Day 4 - 7/25 - Nat Geo Boat / Santa Cruz Island (Day 1 in Galapagos)

Today’s Animal Sightings: 

Striated Heron

Great Frigate 

Brown Pelican

Sally Light Foot Crab

Blue Footed Booby

Galapagos Sea Lion

Great Blue Heron 

Brown Noddy Turn 

Black Necked Stilt

Marine Iguana

Travel Day & Arriving on Baltra Island - Today was amazing! KH and I took a bus from the hotel to the GYE airport with the other members of our expedition and then boarded our flight to the Galapagos Island of Balta. As our plane descended into GPS airport, the flight attendants fumigated the over-head luggage compartments for cockroaches (to avoid introducing invasive species to the islands). We landed and exited the plane directly onto the tarmac, where we again, walked through anti-bacterial mats that protect the islands from microorganisms we might be carrying on our shoes. It really is amazing how carefully they protect the flora and fauna of each island. 

From the airport, we took another bus down some switchbacks to a dock, where we loaded onto zodiac boats that took us to our large ship, the Endeavour. On the bus, we met Michael San Francisco, one of the microbiologists who studies Chytrid - a fungus affecting amphibians that KH and I teach about!! Yes, major nerd-alert-moment! We also met a gastro-something-ologist and many physicians. Needless to say, we are in good-nerdy company. 

Santa Cruz Island (North-side)- After several large-group meetings and settling in, we changed and headed back to the zodiacs for Santa Cruz Island. We arrived at Santa Cruz around 4:15 pm and hiked around the island with a Naturalist for about 45 minutes. During this walk, we saw so many incredible animals, including blue footed boobies and sally light-foot crabs, both endemic species to the islands. We even saw a sea lion pop up, check us out, and then swim away. SO COOL. Afterward, we got to swim in the pacific for a little bit and soak it all in - what an incredible day! 

  Bienvenidos!

 Selfie in the Pacific 

 The width of our room...eek! 

 

 Sally Lightfoot Crab

Sally Light-Foot Crabs 

 Look at those feet!

 Brown Pelican Hunting

 Brown Pelican Photo Shoot

 Aves sharing a rock

 Tons of different terrains