Diego Ortiz

Hello everyone! My name is Diego Ortiz, and I am going into my senior year as a biology major. I am so grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to attend this research trip. It excites me to know that in the span of this month I will be able to learn how research is conducted, practice my spanish, and experience the amazing Ecuadorian/Galapagos culture. I will have my camera ready at all times to get photos of the blue-footed boobies, iguanas, penguins, and so many more unique animals! 

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Day 1

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                  Howdy y'all, it is Diego and Cole. We just finished our first day in Ecuador, and had a great time being introduced to the culture of USFQ. We started the day by touring the beautiful campus. We learned a lot about the history of the University, and were able to see some unique attractions, such as the dragon, the tie fighter, and the PIG. The culinary school cooked up some lunch for us. It was hard to believe the amount of amazing food they had on campus. The class refreshed their knowledge on Spanish with the help of Dr. Karla. An interesting topic we learned was the Kichwa language that is native to Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. After Spanish we crushed the One Health Ecuadorian Perspective class with Dr. Trueba. He lectured about the pathogens of nature, the dangers they cause, and how human activity amplifies them both directly and indirectly. To end the day we had a group dinner at Noe Sushi Bar, which had some incredib...
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Day 12 - We Love Boobies

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Dr. M wanted us to switch up the blog, so today's post is dedicated to the one and only blue-footed boobies. One of our favorite animals to see here in the Galápagos are the boobies. They are native to the islands, but not endemic. This means you can also find these birds throughout the Gulf of California, down to Peru. However, some of the species on the island are endemic, meaning they are only found on the islands. Yesterday, when we visited Isla Lobos, we saw so many blue-footed boobies and their babies. The chicks are super fluffy and white. We were surprised to see that the babies did not yet have their blue feet. Our tour guide informed us that their feet will turn blue once they can fish on their own and eat a consistent diet of fish. This change is coincident with their sexual maturity. We even saw a dad boobie sitting on an egg, keeping it warm (see if you can find it in the picture!) This morning as we were taking surveys, we were mesmerized by the boobies as they dove i...
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Day 26 - Final Excursion:(:

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Hey everyone! Marielle and Tyler here with our final excursion blog (sad face)  Today we left the hotel around 9 AM to visit Los Gemelos and El Chato Ranch. The Gemelos are two giant sink holes formed by the collapse of volcanic chambers. They are filled with tons of greenery and vegetation, along with a variety of bird species. Sometimes, you can see the Vermillion Flycatcher - a bright, red, finch-like bird. However, they are endangered due to introduced species, such as feral cats.  Our next stop was El Chato Ranch, which is a tortoise farm, where the Galapagos Tortoises roam free in the lush greens, grazing along, and taking things one slow step at a time. The ranch is also home to many cattle, along with cattle egrets! It was so interesting watching these creatures live together peacefully. As we took a stroll through the farm, we took many pictures of the dome shaped giants, while making sure to avoid stepping in tortoise poo. We were also able to witness the underground...
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