Selected Best Pictures

El Panecillo hill from Old Town

Looking down García Moreno street in the Old Town historic section of Quito, Ecuador. That is El Panecillo hill in the distance with the 45 meter tall statue, Virgen de Quito, on top.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise

A male, photographed on the El Chato tortoise reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise

Photographed on the El Chato tortoise reserve in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos.

Cactus Flower

The flower of the giant prickly pear cactus, this one was photographed at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos.

Sunset in Academy Bay

Sunset seen from our yacht anchored in Academy Bay, at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos.

Española Mockingbird

This mockingbird is only found on Española Island in the Galapagos.

Sea Lions jockeying for position

The beach at Gardner Bay on Española Island (in the Galapagos) was packed with female sea lions. When there was a disagreement about who was entitled to a spot of prime sand, displeasure was shown with a display of teeth.

Sea Lions on Gardner Bay

The beach at Gardner Bay on Española Island in the Galapagos, with sea lions in the foreground.

Yellow-Tailed Surgeonfish

Taken while snorkeling in Gardner Bay off of Española Island in the Galapagos.in Gardner Bay off of Española Island in the Galapagos.

Marine Iguana

Photographed at Punta Suárez on Española Island in the Galapagos.

Blue-Footed Booby

Photographed on the Punta Suárez hike, on Española Island in the Galapagos.

Nazca Booby with chick

Photographed on the Punta Suárez hike, on Española Island in the Galapagos.

Waved Albatrosses

Two waved albatrosses seen on the Punta Suárez hike, on Española Island in the Galapagos.

Galapagos Carpet Weed and Clubleaf

This green plant is galapagos clubleaf or nolana galapagensis. The red plan is Galapagos carpet weed or sesuvium edmonstonei. This picture was taken near Punta Pitt on San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos.

Red-Footed Booby

The Punta Pitt area of San Cristóbal Island was very dry and we did not see a lot of birds, but we did catch a glimpse of an occasional red-footed booby, like this one here.

Galapagos Carpet Weed on San Cristóbal Island

This landscape is part of northeastern San Cristóbal Island near Punta Pitt. The red plants are Galapagos carpet weed or sesuvium edmonstonei.

Sally Lightfoot Crab

Photographed near Cerro Brujo on San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos.

Sunset through Kicker Rock

After our beach walk at Cerro Brujo, on San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos, we asked the captain if he would relocate the yacht so we could see the sunset behind Kicker Rock. The captain delivered so we could watch the sunset behind the rock formation.

Sunset at Kicker Rock

After the sun set behind Kicker Rock (lower-left in the image), I took this picture of the clouds lit up by the sun below the horizon. Near San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos.

Giant Prickly Pear Cactus

These giant prickly pear cactus were photographed on Santa Fé Island in the Galapagos.

Santa Fe Land Iguana

Photographed on Sante Fa Island in the Galapagos.

Coast of Santa Fé Island

This is a small section of the northwest coast of Santa Fé Island in the Galapagos.

Yellow Warbler

Photographed on South Plaza Island in the Galapagos.

Galapagos Lava Lizard

This lava lizard was seen on South Plaza Island in the Galapagos, and is a member of the galapagos lava lizard species.

Swallow-Tailed Gull

Photographed on Darwin Beach on Genovesa Island in the Galapagos.

Red-Footed Booby

Photographed on Darwin Beach on Genovesa Island in the Galapagos.

Juvenile Frigatebird

Photographed on Darwin Beach on Genovesa Island in the Galapagos.

Red-Footed Booby head

Close-up of the head of a red-footed booby. Photographed on Darwin Beach on Genovesa Island in the Galapagos.

Short-Eared Owl

It rained during our hike on the eastern side of Genovesa Island (after climbing Prince Phillip’s Steps). But this short-eared owl was begging to be photographed, so with one person holding up an umbrella, I took my camera out of its ziplock bag and took this shot. If you look closely you can see the rain drops against the background.

Galapagos Penguin

The penguin on the right has just come out of Sullivan Bay and is bowing obsequiously to the two penguins that were already on the lava flows of Santiago Island in the Galapagos.

Pahoehoe Lava on Santiago Island

Sometime around 1900, an eruption on Santiago Island in the Galapagos led to a field of pahoehoe lava covering the southern part of the island. This is a picture of a small section of that lava showing the interesting patterns in the hardened lava.

Pahoehoe Lava on Santiago Island

Sometime around 1900, an eruption on Santiago Island in the Galapagos led to a field of pahoehoe lava covering the southern part of the island. This is a picture of a small section of that lava showing the interesting patterns in the hardened lava.

Pahoehoe Lava on Santiago Island

Sometime around 1900, an eruption on Santiago Island in the Galapagos led to a field of pahoehoe lava covering the southern part of the island. This is a picture of a small section of that lava showing the interesting patterns in the hardened lava.

Hornito in Santiago Island Lava Flow

Hornitos are formed in lava flows when a small opening releases a small amount of lava. This is a hornito in the lava flow on Santiago Island in the Galapagos.

Bartolomé Island and Pinnacle Rock

An iconic view from the top of Bartolomé Island in the Galapagos. Pinnacle Rock is the formation on the right hand side and Santiago Island is in the background.

Post-flowering Prickly Pear Cactus

One solitary flower remains on this prickly pear cactus on Rábida Island in the Galapagos.

Vermillion Flycatcher

Although the vermillion flycatcher is found throughout the western mid-Americas, the population of the subspecies in the Galapagos is declining precipitously. This siting was a rare find, and Fernando, our guide, had not seen a single vermillion flycatcher on the islands in the last eight years. Photographed at the lagoon at Red Beach on Rábida Island in the Galapagos.

Hieroglyphic Hawkfish

Taken while snorkeling off of Red Beach at Rábida Island in the Galapagos.

Galapagos Penguins

Taken while snorkeling at Sombrero Chino in the Galapagos. These penguins were feeding in the same place where we were snorkeling. They we like minature torpodeos diving past us to catch fish and then swimming to the surface again.

Spotted Eagle Ray

Taken while snorkeling at Sombrero Chino in the Galapagos. This ray was feeding, which explains the burst of sand near its front.

Juvenile Sea Lions Playing

These juvenile sea lions, probably males, were playing on the rocks of Sombrero Chino Island in the Galapagos.

Juvenile Sea Lion

Words can not express who cute this juvenile sea lion is. He was on the sands of Sombrero Chino Island in the Galapagos.