times it felt like we were in the middle of a National Geographic movie! After lunch on deck we set sail again for our next island - Genovesa. The remainder of the day was spent lounging on deck as we made our way there, allowing us good views of several seabirds, including many individuals of the critically endangered Dark-rumped Petrel, as well as the diminutive White-vented and Wedge-tailed Storm-petrels, and Galapagos Shearwaters. This afternoon cruise also saw us crossing the equator, with David gleefully announcing that he had seen the GPS on the bridge read 00º 00' 00" at the time.

CARIBBEAN FLAMINGO

LAVA HERON

16 November
At dawn we awoke to see the ship pulling into the harbor on Genovesa, that is actually based in the huge caldera of a collapsed volcano. Genovesa is a quite different much more low-lying island to many of the others visited with no mountains there at all. It is also one of the islands that is completely uninhabited. After disembarking from our smaller boats to shore we took a walk around some impressive lava cliffs that brought us face to face with many nesting Swallow-tailed Gulls and we also picked up our first Galapagos Fur Seals. As we climbed up "Phillip's Steps", a series of steps cut into the lava cliffs we were treated to amazing up close views of many other seabirds, including a beautiful Red-billed Tropicbird on a rocky platform. Other birds there included Sharp-billed Ground-Finch and Large Cactus-Finch, and Galapagos Doves and Galapagos Mockingbirds were also quite common around there, as were the widespread local subspaces of Yellow Warbler (a bird we saw on every island visited). Our last afternoon on the Galapagos was spent walking along a shoreline that held a number of nesting Red-footed Boobies and Great Frigatebirds, and a showy Lava Heron that posed nicely for all the photographers. Later on we enjoyed our last evening meal on the Fragata, that included a farewell toast with all the crew that had all got dressed up specially for the occasion.

17 November
For our last morning on these idyllic islands we decided to make to most of it, getting on shore early that provided some great low morning light for the photographers among us. We managed to pick up new species even at this late stage, with the endemic subspecies of White-cheeked Pintail that had strangely eluded us until now. The shore also appropriately held a few shorebirds like Black-bellied Plover and Sanderling. However, best of all was watching a Pacific Green Turtle lumbering back into the sea, having visited the beach in the night to lay its eggs. There was much evidence of other turtles having been there in the night, with many depressions betraying the presence of nests underneath. We had one last scene to behold before we left once more for the mainland, when we enjoyed the antics of a Brown Noddy harassing a nearby Brown Pelican for its catch of the day, even going so far as landing on its head! With this final image in mind we boarded our boats that transferred us to the airport buses for our transfer back to Quito, where we enjoyed a farewell dinner in a good hotel in town.

The only 'luxury bus' on Floreana for getting to the Medium Tree-finches!

GALAPAGOS MOCKINGBIRD

Bird List:

Taxonomy and nomenclature of this list follow Clements (2000)

PENGUINS Spheniscidae
Galapagos Penguin Spheniscus mendiculus

GREBES Podicipedidae
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps

ALBATROSSES Diomedeidae
Waved Albatross Phoebastria irrorata

SHEARWATERS AND PETRELS Procellariidae
Dark-rumped Petrel Pterodroma phaeopygia
Audubon's Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri

STORM-PETRELS Hydrobatidae
White-vented Storm-Petrel Oceanites gracilis
Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma tethys
Band-rumped Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma castro

TROPICBIRDS Phaethontidae
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus

PELICANS Pelecanidae
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis

GANNETS AND BOOBIES Sulidae
Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii
Masked Booby Sula dactylatra
Red-footed Booby Sula sula

CORMORANTS Phalacrocoracidae
Flightless Cormorant Phalacrocorax harrisi

FRIGATEBIRDS Fregatidae
Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
Great Frigatebird Fregata minor

HERONS, EGRETS, BITTERNS Ardeidae
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
Great Egret Ardea alba
Snowy Egret Egretta thula
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Striated Heron Butorides striatus
Galapagos Heron Butorides sundevalli
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea

FLAMINGOS Phoenicopteridae
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber

DUCKS, GEESE, SWANS Anatidae
White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors

HAWKS, EAGLES, KITES Accipitridae
Galapagos Hawk Buteo galapagoensis

RAILS, GALLINULES, COOTS Rallidae
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

OYSTERCATCHERS Haematopodidae
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus

AVOCETS AND STILTS Recurvirostridae
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus

PLOVERS AND LAPWINGS Charadriidae
Black-bellied (Grey) Plover Pluvialis squatarola
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus

SANDPIPERS Scolopacidae
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia
Wandering Tattler Heterosceles incanus
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
Sanderling Calidris alba
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicaria

GULLS Laridae
Lava Gull Larus fuliginosus
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla
Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan
Swallow-tailed Gull Creagrus furcatus

TERNS Sternidae
Brown Noddy Anous stolidus

PIGEONS AND DOVES Columbidae
Galapagos Dove Zenaida galapagoensis

CUCKOOS Cuculidae
Dark-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus melacoryphus
Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS Tyrannidae
Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
Galapagos Flycatcher Myiarchus magnirostris

SWALLOWS Hirundinidae
Galapagos Martin Progne modesta

MOCKINGBIRDS, THRASHERS Mimidae
Galapagos Mockingbird Nesomimus parvulus
Charles Mockingbird Nesomimus trifasciatus
Hood Mockingbird Nesomimus macdonaldi
San Cristobal Mockingbird Nesomimus melanotis

WOOD WARBLERS Parulidae
Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia

TANAGERS AND ALLIES Thraupidae
Large Ground-Finch Geospiza magnirostris
Medium Ground-Finch Geospiza fortis
Small Ground-Finch Geospiza fuliginosa
Sharp-beaked Ground-Finch Geospiza difficilis
Common Cactus-Finch Geospiza scandens
Large Cactus-Finch Geospiza conirostris
Vegetarian Finch Camarhynchus crassirostris
Mangrove Finch Camarhynchus heliobates
Large Tree-Finch Camarhynchus psittacula
Small Tree-Finch Camarhynchus parvulus
Medium Tree-Finch Camarhynchus pauper
Woodpecker Finch Camarhynchus pallidus
Warbler Finch Certhidea olivacea

Reptiles and Mammal List:
Galapagos Giant Tortoise Geochelone elephantophus
Galapagos Green Turtle Chelonia midas agassisi
Marine Iguana Amblyrhynchus cristatus
Land Iguana Conolophus subcristatus
Lava Lizard Microlophus Spp.
Galapagos Sea Lion Zalophus califomianus wollebacki
Galapagos Fur Seal Arctocephalus Galapagoensis
Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis
White-spotted Eagle Ray
Sting Ray
Octopus Spp