Galapagos Conditions June 5, 1999
The conditions in Galapagos for the first week of June were great for visitor and fauna alike. Even though the sea surface temperature satellite maps show less warm water from the north and more cold water coming from the South, the sea surface temperatures are much the same as the past month. The central island sea surface temperatures are between 74 and 76 degrees F. (~23.3 and 24.4 C.) Some garua is starting to come in the mornings. The daytime air temperatures are still warm with clear days and scattered cumulus clouds.
The Great Frigates at Tower are still displaying. Very few migrants are being seen as they complete their journeys north. Small numbers of Greater Flamingos are present at Punta Cormorant but no more than 10 have been there in the past months. The Blue-Footed Boobies are massing and nesting at Punta Suarez, Hood. There is a lot of dancing. These are largest numbers for approximately 2 years (pre-Niño). The Blue Foots at North Seymour have eggs now with some pairs still laying.
In the western islands, the Flightless Cormorants at Punta Espinosa are not nesting within the visitor site now but at least 6 pairs have chicks that can be seen on the approach to visitor landing dock. Tagus Cove still has large herds of goats roaming through the visitor site. They are obvious up on the hillsides along with their tracks on the visitor trail. The Brown Pelicans have finished their breeding attempt in the cove and the juveniles are fishing with the adults. Penguins are courting at Tagus Cove. The water temperature at Punta Espinosa was 69.5 F. on May 31. The algal beds have recovered nicely and large numbers of East Pacific Green Sea Turtles can be seen grazing. Port Jackson Sharks are being seen in larger numbers than normal.
There are some human caused changes lately. On June 2, parks wardens and workers were busy repairing the dock at South Plaza. Many new trail markers are in place now that put the cliff faces entirely off limits. (I can understand the safety issues but I shall miss viewing the red billed tropic birds, audubon shearwaters, and Swallow-tailed Gulls nesting). The road from the village in Puerto Ayora to the Park and Research Station have been widened with the ultimate goal to be paved. Again, I see that progress is inevitable but it would be nice to keep the same ambiance as the past with the road meandering through the mangroves. Many of the visitor trails have been "widened" too. Several perennial nesting spots for Red Footed Boobies were cut down on Prince Philip Steps on Tower.
Now that Sea Cucumber season is over at least, "the madness" has stopped. The boats seems to have gone back to port with their final loads of booty. It is still a moot point now as during the past week, I managed to find 3 individuals of the target commercial species while snorkeling near visitor sites. They have taken it all. There are varying reports on the death toll of the cucumber fisherman. At least 3 and possibly four have died from diving accidents directly related to sea cucumbering activities. Many more probably will have problems later on from embolisms with micro-bubbles in their blood stream. The divers were not using dive computers or even common sense in diving. They stayed at depth for long periods and then ascended rapidly with no decompression stops at all. Let's hope that this is last time that this "experiment" is tried.
