Floreana Island (sometimes know as Santa Maria or Charles) is considered the island with the richest human history. It was the first capital when Ecuador took position of the archipelago in 1832.
We started our day with a landing at Punta Cormorant. The green sandy beach contrasted with the blue ocean and the brownish vegetation while in the air, blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds tried to catch some fish. During our walk we passed a brackish lagoon where we spotted several shorebirds including some colorful Galápagos flamingos. On the leeward side of the point we found a number of sea turtles floating in a shallow calm bay. Some were finishing up nesting on a coral sandy beach – what a special treat to see! The white sandy dunes were covered with fresh sea turtle tracks, made by females during their attempt to lay eggs during the hot rainy season. On our way back to the landing point we saw some flightless birds, such as the Galápagos flycatcher, yellow warblers and finches.
