The Deskbound Birder: Brown Noddy

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Friday, 23 August 2019

Floreana Island (Galapagos and Ecuador) - 23rd August (Day 10)

We awoke to quite a swell off Floreana with waves crashing onto the beach and the landing jetty. Heiro considered that this was likely a result of recent seismic activity. After breakfast we boarded the panga and landed at Puerto Velasco Ibarra in the west of the island where we were greeted by a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Galapagos Sea Lion and Marine Iguana. We then boarded a Chiva, a lorry with the rear converted to passenger seating, and drove into the mountains to the old Witmer property known as Asilo de Paz. Here we quickly encountered our principal target the Critically Endangered and rapidly declining Medium Tree-finch. We wandered through the scrubby forest seeing Galapagos Flycatcher, Grey Warbler-finch, Small Tree-finch and our first Galapagos Giant Tortoise which here are held in semi-captivity having a large walled enclosure in which to wander. Back at Puerto Velasco we visited the Witmer Hotel for a cold coke while offshore we watched Brown Pelican, Galapagos Penguin, Green Sea Turtle and Brown Noddy. We boarded the boat and steamed around the island to Post Office Bay in the north of the island, a famous spot where there has been a post office box formed of a wooden barrel present since 1792. The post box was erected by Captain James Colnett (no relation of mine). Mariners placed letters in the barrel in the hope that subsequent visitors would collect and deliver mail addressed to destinations they were heading to. The tradition continues and the group rummaged through the hundreds of postcards and collected those from their home or nearby towns - we placed our postcards in the barrel which, miraculously, were delivered to our family around one month later.

We then headed to the lagoon at Punta Cormoranta, a large saline lagoon in the north of the island just back from the beach. Here we recorded 12 American Flamingo, White-cheeked Pintail and a single adult winter Wilson’s Phalarope. Back to the boat we then steamed the short distance to Champion Island to the north-east of Floreana and only a kilometre or so offshore. This small island vegetated with numerous Giant Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia species). As we approached the island we observed numerous Red-billed Tropicbird, Brown Noddy, Swallow-tailed Gull, Galapagos Shearwater and Magnificent Frigatebird. Our main target here, Floreana Mockingbird quickly showed itself and we eventually had good views of at least four birds as they called from atop the Opuntia and foraged along the cliff-top. This Critically Endangered species, once found on Floreana but extirpated by introduced species, is now confined to the tiny island of Champion and to Gardner Island to the south-east of Floreana neither of which can be landed upon to protect the Mockingbird. There are thought to be no more than 250 of this species left on Earth.

We began our five hour steam to San Cristobal Island to the north-east seawatching for the last hour or so of daylight but seeing little but for small numbers of Wedge-rumped Storm-petrel and Waved Albatross.

Galapagos Flycatcher - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Medium Tree-finch (female) - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Medium Tree-finch (male) - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Andy and I having ticked the Critically Endangered

Medium Tree-finch - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Galapagos Giant Tortoise - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Sarah and Tobias in the caves at Asilo de Paz - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Common Cactus-finch - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Yellow-crowned Night-heron - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Brown Noddy and Brown Pelican - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Sally-lightfoot Crab - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Wedge-rumped Storm - Floreana Island, Galapagos

West coast of Floreana Island, Galapagos

Nemo II and Nemo III anchored off Post Office Bay - Floreana Island, Galapagos

Large Painted Locust - Punta Cormoranta, Floreana Island, Galapagos

Galapagos Carpenter Bee - Punta Cormoranta, Floreana Island, Galapagos

Yellow Warbler - Punta Cormoranta, Floreana Island, Galapagos

American Flamingo - Punta Cormoranta, Floreana Island, Galapagos

Dried mud - Punta Cormoranta, Floreana Island, Galapagos

Heading to Champion Island which is the left most island in the distance

- Floreana Island, Galapagos

Champion Island, Floreana, Galapagos

Floreana Mockingbird - Champion Island, Floreana, Galapagos

Candelabra Cactus - Champion Island, Floreana, Galapagos

Giant Prickly Pear Cactus - Champion Island, Floreana, Galapagos

Red-billed Tropicbird - Champion Island, Floreana, Galapagos

Galapagos Shearwater - Champion Island, Floreana, Galapagos

Brown Noddy - Champion Island, Floreana, Galapagos

Waved Albatross - Floreana, 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.

Tuesday, 20 August 2019

NW Isabela and Fernandina Islands (Galapagos and Ecuador) - 20th August (Day 7)

After a rough nights crossing between Genovesa and Isabela and being thrown from side to side while asleep and with water spraying through the small port-hole next to my bed, we awoke to absolute calm in a horseshoe bay at Punta Vicente Roca on the NW coast of Isabela Island. After breakfast we spent some time enjoying the shear cliffs that encircle the bay and seeing our first Flightless Cormorant, Galapagos Hawk and many Green Turtle swimming under the surface in the crystal clear water. Clusters of Marine Iguana clung to the near shear cliff face, I am amazed at how good they are at climbing given their apparent rather lazy nature. After cruising the foot of the cliffs for around one hour we headed south through the straight between Isabela and Fernandina Islands where there were abundant Galapagos Shearwater, Elliot’s Storm-petrel, Red-necked Phalarope and small numbers of Galapagos Petrel (five) and Grey Phalarope (four). We saw numerous Mobula Ray leaping from the water. The highlight came when the call of a whale blow went out and after steaming towards the animals we enjoyed superb views of three Bryde’s Whale and an immature and adult Blue Whale, absolutely stunning and one of the highlights of the trip.

Blue-footed Booby - Punta Vicente Roca, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

Brown Noddy - Punta Vicente Roca, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

Nasca Booby - Punta Vicente Roca, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

Marine Iguana - Punta Vicente Roca, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

Brown Pelican - Punta Vicente Roca, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

Punta Vicente Roca, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

Brown Noddy and Galapagos Shearwater - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Galapagos Petrel - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Bryde's Whale - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Bryde's Whale (note the parasites hanging from the dorsal fin) - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Bryde's Whale - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Blue Whale - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Blue Whale with the splash of a Mobula Ray in the background - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Mobula Ray - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Great Frigatebird - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

White-vented Storm-petrel - At Sea between Fernandina and NW Isabela Islands, Galapagos

Nemo III off the coast of NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

NW coast of Isabela Island, Galapagos

Flightless Cormorant - Tagus Cove, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

Green Sea Turtle - Tagus Cove, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

Lava Gull on Nemo III - Tagus Cove, NW Isabela Island, Galapagos

A further 15km or so south we began to cruise the west coast of Isabela enjoying views of Galapagos Martin, Galapagos Penguin, Flightless Cormorant and numerous Green Sea Turtle. For a while we were joined by an adult Lava Gull that clearly was familiar with food being served on board ship. After lunch we did some snorkelling along the east coast of Fernandina where there were numerous close range Green Sea Turtle, great views of Marine Iguana swimming and feeding underwater and the highlight, two Galapagos Penguin hunting small fish underwater, it was amazing how fast they were.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Punto Espinosa on the east coast of Fernandina walking the beach and lava. Bird highlights were great views of Flightless Cormorant and Lava Heron. Here we enjoyed great views of large numbers of Marine Iguana at very close range as well as Sally Light-foot Crabs and Galapagos Sea-lion. We were back to the boat for 17:30 and began our 12 hour overnight steam to the south coast of Isabela Island, a crossing that was thankfully calm after the last two nights of crossings.