This summer I was fortunate enough to visit the Galápagos Islands with my mother. Having been to Antarctica a few years back and fallen in love with penguins, albatrosses, whales, and other marine creatures, I couldn't wait to come face to face with the charming Galápagos wildlife. And I wasn't disappointed.
We boarded the Reina Silvia on Baltra Island and set sail toward South Plaza Island. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we were all out on the deck enjoying a group of impressive great frigate birds accompanying us while "surfing" the boat's thermal airstreams.
Our first landing was on South Plaza Island – to me, one of the most scenic islands on the trip. I was fascinated by the unusual prickly pear cactuses and the red, moss-like Sesuvium vegetation – all dotted with hundreds of beautiful swallow-tailed gulls, land iguanas, and lazy sea lions. On top of that, while we were there the island was bathed in a soft, beautiful light.
There's no doubt that June through November is a great time to visit the Galápagos if you like chicks (bird chicks, that is!). Each time I decided which my favorite chick was – I saw a new and even cuter one! They were all just too adorable – but I think the great frigate bird was my favorite.
Galápagos is a true booby land - masked boobies, blue-footed boobies, and red-footed boobies – all some of the most well known birds in the islands. The most beautiful booby is probably the red-footed booby. I waited patiently for more than 15 minutes to get this photo. The bird was sound asleep - beak comfortably snuggled behind its left wing - and only a fellow booby's abrupt arrival in the same bush woke it up.
Being among the iguanas in the Galápagos is like being in a different time. These prehistoric looking animals are as wonderful as they are unusual. You can't find a more grateful object to photograph. They are all over the place, extremely photogenic, easy to get up close to, and best of all - they don't move. I must have at least 100 slides with iguanas – a few more than I probably need!
