Galapagos for Birders and Naturalists
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| Galapagos Islands for Birders |
| Arrival into Quito: Days 1 & 2: Please plan to arrive in Quito on October 30. We are providing 2 extra nights for arrival into Quito as part of the tour package. If you are flying from an area of the country with snow problems, we highly recommend you fly in a day early. Considering other airline changes (due to mechanical failure or other issues), we recommend everyone flys into Quito, two days before we leave to the Galapagos. You are welcome to fly in only one day in advance, but if you miss the Galapagos boat then there can be no refunds. Whatever your flight plans, you will be met by a driver with a sign with your name on it. They will take you to a comfortable four star hotel in Quito. If you end up with an extra day in Quito, we will be happy to organize group or individual activities around birding or cultural sites November Days 3 to 9. Exploring the Galapagos. You will have the opportunity to spend eight (and one half) full days exploring the “The Enchanted Isles.” Our travels have been carefully planned to include the most important birding areas as well as an enjoyable cross section of other natural history and the varied landscapes of the Galapagos. As with any voyage, however, it may be necessary to deviate from our planned itinerary as circumstances in the islands may dictate. Our goal, regardless, will be to visit as many key islands as possible in order to see as many different bird species as we can, with the following being included within our intended itinerary: Day 3: To the Galapagos and North Seymour. Weʼll catch a morning flight from Quito to the island of Baltra in the Galapagos this morning. Flights invariably stopover in Guayaquil before continuing to the Galapagos. Our adventure begins this afternoon after boarding the ship and getting our orientation; we shall start the visit to some nearby islands, likely North Seymour. The visitor trail on North Seymour is approximately (2 km) in length crossing the inland of the island and exploring the rocky coast. Along the way the trail passes colonies of Blue-footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds. Most importantly, we begin our search for Galapagos endemics, and we hope to find Small Ground-Finch, Large Ground-Finch, Medium Ground-Finch and Common Cactus Finch. This first excursion should with perhaps four endemics underfoot will set the tone for an effective birding and natural history trip. Night on board the ship as we head towards Genovesa. Day 4: Genovesa We will start early and take our launch to Genovesa. We will get to Genovesa Island early and spend 6 to 8 hours here to assure we can observe all bird species and wildlife. Genovesa Island is a shield volcano in the Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The island occupies about 14 square kilometres (5 sq mi), and its maximum elevation is 64 m (210 ft). The horse-shoe shaped island has a volcanic caldera whose wall has collapsed, forming the Great Darwin Bay, surrounded by cliffs. Lake Arcturus, filled with salt water, lies in the centre, and sediment within this crater lake is less than 6,000 years old. Although no historical eruptions are known from Genovesa, there are very young lava flows on the flanks of the volcano. This island is known as Bird Island, because of the large and varied bird colonies which nest here. • There are an abundance of Frigatebirds (both Magnificent and Great), and it is the best place to see Red-footed Boobies, Masked Boobies, Swallow-tailed Gulls, Wedge-rumped Storm Petrels, and Red-billed Tropicbirds. • We will also watch the “Galapagos” Short-eared Owls hunt the Storm Petrals. • We will spend some time searching for Sharp-beaked Ground- Finch and Large Cactus Finch. Prince Philip’s Steps is an extraordinary steep path that leads through a seabird colony full of life, up to cliffs that are nearly 80 feet high. At the top, the trail continues inland, passing more seabird colonies in a thin palo santo forest. Leaving the forest, you can overview a rocky plain. We will also visit a sandy beach allowing yet more close views of seabirds and finches. We will also enjoy watching the smallest Marine Iguana in the archipelago, which lives here. After the end of the day, we will get onboard our yacht and have dinner. Overnight, the boat will sail to Isabella Islands. Days 5 & 6: Isabela Island: Punta Moreno, Volcan Sierra Negra and More Isabela will also be our best (and maybe only) opportunity to find the endemic Mangrove Finch. This species will likely prove our most challenging to find during the trip, and this will take a special attempt on the west side of the island on our first morning here. Then in the afternoon, we will go to Punta Moreno. The two most exciting species at Punta Moreno for most bird watchers includes Galapagos Penguins and Flightless Cormorants. Both are endemic to the Galapagos. The Galapagos Penguin is the most northern of all the worldʼs penguin, while the Flightless Cormorant is one of the worldʼs rarest seabirds (with a population of just 750 pairs). Other seabirds of note include the endemic Lava Gull and the widespread Brown Noddy. This area also hosts Galapagos Martin and American Flamingos. Our cruise south along the Bolivar Channel passes between Isabela and Fernandina Island to the west. Fernandina Island has the most recent volcanic activity and its beautiful and ragged black lava shoreline hosts impressive gatherings of basking Marine Iguanas. During the cruise , sightings of the endangered Galapagos Petrel and perhaps Wandering Albatross are possible and will keep us avidly searching the skys. On the second day of the Isabella visit, we will try another area of the island and spend the day birding inland in the highlands (Volcan Sierra Negra). Here we hope to find Vermillion Flycatcher (the Galapapos species may be split from its cousin in the rest of the Americas) and Galapagos Martin (one of the best sites for this species). We will also look for Dark-billed Cuckoo, Galapagos Mockingbird, Green Warbler Finch, Woodpecker Finch, Small Tree Finch and Medium Ground Finch. We then spend the evening of October 29 back on the boat, cruising to Florena. Day 7: Floreana - Post Office Bay - Punta Cormorant & Champion Our destination is the island of Floreana, where we go ashore at Punta Cormorant. Here, the sand is made up of fine olivine crystals, a glassy volcanic mineral, giving the beach its