Up for breakfast at 5:45 AM, and on the beach at 6:30 AM. Urvina Bay is located at the northwest base of Alcedo Volcano, about mid-way up the western shore of Isabela Island. In the 1954 eruption of Alcedo, the area was uplifted about five meters, moving the shoreline back perhaps two kilometers. As a result, much of the walk was on old ocean floor.
We walked along the old shoreline first, past clumps of dead, dry coral and sand full of coral fragments. The feral goats have chewed up this country pretty badly. We saw a few goats, smelled even more goats and saw signs of goats all over the place. I don't know whether it was the goats or natural, but there are the closest things we've seen to meadows on the upslope side of the old beach line, with the occasional Domed Tortoise and Land Iguana. Nancy found a tortoise carapace, dried and bleached, partly split.
The trail turned down through thickets of Green Thornybush - something even goats can't seem to eat - into the uplifted sea floor. There are dead, dried out coral clumps, shells and coral fragments. The textures of the corals were interesting.
The last stretch of the walk was along an active beach. The coarse sand was alive with Fiddler Crabs, and there were excellent views of Flightless Cormorants.
Five different reptiles, as well.
Nancy and Gillian Rose examine a tortoise carapace
Isabela Island
Feral goats along Urvina Bay; a very serious problem
Isabela Island
Hugh walking very carefully as the trail runs through Green Thornybush
Isabela Island
Desiree explains coral mounds on an uplifted beach
Urvina Bay, Isabela Island
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Birds
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Others
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| Small Ground Finch Medium Ground Finch Large Ground Finch Yellow Warbler Galapagos Mockingbird Smooth-billed Ani Blue-footed Booby Flightless Cormorant Ruddy Turnstone Brown Noddy Galapagos Hawk Brown Pelican Audubon Shearwater Galapagos Penguin |
Lava Lizard Marine Iguana Domed Tortoise Land Iguana Green Sea Turtle Galapagos Sea Lion |