Patti & Janet: June 2012

I must admit that at first we were a bit disappointed with the Galapagos. The islands looked so similar to the Hawaiian Islands and the abundance of wildlife we have all seen on BBC’s Galapagos documentaries... well, that's not quite how we experienced it. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of birds, iguanas, turtles and marine life in the Galapagos. What we did not grok before this adventure is that each island has its own unique environment which supports a certain type of marine life or a specific species of bird. What this means is that Frigate birds live on one island, while Blue-Footed Boobies live on another, Nazca Boobies live on yet another, while the iguanas and turtles live on several islands but they have both evolved into several different species. Marine life such as penguins that need cold water to survive can only be found in the western islands where the Humboldt Current turns the water arctic cold while the tropical fish (like Patti and I) thrive in warm water and can only be found around the southern islands. I guess I was not listening in my environmental biology class or none of this would have come as a surprise.

The exceptions to this were the sea lions, they were everywhere. When they were not busy swimming, working at the fish market or doing yoga on the beach they were snoozing on the rocks, in the water, on park benches or even on the slide. We really had fun swimming with the sea lions, especially the youngsters. Just like puppies they were so curious, playful and full of energy. They swam circles around us, over and under us, twisting and turning their bodies in ways we could only dream of moving through the water. I’m sorry to report that we don’t have any pictures of the wonderful times we had underwater with our new friends. We tried but we just couldn't fit Don in our carry-on suitcase and our camera doesn’t like the water.

One of the many amazing things about the animals in the Galapagos is that they have no fear of humans. Birds didn’t fly way, crabs didn’t run away, sea lions didn’t swim away and the turtles well they didn’t seem to even notice us. What a gift for an amateur photographer like me. Did you ever wonder where ET got his looks, I think I know.

There are many different species of birds in the Galapagos but the birds that caught our attention were the Frigates and the Boobies. Mating season was in full force for the Frigates while it was just beginning for the Blue-Footed Boobies. To attract the girls the male Frigates inflate their gular sac so that when the girls fly overhead each male spreads his wings, sticks out his gular sac and pleads “pick me, pick me”!!! Size and performance definitely counts so the guy with the biggest sac and best pleas wins while the others are sadly left totally deflated. Better luck next time.

Shooting the shit takes on a new meaning when referring to the mating habits of the Blue-Footed Boobies. These birds make their nest on the ground without the usual twigs, leaves and moss to define ‘their’ nest. The job of making the nuptial nest falls solely to the male but how does he do this? ... Easy, simply by shooting his shit as far as he can to mark the biggest nest possible. That's right; the guy who shoots the shit the best gets the girl.

I never knew (or really cared) that iguanas came in so many sizes and colors. Like the sea lions they were everywhere but unlike the sea lions they did not remind me of playful puppies but of the ‘boys in da hood’.