GALAPAGOS part 9: Santa Cruz (Dragon Hill) and Santiago/Bartolome (19 May 2025)

Monday 19 May 2025. SANTA CRUZ. We arrived off the NW of Santa Cruz during the night and I was up at 05:30 ahead of an 06:00 departure to Dragon Hill, an unscheduled early visit to the last chance saloon for Vegetarian Finch. A species which we probably should have seen well several times by now but hadn't, not helped by limited time at the best time of day in suitable habitat. We wet landed and walked through decent looking open forest up to a very low hill with nice views but no Vegetarians. It soon became very hot and bird activity quickly dropped off, not that it had been much to start with. We were back on board at 08:00 for breakfast and set off for the north end of Santiago. SANTIAGO/BARTOLOME. We arrived in Sullivan Bay between Santiago and Bartolome at 11:00, lunch was at noon with a panga ride/snorkeling from 14:00-15:10. The panga circumnavigated Bartolome and was the best we'd done to date (Tiger & several White-tipped Sharks, Turtles, 3 Wandering Tattlers and Galapagos Penguins). A dry landing at 15:45 and a half hour walk on a 130 year old lava flow completely devoid of life. We were back on board the Chacalote Explorer at 16:30 and departed an hour later for Genovesa. I was on deck to dusk, a nice sunset but not the previous evenings stunner although 2 Band-rumped and a Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel and 22 Galapagos Petrels made it worthwhile. Birds seen: 3 Galapagos Doves, 5 Smooth-billed Anis, Dark-billed Cuckoo, Black-necked Stilt, American Oystercatcher, 3 Wandering Tattlers, 20 Brown Noddies, 5 Galapagos Penguins, 2 Red-billed Tropicbirds, 26 Elliot’s, 2 Band-rumped and a Wedge-rumped Storm Petrel, 22 Galapagos Petrels, 18 Galapagos Shearwaters, 15 Magnificent Frigatebirds, a Nazca and 15 Blue-footed Boobies, 5 Brown Pelicans, 3 Lava Herons, 2 Great Blue Herons, 4 Galapagos Flycatchers, 6 Galapagos Mockingbirds, 6 Mangrove Warblers, 6 Small Ground Finches. and 2 Common Cactus Finches. 

a bit optimistic featuring Orca on the daily itinerary

Lava Heron at Dragon Hill

Chacalote Explorer off Dragon Hill

Great Bule Heron at Dragon Hill

Mangrove Warblers at Dragon Hill

Black-necked Stilt at Dragon Hill

Land Iguana at Dragon Hill

view from Dragon Hill, it wasn't much of a hill

Galapagos Shearwaters off Dragon Hill

Santiago

Elliot's Storm Petrels in Sullivan Bay

Pinnacle Rock from Sullivan Bay

White-tipped Shark as we circumnavigated Bartolome by panga

Nazca Booby on Bartolome

Bartolome viewpoint climbed on 13th

Lava Heron on Bartolome

Galapagos Penguin on Bartolome

Sullivan Bay lava flow

Pinnacle Rock, Bartolome, Sullivan Bay and the lava flow

Pinnacle Rock

Band-rumped Storm Petrel at sea north of Santiago

Galapagos Petrels at sea north of Santiago

sunset at sea north of Santiago, final stop Genovesa tomorrow ...

Shoreham (27-31 July)

Sunday 27 July 2025. Mill Hill 06:05-09:05: 4 Stock Doves, 2 Grey Herons (together flying E), Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Peregrine, 3 Jays, 2 Swallows, 4 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, 11 Whitethroats, Wheatear, 8 Crossbills (low NE) and 22 Goldfinches. Adur (Old Toll Bridge-Ferry Bridge) with Otis: 20 adult and 3 juvenile Mute and the Black Swan, 4 Oystercatchers, 3 Lapwings, Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Dunlin, 9 Turnstones and a German colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull.

colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull A3AP from the Old Toll Bridge

ringed as a chick at Rehbach Gravel Pit, Leipzig, Sachsen, GERMANY in June 2022 it has subsequently been seen at Copt Point, Folkestone, Kent in October 2022, Terneuzen, Zeeland, NETHERLANDS in May 2023, Zeebrugge and Knokke-Heist, West-Vlaandren, BELGIUM in June 2023, Titchfield Haven, Hampshire in September 2023, Pleneuf-Val Andre, Cotes-d'Armor, FRANCE in December 2023 and Omonville-La-Peite, Manche, FRANCE in November 2024

Black-tailed Godwit on the Adur, not many waders are smarter than this

Monday 28 July 2025. Adur with Megan and Otis: 15 adult Mute and the Black Swan, 3 Oystercatchers, 2 Lapwings, 4 Whimbrel (one singing!), Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and 2 Goldfinches 

Tuesday 29 July 2025. Adur (Cuckoos Corner to the sea) with Otis, 08:45-11:45:  24 adult and 8 juvenile Mute and the Black Swan, 10 adult and a juvenile Oystercatcher, 4 Lapwings, 5 Ringed Plover, 4 Whimbrel, 5 Dunlin, 3 Common Sandpipers, 8 Turnstones, 2 Greenshank, 25 Redshank, 2 Grey Herons, 9 Little Egrets, Green Woodpecker (heard), 4 House Martins, 2 Reed Warblers, 4 Linnets, 4 Goldfinches and 4 Reed Buntings.

Whimbrel hiding in the saltmarsh

Greenshanks in the Houseboat Channel

nice to see the juvenile Oystercatcher is still about

Whimbrel with crab, attracting the attention of a nearby Herring Gull

it flew off with its prize although I did wonder how it would manage to eat it

Wednesday 30 July 2025. Southwick Hill-Mile Oak-Perching Hill-Truleigh Hill-Thundersbarrow with Otis, 09:10-13:10: 4 Swifts, 2 Stock Doves, 3 Red Kites, 3 Buzzards, Little Owl, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Kestrels, 2 Ravens, 4 Swallows, 3 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Sedge and Reed Warblers, a Lesser and 23 Common Whitethroats, 10 Linnets, 8 Goldfinches and 5 Corn Buntings. No Cirl Bunting but I didn't linger.

Hare on the Downs

Chiffchaff at Truleigh Hill

Buzzard at Truleigh Hill

Corn Bunting on Thundersbarrow

Thursday 31 July 2025. Mill Hill, joined by Megan and Otis: Buzzard, Great Spotted and 2 Green Woodpeckers, Peregrine (distantly on cement works chimney), 2 Chiffchaffs and 6 Whitethroats.