Birding By Sea – A Day Trip To Punta Pitt, Galapagos

Now I am the first to admit I am not a fan of small boats due to being prone to sea-sickness but if you want to get to Punta Pitt and see 3 species of Boobies, Frigatebirds and more you have to do a day trip in a boat.  These trips don’t go out every day so I recommend checking out several tour operators when you first arrive, book your tour and then you can fit in other land tours around this trip.  The tour is supposed to be a complete circle around the Island of San Cristobal but in our case they only went to Punta Pitt and back.  I didn’t care because Punta Pitt was my target and I am not really a snorkeler.  Lunch is provided but they only serve a seafood dish and rice.  I don’t eat seafood so my husband ended up with a double portion and I got some bread rolls.  This was actually a blessing in disguise because when we came back via Kicker Rock, the sea was so rough I would have lost the lunch!.

We booked at Dava Tours and it’s called the 360 Tour.

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This is a cruise ship that travels around the Galapagos Islands.DSCN0944

We headed to Punta Pitt passing some very spectacular scenery.  DSCN0949 DSCN0950 DSCN0955 DSCN0958

We spent a couple hours cruising around Punta Pitt going up close but not docking or getting off the boat.  This wasn’t a problem as we could see all the birds easily enough from the boat.  DSCN0966 DSCN0968 DSCN0970 DSCN0972 DSCN0986 DSCN0988 IMG_2516 IMG_2517 IMG_2514 IMG_2527 IMG_2530 IMG_2538 IMG_2543 IMG_2549 IMG_2569 IMG_2570 IMG_2572 IMG_2575 IMG_2577 IMG_2582 IMG_2584 IMG_2585 IMG_2594 IMG_2616 IMG_2617 IMG_2630 IMG_2631 IMG_2641 IMG_2644 IMG_2647 IMG_2648 IMG_2650 IMG_2660 IMG_2665 IMG_2670 IMG_2691 IMG_2698 IMG_2702 IMG_2738 IMG_2739 IMG_2743 IMG_2757 IMG_2759 IMG_2774 IMG_2781 IMG_2804 IMG_2811 IMG_2815 IMG_2823

BOATING WITH BOOBIES!

When we left Punta Pitt, we picked up a few hitch-hikers.  Some adventurous young Red-footed Boobies landed on the boat for a joy ride!  It was pretty cool to watch them having fun as the boat sped over the waves, rocking them as they tried to hang on with their webbed feet.  If they lost their balance, they would fly off, circle around the boat and land again on that rail with passengers cheering them on!  It was awesome and the highlight of the trip for me!

DSCN0992 DSCN0994 DSCN0998 DSCN1002 DSCN1005 DSCN1014 DSCN1017 DSCN1020 DSCN1023 DSCN1025 IMG_2738We stopped for lunch at a beach halfway back to town but before Kicker Rock and we were able to jump in for a swim.  I should caution that it is really hard to get up the ladder back on the boat!

Like I said, Kicker Rock was meant to be a snorkel spot but the sea was so rough we didn’t go in.  We did see other people snorkeling from other boats.  Our hitch-hiking Boobies had left us by this time but there are still other birds to see on Kicker Rock.

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Arriving back in town.DSCN1048 DSCN1049 DSCN1050 DSCN1052

Here you see the boat we were on.  It looks more like a dive boat with the seating platform in the middle.  I would have preferred a boat with proper seats as it was kind of uncomfortable.  DSCN1053 DSCN1054

Since I didn’t eat lunch, I was happy to see a hot dog stand near the pier!  They were good hot dogs too!DSCN1055

Over all despite me being a reluctant boater; it was a good trip.  Mission accomplished and we saw all the target birds!

The Darwin’s Finches Of The Galapagos

Darwin’s finches (also known as the Galápagos finches) are a group of about fourteen [1] species of passerine birds. They are often classified as the subfamily Geospizinae or tribe Geospizini. They belong to the tanager family and are not closely related to the true finches.  You can see them on most of the islands in the Galapagos.  This video does a great job of explaining where all these finches came from.

I saw several species of Darwin’s finch on San Cristobal but I am having trouble sorting them all out!  I am pretty sure I have a Cactus Finch, Tree Finches, Ground Finches and a Vegetarian Finch but I can’t differentiate between the “small” and “large” varieties!

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Birding On Foot – Interpretive Center & Walk To Punta Carola

This is a very easy birding walk to do if you are staying on San Cristobal preferably in the morning before it gets too hot. Get a taxi to drop you at the Interpretive Center and have a look at the exhibits.

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Keep your eye out for birds as you walk along the footpaths.DSCN0905 DSCN0907 DSCN0908

There are a couple rest stops between the Interpretive Center and Punta Carola Beach.DSCN0910 DSCN0911

Look down for iguanas and up for birds!  These trails are good for Darwin’s finches.

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Iguanas swimming in the sea.  Also be careful about sitting on the rocks on this beach, iguanas could be sitting on them!IMG_2486 IMG_2490 DSCN0915 IMG_2491 IMG_2495 IMG_2497 IMG_2498 IMG_2499

When you are ready to go back to the town, follow the narrow trail along the sea and you will end up at the far end of town where you can keep walking or get a taxi if it’s too hot.IMG_2510 DSCN0917 DSCN0919 DSCN0920 DSCN0921 DSCN0922