The sun rises on the horizon at 6:05 a.m. Far off the bay the rain moved away from us and the day started out warm as usual in this hot rainy season, which is from December to June. A few minutes later we jumped on a greenish sandy beach that forms Punta Cormorant, the visitor site we are exploring this morning.
Behind the coast is a pretty big brackish water lagoon. As soon as we started our walk we spotted a couple of very pink flamingos removing the ooze with their feet to bring some food up to the surface, such as shrimp a some little mollusks that they feed on. Farther in, from the top of a small hill we saw great scenery of Floreana Island, and we noticed more than 40 flamingos that occupy the lagoon. The morning is nice and pleasant, and our guests are focused on birds - a few finches, yellow warblers, and those endemic Galapagos flycatchers are animating our exploration. Finally, at the end of the trail we reached a tiny white sandy beach, where we could see very clearly the marks that a couple of marine turtles left the night before. Up on the sand dunes we observed tons of depressions where they had been nesting, and now some frigates are on alert to any movements of the new hatchlings that at this time of the year start to emerge from their burrows.
On our way back we saw a couple of blue-footed boobies on the top of a small hill. They were dancing, courting, falling in love, showing each other those turquoise blue feet. What a show these birds offered to us! Some of our explorers sat on the beach and enjoyed this wonderful moment for few minutes, and after this we came back to our ship for breakfast.
Later, our captain moved our ship not far from Punta Cormorant, and this time we explored an islet called Champion. We got a Zodiac ride in search of a very famous species of mockingbird found only here, The Floreana mockingbird is one of the four species of mockingbirds that Darwin based his theory of evolution on. We spotted few of them, so our mission was accomplished, and beside these birds we saw Nazca boobies, shearwaters, petrels, sea lions, juvenile and adult red-billed tropic birds, frigates, noddies, and more. The snorkeling also was fantastic, with plenty of marine wildlife, big schools of king angel fish, Moorish idols, playful sea lions, sea stars, and sea urchins.
In the afternoon we motored to Post office Bay. it was a great afternoon, and our guests had fun posting their letters and cards and picking up some left behind by other visitors, to hand-deliver them at home. This was the first post office in South America, and it was built by a gentleman called James Colnet in 1792. He had the idea to set up a wooden barrel there that would work as a post office among the buccaneers and whalers that were visiting the Galapagos islands around 300 hundred years ago. And indeed, it worked then and still works with all the visitors nowadays.
After the visit to the wooden barrel we went to kayak around some islets that form the bay. The marine turtles were the main attraction, popping their heads out of the water to breath from time to time. Meanwhile sea lions were basking on the rocks and a few birds hammocked their bodies up into the air. Other guests went on Zodiac rides in the same area, feeling the same experience.
The islands are so pristine and very quiet. Here you can hear the sounds of nature with no obstacles and enjoy the solitude, fresh breezes, and warm weather. it has been an incredible day with a lot of surprises; everyone enjoyed it. Behind Cormorant Point the moon appeared on the top of a very eroded volcano, and on the other side, west of Post Office Bay, the sun went down to sleep. It was the end of the day on the dusky bay, and our ship waited for us to come back, everyone happy and serene.
