Day 11 in Ecuador - Flamingos, Iguanas, and Goats

Rabida is known as the red island with steep rusty colored volcanic cliffs.  Our ship is anchored inside the volcano’s crater which collapsed after exploding.

We have a wet landing, change into hiking boots and are immediately greeted by several lava lizards.  

Colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs also dot the red sands before rushing into their holes or the water.

  

We watch an American Oystercatcher catch a tasty morsel at the surf’s edge, and then give it to its baby following close behind.

  

  

What a cute family!

At a nearby pond, pink flamingos ring the water with the largest flock near us.   They run out of the water, stretch their necks and preen, and run back into the water like a gaggle of teenage girls!

  

They eat brine shrimp which give them their pinkish colors.

Our guide tells us we are extremely lucky to see so many at one time since the population of flamingoes on the islands is only about sixty.  We learn about animal numbers vs. the number an environment can support.

I just love this three-some!

I wish I could either tape Alberto or write everything down, but I have enough to do walking and trying not to trip over rocks and roots.  Plus, I am usually hot and sweaty, and stopping for teachable moments give me a chance to drink water and catch my breath!  There is so much information to remember that my brain starts to fog.  I hope you will go on this trip and learn it yourself!

Love is in the air, and we watch a pair of flamingos mate!  This is an astounding opportunity!  Sorry, no pictures.  I was in the moment!

We hike up from the beach,

seeing air plants in trees,

  

and birds.

  

At the top of the island are incredible vistas below.

The Opuntia cactus or what we call the prickly pear has sharp spines here but is not so prickly on some islands.  This plant has evolved and when there are no predators to destroy it, the spines are a soft fur.  It also produces a large number of fruits on each pad based on how the seeds will be dispersed.

Yes, boys, your mother does know how to take a selfie, but part of me and lots of the gorgeous landscape is just right!!

A couple of solitary cacti stand sentinel on the cliff.

Robyn and I are definitely enjoying our trip even if my hair may never be the same!

Our ship below with red sands and blue water,

and the flamingos below.

Back on the beach, a lonely pelican sends us off in our dinghy.

  

In twenty minutes, we are in our wet suits and ready for a session of deep water snorkeling.  Alberto and another traveler helped me with my underwater camera’s settings at breakfast.  I hope my pictures will be better today!

The water is clearer, and God’s creation is out of this world.  Giant red sea stars, long legged yellow ones, and one brilliant blue one amaze me.  I’ve never imagined a bed of sea stars!

Tiny fish, neon and zebra fish, tropical fish we use to buy for the aquarium at home populate these waters in abundance.  No turtles today, but I see two white tip sharks each about 4-5’ long.  They ignore me so I ignore them, but I do look behind myself several times to make sure sharp white teeth aren’t closing in on me.  I feel like a giant seal in this wetsuit!

After lunch, we motor about two hours to another island for our afternoon hike.  Thank goodness for hiking poles since I would not have made it climbing over jagged pieces of black lava without my third and fourth legs.  Plus, I carry three water bottles, cameras, and other equipment on my back which doesn’t help with balance.

Just like scouting, we are only to leave footprints.

Surrounding a pond, we see birds

  

and an iguana sunning himself on a rock.

I told you these finches were fast!

In the brush, a group member spots a bright yellow iguana.  He spots us too, and as we stop to admire him, he slowly walks TOWARDS us and not away.

This guy is definitely not camera shy!

  

This tree might be several hundred years old.

Another iguana

and another sitting by one of the holes that dot the ground.  The iguanas sleep in these and also lay their eggs to hatch.

One iguana crosses the path is front of me and heads down it as if to say, “Follow me!”

  

  

I always think God has a sense of humor with animals and plants!

As people populated the islands, they brought with them animals - horses, cows, pigs, goats, dogs, and cats.  Many were allowed to roam wild and were a huge detriment to the natural flora and fauna.  In 1998, the natural park started an eradication program to kill these animals primarily pigs and goats.  Over 40,000 goats were killed on one island resulting in a resurgence of the original natural environment.

Initially the goats were shot by snipers, but the government figured it cost $89/goat to remove each one.  Since goats are social creatures, they developed a program of sterilizing male goats, fitting them with GPS trackers, and letting them find a herd to join.  Hunters could then remove large numbers of animals at one time.  These goats were called Judas goats.

This might seem inhumane, but these goats were an invasive species destroying a very fragile ecosystem.  Alberto talked about the environment being similar to a game of Jenga.  When a block or species is removed, it affects the entire structure which can collapse.

Numerous Sally Lightfoot crabs dot the lava rocks as we prepare to leave the island.

  

It is decided to have a wet departure rather than climbing back over the lava rocks.  This was easier in some ways, but climbing in and over the sides of the dinghy is not graceful!

Showers never felt so good after sweating through clothes twice today.  Another delicious dinner and early to bed.  This crowd does not stay up late since we are exhausted at day’s end.  Plus, I didn’t sleep well last night as the ship was rocking and rolling starting about 2:00 AM.  I finally got up at 4:00 to write.  More tomorrow!