Overnight cruise to Espanola Island (Hood), quietly slipping anchor at around 2.00am. Here we landed on another white beach, punctuated at each end with a rocky section. This time the rocks were wet and slippery. Other groups were also on the beach, but were not too intrusive. The edge of the beach was thick shrub, where you could watch birds. Our first sighting of the large Cactus Finch.  A Galapagos hawk did us proud with a flyby. The sea shore had the usual group of friendly Sea Lions with the young suckling, and sometimes being bitten when they chose the wrong mother.

Several orange Marine Iguanas we photographed amongst the rocks, and on the beach. A couple were speeding along at quite a lick.

Sally Lightfoot crabs were to be found amongst the rocks, and some very obliging mocking birds came begging for water. After we refused they went off and had a fight with another group of mocking birds, several mocking birds are a mockeroserous.

Further along the beach I was able to photograph some finches collecting grass for their nest. These finches I am sure are Large Cactus Finches.

Back to the panga, quick change into swimming gear and we went for more snorkelling. Usual array of fish, though managed to spot a Giant Damselfish. The Rays and Sharks we were hoping to see stayed away, until the ride back to the ship. A couple of mating eagle rays were spotted, this eventually morphed into a large group. I had the chance to swim directly towards a group of 30 Golden Cowray only a few feet beneath. I then turned to follow them, and at some stage I could see over a hundred of them.

Lunch was served at 12.00, soup to start followed by a beef stew, salad, rice and asparagus in a cream source. Afters was a strawberry mouse. While lunch was in progress, the boat moved down the island to Suarez Point for our late afternoon walk.

Suarez Point was amazing, landing was on rocks, with a walk along the coast. The usual sea lions were lying around the beaches. The lizards and nesting Marine Iguana where lying around the rocks, in one area I could count over 20 individual Iguanas, on the way back within 29 yards there were two groups of 5 Iguana lying together. The sea birds let you walk up and almost touch them, including Juvenile Nazca Booby birds still in their fluffy feathers.

The furthest point of the walk ended in a blow hole, and in the distance on the cliffs were several Albatross flying.  Male Albatross visit these islands at around this time. On the walk back, I photographed a juvenile Large Cactus Finch. As we were leaving, a Galapagos Hawk came into view, circling several times out of camera view. Luckily keeping us on site for the flyby of an Albatross. The Albatross flew by a couple of times before landing a 100 yards away.

Back to the panga, and onto the boat for cocktails and a supper of Red Snapper.

 

 A mockeroserous of Mockingbirds