Wednesday, 21 August 2019

SE Isabela Island (Galapagos and Ecuador) - 21st August (Day 8)

The night was spent motoring for some 12 hours from the west coast of Isabela to Puerto Villamial on the south-east coast of Isabela and for once the conditions were calm and we slept well. We arrived at the harbour of Puerto Villamial at around 05:00 and awoke to a misty and drizzly day over the port town. The harbour here is surrounded by rocky revetments and areas of mangrove swamp and as we left the Nemo III at 07:00 we took a short diversion for good views of a juvenile Galapagos Penguin perched on lava at the harbour entrance. On arrival at the town we climbed aboard a truck with seats in the rear known locally as a Chiva. We wound through the lazy seaside town and then out northwards through the semi-humid lowland scrub consisting of abundant convolvulus, cacti and scrub. Our first stop was at a small brackish pool known as Posada De Flamengos which, fittingly, contained seven American Flamingo as well as White-cheeked Pintail, Common Gallinule, Black-winged Stilt and a long staying vagrant American Coot. As we drove onwards, a Dark-billed Cuckoo was spotted from the Chiva in the vegetation besie the road and after a delayed emergency stop (I don't think the driver quite knew what all the shouts of 'stop' meant) we reversed back a 100m or so and were soon enjoying views of this bird at close range, albeit hidden in the vegetation. Also here was a single Woodpecker Finch working its way through a vine tangle. By now it was raining steadily.

As we climbed higher up the slopes of Volcan Sierra Negra the forest became damper and the trees larger with dense clumps of dangling moss. Our first stop along a short muddy track produced our first Green Warbler-finch, Large Tree-finch and Small Tree-finch and an obliging, if furtive, Paint-billed Crake. Climbing higher into the drizzle and the fog further stops produced Galapagos Mockingbird, a second Paint-billed Crake, calling Galapagos Crake, good views of Woodpecker Finch and finally, after much searching, a female Little Vermillion Flycatcher an endemic species recently split from Vermillion Flycatcher and fast declining.

Our descent produced a further Dark-billed Cuckoo and numerous Cattle Egret. We spent the final hour on the beach and walking the board walk through mangrove and pools on the western outskirts of Puerto Villamial close to the 'Iguana Crossing Hotel'. Waders on the beach included Grey Plover, Hudsonian Whimbrel and Semipalmated Plover while a very obliging Great Blue Heron showed well alongside the locals as it fished the rockpools amongst the lava. On the lagoons were Red-billed Pintail, Black-winged Stilt and we watched the Marine Iguana's wallowing in the mud of the lagoons often becoming stuck. A Common Cactus-finch showed well in the mangroves.

We were back on the board for a late lunch and then began a long journey of around 15 hours to Espanola seawatching through the afternoon produced a good dose of sunburn as well as many White-vented Storm-petrel, two Band-rumped Storm-petrel, three Wedge-rumped Storm-petrel, three rather distant Waved Albatross (the first of the trip), eight Galapagos Petrel, abundant Galapagos Shearwater and four Swallow-tailed Gull.

Galapagos Penguin - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Galapagos Penguin - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

American Flamingo - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

American Flamingo - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

American Flamingo - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

American Flamingo - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Dark-billed Cuckoo - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Green Warbler-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Moss covered tree in the humid highlands of Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Road up Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Sarah and I had forgotten to pack a rain coat for Tobias and so had to fit him 
out in a ships bin-bag!

Paint-billed Crake - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Paint-billed Crake - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Large Tree-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Small Ground-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Small Ground-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Small Tree-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Woodpecker Finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Medium Ground-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Medium Ground-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Small Ground-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Galapagos Mockingbird - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Little Vermillion Flycatcher - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Small Ground-finch - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Dark-billed Cuckoo - Volcan Sierra Negra, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Great Blue Heron - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Great Blue Heron - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Black-winged Stilt - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Black-winged Stilt and Marine Iguana - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Black-winged Stilt - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

White-cheeked Pintail - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

White-cheeked Pintail - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Common Cactus-finch - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Yellow-crowned Night-heron - Puerto Villamial, SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Galapagos Petrel - At sea off SE Isabela Island, Galapagos

Links to Other Days of the Trip (Click to View)

14th August (Day 1) – International flight to Quito.
15th August (Day 2) – Mashpi Lodge.
16th August (Day 3) –Mashpi Lodge.
17th August (Day 4) – Mashpi Lodge and transfer to Quito.
18th August (Day 5) – Fly to from Quito to Galapagos Islands. Then sail to North Seymour Island.
19th August (Day 6) – Genovesa Island, Galapagos.
20th August (Day 7) – North-west Isabela Island and Fernandina Island, Galapagos. 
21st August (Day 8) – South-east Isabela Island, Galapagos.
22nd August (Day 9) – Espanola Island, Galapagos. 
23rd August (Day 10) – Floreana Island and Champion Island, Galapagos. 
24th August (Day 11) – San Cristobal Island and Sante Fe Island, Galapagos. 
25th August (Day 12) – Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos.
26th August (Day 13) – Fly Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos to Quito. 
27th August (Day 14) – Antisana Ecological Reserve then fly Quito to London.