The day began early with a visit to the post office barrel where many dropped and picked up mail. A short Zodiac ride took us to " La Loberia" which is a small islet where we found a large sea lion colony. One of the delights of the day is certainly our Ecuadorian lunch. The tasteful buffet lunch with its festive colors gave us more satisfaction than we ever wanted.
Swimming and snorkeling were our activities that followed in the afternoon with a pleasant walk that took us to various amazing sites in this island.
Floreana is one of those islands that leave us a feeling of peacefulness. The walk through the arid, or dry, vegetation zone teaches us all the adaptations these plants went through in order to tolerate about 6 to 8 months of the year without water. It is here that we found a high number of endemic plants.
As we entered the arid zone, we soon found a brackish lagoon where one can contemplate brown pelicans, white-cheeked pintail ducks, semi-palmated plovers and of course the ravishing flamingoes. Flamingoes are nervous birds and to get a good look at them we must remain quiet. It is during this time that we can truly enjoy the sounds of the birds as they fly, court and feed.
The greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is an endemic subspecies to the Galapagos. Though the population is very small (less than 500 individuals) it is referred as the brightest flamingo in the wild! In some parts of the world, where they are kept in captivity, they are fed what zookeepers call "zoo cake" which is a mix of ground meat and carrot juice keeping their feathers in top bright pink coloration.
The bill of the bird is exclusively shaped. The lower mandible resembles an expanded box and the upper mandible serves as a lid. The bent bill is an adaptation for feeding; it fits parallel to the bottom of the lagoon. The tongue is used to move rapidly back and forth pumping water out of the bill and sieving out small mollusks, crustaceans, insects, fishes and vegetable matter which the flamingo eats.
It is truly gratifying to see them among this harsh, quiet and dry environment as they decorate this brackish lagoon on Floreana.
