Santa Cruz – Bachas Beach and Highlands
Day eight, we were back in Santa Cruz for exploration at Bachas Beach and Highlands, also Puerto Ayora.
Bachas Beach
On our original tour schedule, we were to visit North Seymour. However, the Galápagos National Parks Service closed access to prepare for rat eradication.
After an overnight voyage from Isla Bartolomé, we anchored before sunrise, ready to visit Bachas Beach. Las Bachas is a pair of sandy beaches on the north coast of Santa Cruz (Indefatigable) near Baltra.
Wet Landing on Paya Las Bachas
It was an early start, well before breakfast, when we landed, in rough seas, on Paya Las Bachas. We walked over a small dune to Las Bachas’ main beach to explore the wildlife in the lagoons.
Wildlife at Bachas Beach
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Bachas Beach Wildlife
It was a brief visit, with not much wildlife to photograph. Very disappointing, the only bird of note was the least sandpiper, a Galápagos winter visitor in non-breeding plumage. We were back on board for breakfast and underway to the Santa Cruz to Baltra Ferry Terminal. On the short voyage, we passed Isla Daphne Mayor (Daphne Major) to the north of Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz Highlands
After docking at the ferry terminal, we disembarked and climbed aboard a minibus to tour the highlands. While we explored Santa Cruz highlands and Puerto Ayora, our boat was being reprovisioned and fuelled. Our minibus highlands tour included Los Gemelos, Cerro Crocker, and Reserva Ecológica Cerro Mesa.
Wildlife at Santa Cruz Highlands
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Santa Cruz Highlands Wildlife
The E5 Highway from the ferry terminal was a straight road to our first stop – Los Gemelos (Twin Craters). We spent around an hour at this scalesia site with moss and lichen-covered trees and puddles of water, a haven for Darwin’s finches and other birds.
Next was Cerro Crocker, another scalesia site also with moss and lichen-covered trees. I photographed a male woodpecker finch pecking in the tree for arthropods in the moss and lichen.
Our final stop in the highlands – Reserva Ecológica Cerro Mesa (Ecological Reserve),
a private establishment. We spent half an hour exploring the grounds for wildlife to photograph: a male vegetarian finch. Also, yellow warbler, a small tree finch and a monarch butterfly. Then back on the minibus heading for Puerto Ayora.
Puerto Ayora
We arrived in the town just around three in the afternoon. We had visited Puerto Ayora on the first day in the Galápagos, and like the first, this was another free time visit.
Wildlife at Puerto Ayora
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Puerto Ayora Wildlife
While our guide went walkabout, we explored the waterfront area. Birds spotted at the waterfront were a juvenile and immature, yellow-crowned night heron, a juvenile green heron and lava gulls. Finally, we chilled out with a beer at Santa Cruz Brewery. We left Puerto Ayora on the minibus back to the ferry terminal to re-join our boat. We were ready to embark on our second week of Galápagos cruising.
References – Online Resources
1. Galapagos Conservation Trust – Scalesia 2021. [Online] Available from Galapagos Conservation Trust [Accessed 23-Aug-21].