27-MAY-2010
Pine Siskin #9367
Pine Siskins are still here -- not in the larger flocks we were seeing before our vacation, but still 2 or 3 at a time. The weather has been getting quite warm, and the birds that are still around are the warm-weather feathered friends.
22-MAY-2010
Hood Mockingbird (Galapagos, Espanola Island) #8841
There are many Mockingbirds in the Galapagos Islands, the most numerous being the Galapagos Mockingbirds that are found on most of the islands (Santa Cruz, Isabela, Fernandina, Genovesa, N. Seymour, and Santiago, of the islands we visited). On Espanola Island, there is a slightly different species, a bit larger and with a different eye color -- the Hood Mockingbird. These are curious birds that greeted us in large numbers as we landed on the beach in Espanola.
22-MAY-2010
Galapagos Dove (Espanola Island) #8976
We saw Galapagos Doves on several islands in the Galapagos. This on was on Espanola Island, but we also saw them on Santa Cruz and on North Seymour Islands. They are attractive and unafraid.
22-MAY-2010
Waved Albatross (Galapagos, Espanola Island) #9084
The largest bird in the Galapagos is the Waved Albatross. They are found at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island, and in few or no other locations in the Galapagos. At the time we were there, they had completed their courtship behavior, and were nesting; some females were sitting on eggs that had not yet hatched. This bird is stretching his wings, as if to say "See how big I am?".
21-MAY-2010
Darwin's Finch (Galapagos, Santa Cruz Island) #8524
The finches that Darwin found on the Galapagos Islands played an important role in the development of the theory of evolution. There are at least 13 different species of finches in the Galapagos, and identifying them is not always easy -- I am calling this a small tree finch, mostly because of its general appearance and of the location where I saw it -- near Los Gemelos pit craters on Santa Cruz. The finches there had these yellow beaks, and usually tree finches are described with darker beaks, but perhaps this individual is a younger bird. It was raining when we visited there, but that did not stop the birds from exploring.
20-MAY-2010
Blue-footed Booby Skypointing
(Galapagos, North Seymour Island) #8213
These are the iconic birds of the Galapagos Islands. They nest in large colonies on several of the islands in the Galapagos; these we saw were on North Seymour Island. They have ritualistic courtship displays, including this "skypointing" behavior, where the bird vocalizes an airy whistle and points its beak, tail, and wings skyward to attarct an interested mate. This bird is a male (small iris, light blue feet), looking for interested females.
19-MAY-2010
Brown Pelican (Galapagos, Santiago Island) #7464
Pelecanus occidentalis urinator
Widespread in the Galapagos, Brown Pelicans are very large birds that we observed plunging into the sea (most ungracefully) to fish for food. We saw Pelicans almost every day, often perched on boat masts in harbor. I think they are beautiful in flight.
18-MAY-2010
Galapagos Penguin (Isabela Island) #6886
On Tuesday 5/18, we rode in a "panga" boat along Tagus Cove on the west coast of Isabela Island. On the rocks near the water was a small colony of Galapagos Penguins (perhaps a dozen birds), the only penguins that breed in the northern hemisphere. These are very small penguins, and we would occasionally see them in the water as we snorkeled.
17-MAY-2010
Nazca Boobies (Galapagos, Genovesa Island) #6137
One of the three species of Boobies in the Galapagos Islands, the Nazca Boobies were formerly thought to be a subspecies of Masked Boobies (Sula dactylactra). These photogenic sea birds can be found on all the islands, and when saw them on Genovesa Island, they were beginning to show typical mating behavior, with the males offering nesting sites and materials to the females.
17-MAY-2010
Red-footed Booby (Galapagos, Genovesa Island) #6548
Posting one picture a day for all the different birds we saw in the Galapagos surely does not do them justice. On Monday 5/17, we visited Genovesa Island, where there are many thousands of birds. This red-footed, blue-billed bird is common on this island, as are Nazca Boobies (a picture of which I will post later).
16-MAY-2010
Yellow Warbler (Female, Galapagos) #5933
Dendroica petechia aureola
Today was our first day in the Galapagos Islands. We flew from Guayaquil to San Cristobal Island, boarded our ship (the M/V Letty, operated by Ecoventura), for a week-long photo workshop run by Andy Biggs (AndyBiggs.com). Our first stop was Playa Ochoa, about an hour out of San Cristobal harbor.
I suppose it is fitting that the first bird I got a picture of would be a Yellow Warbler, very common in all the Galapagos Islands. The variety is slightly different than what we see in New Mexico -- mostly noticed because the Galapagos males have an orange streak on the top of their head. This female was catching insects that were swarming around a dead sea lion, and like most of the Galapagos wildlife, was not at all concerned about me being about 6 feet away.
