May 18, Tuesday, Pinta Island
The Vermillion flycatcher that kept us company for all three days.
The area on Pinta Island is thick with native vegetation. I don’t know all the plants of Galapagos (though I think I know a few people who do), but I did not see a single plant that I recognized as introduced. Plants that are particularly problematic are guava, blackberry, quinine tree, and passionfruit vine. None of these were in evidence where I went. These plants compete with native plants, resulting in loss of natural food resources for the tortoise, finches, and other wildlife in the islands.
Finches abound. I believe there are 9 kinds of Darwin’s finches found on Pinta. Again, I can’t identify them all with certainty, but can recognize significant differences between the birds sizes and beak shapes that distinguish them as different from each other. There are also Galapagos mockingbirds, Galapagos doves, and Galapagos hawks visible at almost all times. The doves are particularly beautiful and so tame that they almost didn’t get out of the way when I walked the trail. A particular treat was the Vermillion Flycatcher, pictured left, that met us at the beach when we arrived with the first tortoises. It’s the same species we have in Texas that I’ve seen as close to Houston as Brazos Bend State Park. That bird stayed around all 3 days we were on Pinta, making some of us suspect there must be a nesting female somewhere nearby.
I will see my friend Dr. Sharon Deem next weekend. Sharon is a zoo veterinarian who works here for the St. Louis Zoo on avian health issues. She’s been on many of the islands looking at diseases present in the various bird populations, trying to figure out the natural history of those diseases, and the impacts these pathogens play in the biology of native (and introduced) bird species here. I will be pleased to report to her that there was no evidence of avian pox on any of the birds that I saw on Pinta. She asked me to keep an eye out for it. Pox is spread by mosquitoes and is found in the finches, doves, and mockingbirds on many of the islands. We know it has been here a long time, but spread may be getting worse due to the inadvertent introduction of disease spreading mosquitoes. The same problem (introduction of mosquitoes and exotic diseases of pox and malaria) has wiped out many of the endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers. We don’t want Galapagos to repeat our mistakes, and they don’t either.
Each tortoise is carefully carried over the terrain to be released and roam free
Today I took my turn on the beach. I helped with the tortoises as they came off the panga, and with the process of securing them to carry them up the hill. It was of supreme importance that they were well protected. This team was lead by Don Fausto Llerena. Fausto has worked at the tortoise rearing center (now named for him) pretty much since its inception. He knows more about hatching eggs, rearing babies, feeding tortoises, creating nest sites, and producing healthy tortoises for release than anyone on the planet. He also has a lot of knowledge about how these animals live in the wild. He is a resource for all new employees, and for consulting veterinarians(me). With Fausto in charge of securing the tortoises to the branches, there was no doubt they’d make it up the hill safely.
We finished early — the last tortoise having left the beach late morning – so we went to help set up the tarp over at the cooking/kitchen area that the students will use in their camp. Camps here are set up is that sleeping tents are laid out where there’s level ground. The “kitchen” is placed a bit away from the tents and serves as a common area to eat, relax, and converse. Their chosen site has a beautiful lava wall that blocks the wind so the gas stove will be more efficient. There are prickly pear trees marking the 2 opposite ends, and the shade structure is big enough to cover food storage and still allow room for a small plastic patio table with chairs where the students can eat and work. The camp site looks out on the bay where our boat, the Sierra Negra, sits in harbor.
We went aboard for lunch and sat and relaxed some through the afternoon. I snorkeled around the boat for a short while and watched the large school of mullet beneath the boat extending off into what appeared to be infinity. There were a few triggerfish in the area, but not a lot of diversity visible from my vantage point at the surface. After snorkeling, I sat on the deck and watched the sea. It wasn’t long before a pod of dolphins came right by the boat. They swam by, then minutes later returned from the other direction. I had to wonder if they weren’t “working” the huge school of mullet I’d just seen beneath the boat. They came back and forth maybe a dozen times, then a group of sea lions came and entertained us. They went from one side of the boat to the other and played with each other for hours. It finally got too dark to see much more, and was time for dinner anyway.
Sleeping Monday and Tuesday nights was a little hard because at anchor, the Sierra Negra has a little bit more movement. I’m not at all inclined to sea sickness, but it actually was hard at times not to roll around in the boat when it shifted.
The food on the boat was excellent. The cook and his assistants prepared 3 hot meals per day. There was always a healthy portion of rice, some type of meat (heavily favoring fish) and sometimes a vegetable. Fresh made juice and coffee were available at every meal. There is 1 simple rule however. After eating, everyone washes their own plate and silverware. I thought this is a pretty good deal!
Continue the journey with Dr. Joe tomorrow, as he and the crew say goodbye to the students who will stay on Pinta Island for 2.5 months to track the tortoise’s progress, and return to Santa Cruz.
Written by Joe Flanagan