olive-green color. It is the best place to see Galapagos Sea Lions. We will visit several areas here in the morning. • First thing, we head towards Asilo de la Paz. Here we hope to find Galapagos Flycatcher and is the one accessible location on the tour for the Medium Tree Finch. • Today is also our best opportunity to see American Flamingos and other water birds wading in the lagoons, including White- cheeked Pintails and Black-necked Stilts. • We may have time for a few other stops. However, in the afternoon, we do want some time for Champion and Post Office Bay. Floreana is also home to Post Office Bay, where 18th Century whalers used a barrel as an unofficial mail drop. This custom continues to this day with visitors to the Galapagos! We may have time for a round trip visit from the boat here. We will take a short stop at Champion and take 15 to 30 minutes to find the endemic Floreana (Charles) Mockingbird and more here. We should also see Swallow-tailed Gulls, Nazca Boobies or Brown Noddies, as we sail around this area. The boat will sail to Espanola this evening, as the trip participants sleep. Day 8: Española: Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez Lying up current and up wind from the other islands, this island is more isolated in terms of faunal movements between islands, and several of the marine animals there have developed distinct forms. The Marine Iguanas, for instance, are more slender and colorful than on the other islands, while the Galapagos Tortoises here have the most prominent saddlebacks. The Lava Lizard and the mockingbird are the largest in the islands, and the large-billed race of the Large Cactus Finch also occurs. We will visit the white sands of Gardner Bay , where we will be greeted by the Espanola ( Hood ) Mockingbird and close views of Sea Lions and several species of Finches will be enjoyed . Later we will land at Punta Suarez where we will be able to visit large seabird cliff colonies which will be the true highlight of our visit to Espanola. Both Nazca (recently split from Masked) and Blue-footed boobies reside here as well as Red-tailed Tropicbirds and Swallow- tailed Gulls. But the real treasure is the vast nesting colony of Waved Albatrosses; nearly the entire population of this species (around 12,000 pairs) nests on Española, and weʼll have time to linger with and photograph these endearing birds. Red-billed Tropicbird, the confiding Galapagos Hawk, Swallow-tailed Gull, Galapagos Dove, Small Ground-Finch, and Warbler Finch can also be seen along with Galapagos Sea Lions. This evening, our yacht will take us towards San Cristobal. Day 9: San Crisotbal The town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal is the capital and administrative center of the Galapagos Islands. We will want to get through town and into the hills above to reach the site to find San Cristobal Mockingbird. After finding the Mockingbird, we may want to spend some time visiting the good interpretation center back in town. The center focuses primarily on the history and geography of the archipelago, from its volcanic origins to the present-day ecosystem. We may start early toward the cruise toward Santa Cruz. This is our best chance at Galapagos Petrals and several other pelagics. The boat will sail to Santa Cruz that evening as the trip participants sleep. Day 10: Santa Cruz Early in the morning, we will be at Puerto Ayora, the main town in the Galapagos, on the island of Santa Cruz. From here we will drive into the central highlands, making occasional stops in the ʻtransition zoneʼ on the way up before reaching the higher ʻhumid zone.ʼ As several of the species more characteristic of arid habitats start to disappear, so Vegetarian Tree-Finches and Small Tree-Finches become more common. This area is characterized by Miconia, an evergreen shrub that is covered with epiphytes. This lush habitat also supports ferns and sedges, and weʼll spend a good part of our morning here walking trails in search of the humid zoneʼs specialties, including the endemic Galapagos Rail (not easy!) and Paint-billed Crake, a species widespread although never common in South America. The highlands of Santa Cruz are also the best place to view Galapagos Martin ( difficult ), Large Tree-Finch, and the famous Woodpecker Finch, one of the few tool-using birds in the world. Galapagos Petrels nest in burrows in the highlands, but weʼll probably only observe them at sea since they are nocturnal on the breeding grounds. With luck, we just might encounter one of the noble Galapagos Tortoises, one of the oldest living creatures on earth. If we have time after the search for the Galapagos Rail weʼll visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, an easy walk from our accommodation in Puerto Ayora . The work there to increase the populations of giant tortoises will allow us to see a few of the distinct races that are kept here for breeding purposes. The town of Puerto Ayora will also be our best opportunity to visit any local shops. Tonight, we will spend the evening on Santa Cruz Island at a nice hotel there. Day 11: Departure from Galapagos via Baltra Island In the morning, we will transfer (by bus and then by ferry boat) to Baltra and to the airport. Here we will catch a flight back to Quito. Night in Quito. Day 12: Departure for home. Most international flights depart Quito early in the morning, arriving in the sufficient time for connections to your home city. Changes Tour Itinerary by National Park Services: Over the last several years, there has been recurring talk of restricting Galapagos guidelines and itineraries, with unofficial national park talk of limiting cruise lengths as well as the possibility of declaring some of the key islands—where we count on seeing a couple of the endemics—off- limits. To date, major changes have not been implemented. Many recent trips were unaffected, and we all hope for the same outcome in 2012. But we cannot be certain, as rules—and island/park politics—can change unexpectedly once a tour has been booked, influencing its exact itinerary. Other than possibly affecting our access to an endemic bird or two—and we hope this wonʼt happen and that things will continue as they have for the last few years—the Galapagos tour weʼve always enjoyed is not likely to be much altered, and it will continue to be a spectacular and overwhelming experience that visits most of the archipelagoʼs best corners. Please donʼt hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. |
| Brief Description |
