INTRODUCTION. I have wanted to visit the Galapagos for almost as long as I can remember although I was more interested in seeing Waved Albatrosses and Swallow-tailed Gulls than the endemic finches and mockingbirds. I went to Ecuador in August 1999 with Michael Grunwell (see here) and he tried to persuade me to go on a 4 day cruise while there but it cost $1000 (seemed a lot in those days) and more critically didn't visit Espanola where the albatrosses breed and might have been too late anyway. In the event Michael did see a Waved Albatross while seawatching between islands. I had hoped one day to go on a pelagic off Peru or Chile but the opportunity hasn't arisen. The 2003 film Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World, partly set in the Galapagos, left a lasting impression but I'd always felt it was somewhere I could leave until I was old. Looking in the mirror I realise that I can no longer fool myself that I'm not! I had signed up for a Brazil Ground Cuckoo trip in April but it fell through, ironically to be resurrected in early June when I was in France with Megan. It left me with a bit of a gap and I was looking at options for filling it. I'd made a start on a list of the birds I most wanted to see and Waved Albatross was one of the first on it. Galapagos entered my thinking and for a birdwatching trip the choice seemed to be between Birdquest and Naturetrek. Birdquest's trip was full so after making some perhaps not detailed enough enquires I signed up for a Naturetrek tour. It was a friendly group and enjoyed it and was glad I that went but waiting a year for a space with Birdquest would probably have been a better option and enabled me to see a more complete bird list. Photos are mine, first sightings of new birds are noted in red.
Sunday 04 May. Megan dropped me at
the bus stop in Shoreham at 22:00, the bus was on time and I arrived at
Heathrow Terminal 5 at 00:20.
Monday 05 May. LONDON to QUITO. After
a few hours with little sleep on an uncomfortable seat I checked in at 04:00
for 06:15 flight to Madrid, a window seat in a comfortable A320. We arrived on
time with 2.5 hours before our connection to Quito. Magpie, Kestrel and 3
Swallows seen). Another window seat in an A350 with reasonably forgettable
films. We arrived a bit early, were soon through immigration but had a long
wait for bags during which I met the other participants (3 couples and an
intrepid traveler of similar age to me, she was going on to Easter Island after
the cruise). Naturetrek’s Quito guide Esteban was waiting with a minibus and
took us into town, some distance and heavy traffic making it seem a long
journey. My room in the Hotel Alameda Mercure was on the top (9th)
floor and my first attempt at using the lift wasn’t very successful so I always
used the stairs. There was a city tour the following morning which I didn’t
fancy and made enquiries about the TeleferiQo (cable car from the edge of Quito to the slopes of Pichincha Volcano. Birds seen: Eared Dove, Blue
& White Swallow and Great Thrush.
Tuesday 06 May. QUITO. After a decent breakfast I caught a taxi to the TeleferiQo ($6) arriving soon after 09:30 and expecting it to start at 10 (as per Esteban, hotel reception, online search and when I arrived the sign on the Ticket Office). It didn’t start until 11:00 so I wandered around for an hour and joined a longish queue at about 09:45. Birds noted while waiting were Eared Dove, American Kestrel, Azara’s Spinetail (heard), Great Thrush, Hooded Siskin, Rufous-collared Sparrow and Cinereous Conebill. When I finally bought my ticket at 11:20 an over 65s discount was a bonus (as was being asked if I was old enough). I was at the top at 11:40, the 4 seater enclosed gondola taking me from 3,117 m (10,226 ft) to 3,945 m (12,943 ft). I wandered around until 16:30. The weather was clear to start with but clouds slowly came up and visibility was poor for the last hour. Birds were few and far between and although Tawny Antpittas were seemingly calling everywhere it took me almost 2 hours to see one briefly, and another 2 hours for a good view. Also seen were a Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant and 3 Brown-backed Chat-Tyrants. Not a lot but enjoyable and much better for me than being in the city. The return journey was eerily silent as we descended through the clouds until the lower station suddenly appeared. Three taxis were waiting at the bottom, the first in the queue was a minibus which seemed a bit unnecessary but the driver told me I was his first fare that day (my $6 seemed little reward for his day’s work). I still had some food with me and ate in my room.
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| American Kestrel below the TeleferiQo, my early arrival had some benefits |
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| Eared Doves below the TeleferiQo |
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| Quito from above the TeleferiQo |
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| Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant |
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| Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant |
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| Great Thrush above the TeleferiQo |
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| Pinchincha from above the TeleferiQo |
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| Tawny Antpitta above the TeleferiQo |
Wednesday 07 May. QUITO to BALTRA and SANTA CRUZ. After a decent breakfast we left the hotel for the airport at 08:00, rather early for an 11:10 departure but we had Quito rush hour traffic to contend with and at times were virtually stationary. We made it with plenty of time for our Avianca A320 flight to Baltra where we arrived at 12:20. We collected our bags and were met by our guide for the next two weeks, Darwin Alvarez (an easy name to remember). We caught a local bus a short distance to the ferry terminal, crossed the Canal de Itabaca a short distance to the northern tip of Santa Cruz. There another bus was waiting for us, taking us south through some decent looking habitat (and a brief roadside Paint-billed Crake) to Enchanted Lodge for lunch. Three Small Ground Finches were my first Galapagos endemic but heavy rain prevented walking around after lunch. We continued to Puerto Ayora where the sun was shining and walked to the Charles Darwin Research Centre to see some Giant Tortoises. Also a mummified Lonesome George which was rather sad, 4 Galapagos Mockingbirds and 2 Common Cactus Finches. We walked back into town seeing single Hudsonian Whimbrel and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and 8 Brown Pelicans. One pelican was fishing by the jetty as we waited for our Panga (Zodiac) to take us to the Chacalote Explorer which was anchored in the bay just outside the harbour. A very efficient transportation, we arrived on board to find our bags in our cabins. I was pleased not to be sharing as it would have been a bit of a squash for two. Having eight on board rather than a maximum compliment of 16 was nice too, especially as the others were all very pleasant, if not along for the birds. We were given a decent buffet style meal and I retired to my cabin to sort myself out before turning in. There was a bit of a swell until we left at midnight, the engine noise not being too bad. Other birds seen during the day were 3 Smooth-billed Anis (a destructive introduction), 10 Brown Noddys, 10 Magnificent Frigatebirds, 40 Western Cattle Egrets (first arrived in Galapagos in 1960s) and 4 Mangrove (Yellow) Warblers.
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| Quito from my hotel window |
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| Santa Cruz from Baltra |
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| Small Ground Finch at Enchanted Lodge |
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| Mangrove race of Yellow Warbler at Enchanted Lodge |
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| Marine Iguanas at Puerto Ayora |
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| Galapagos Lava Lizard at Puerto Ayora |
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| Giant Tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Centre |
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| Lonesome George |
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| Magnificant Frigatebird at Puerto Ayora |
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| juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Heron at Puerto Ayora |
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| Brown Pelican on the jetty at Puerto Ayora |
