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Galapagos Islands Photo Gallery - Day 4 Floreana Punta Cormorant and Post Office Bay

In August 2007 we traveled to Quito, Ecuador, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo, and the Galapagos Islands

Galapagos 4-1-01 Floreana Punta Cormorant Floreana, also known as Charles or Santa Maria, is the southeastern most island in the Galapagos. It is one of the smaller of the major islands, measuring approximately 12 by 15 km and rising to an elevation of 640m. We anchored at Punta Cormorant, a small protected bay not far off the shore of Floreana. Punta Cormorant is not named after the bird but rather a US ship. Punta Cormorant has two beaches.

Galapagos 4-1-01 Floreana Punta Cormorant

Galapagos 4-1-02 Floreana Punta Cormorant Green Beach We landed at Punta Cormorant onto a green beach, tinted green because of olivine volcanic minerals, with some lounging sea lions.

Galapagos 4-1-02 Floreana Punta Cormorant Green Beach

Galapagos 4-1-03 Floreana Punta Cormorant Flamingoes In Lagoon After landing we followed a short trail to a lagoon, home to one of the biggest populations of flamingos in the archipelago. The gray streaks in the lagoon are where the flamingoes have walked along the muddy bottom.

Galapagos 4-1-03 Floreana Punta Cormorant Flamingoes In Lagoon

Galapagos 4-1-04 Floreana Punta Cormorant Flamingo Close Up These flamingos are very timid and the least amount of noise can send them moving further away from you. “Shhhhhhhh, be vewy vewy quiet; I'm hunting flamingos, heheheheheheh.”

Galapagos 4-1-04 Floreana Punta Cormorant Flamingo Close Up

Galapagos 4-1-05 Floreana Punta Cormorant Flamingo Feeding Close Up At this close distance we were able to see how the flamingo moves its bill upside down underwater to gather and filter the bottom sediment. Flamingos feed almost entirely on crustaceans like shrimp, and it is the shrimp that provides the pink pigment for their feathers.

Galapagos 4-1-05 Floreana Punta Cormorant Flamingo Feeding Close Up

Galapagos 4-1-06 Floreana Punta Cormorant Candelabra Cactus Named for its shape, the large endemic Candelabra Cactus grows to heights of 7m.

Galapagos 4-1-06 Floreana Punta Cormorant Candelabra Cactus

Galapagos 4-1-07 Floreana Punta Cormorant Turtle Tracks On Flour Beach The 400m trail crosses a narrow neck of land and comes to a white beach, called Flour Beach, on the eastern side of the island. We could still clearly see a trail left behind by the turtles who nest at Punta Cormorant from December to May.

Galapagos 4-1-07 Floreana Punta Cormorant Turtle Tracks On Flour Beach

Galapagos 4-1-08 Floreana Punta Cormorant Seeing Rays On Flour Beach Johnny asked us to go a little bit into the water and hold hands silently. Sure enough, rays swam around our feet.

Galapagos 4-1-08 Floreana Punta Cormorant Seeing Rays On Flour Beach

Galapagos 4-1-09 Floreana Punta Cormorant Devils Crown Crater The people who wanted to snorkel went off in the panga to the 100m-wide Devil's Crown crater. Isla Onslow is the official name for this sunken cinder cone off Floreana’s northern tip, but only the jagged eroded rim protrudes above the waterline.

Galapagos 4-1-09 Floreana Punta Cormorant Devils Crown Crater

Galapagos 4-2-01 Floreana Post Office Bay Turtle Early in the afternoon we are back to the Eden and on our way to Post Office Bay we saw a turtle in the water.

Galapagos 4-2-01 Floreana Post Office Bay Turtle

Galapagos 4-2-02 Floreana Post Office Bay Landing We arrived at Post Office Bay, which is one of the few visitor sites that is visited for its human history.

Galapagos 4-2-02 Floreana Post Office Bay Landing

Galapagos 4-2-03 Floreana Post Office Bay Post Office In 1793 British whalers established the Post Office Barrel to send letters to and from England. This tradition has continued over the years, and even today visitors can leave letters of their own or pick up letters and bring them home and then mail them.

Galapagos 4-2-03 Floreana Post Office Bay Post Office

Galapagos 4-2-04 Floreana Post Office Bay Lava Tube Located a few feet past the post barrel this lava tube requires technical gear to explore.

Galapagos 4-2-04 Floreana Post Office Bay Lava Tube

Galapagos 4-2-05 Floreana Post Office Bay Norwegian Fishing Village We passed the remains of the Norwegian fishing village, a commercial fish canning operation from the late 1920s. All that is left is a few foundation walls and pillars and some large rivetted steel cauldrons designed for rendering whale blubber and storing water.

Galapagos 4-2-05 Floreana Post Office Bay Norwegian Fishing Village

Galapagos 4-2-06 Floreana Post Office Bay Female Magnificent Frigatebird A female magnificent frigatebird soared above the Eden.

Galapagos 4-2-06 Floreana Post Office Bay Female Magnificent Frigatebird

Galapagos 4-2-07 Floreana Post Office Bay Male Frigatebird A male frigatebird soared above the Eden. After dinner we traveled for four hours to our next stop, Puerto Ayora.

Galapagos 4-2-07 Floreana Post Office Bay Male Frigatebird


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