A fur seal survivor
#11379
11/10/07 09:42 AM
11/10/07 09:42 AM
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Donner Summit, CA
glamson
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Living in the ocean can be a pretty daunting life. Stumpy, as we called him on Santiago Island in the Galapagos, is evidence of how dangerous the pelagic life of a southern fur seal can be. These fellas are on the menu of a couple of large predators including the Orca and Great White. You can't see it in this pic, but he was also missing a pretty good chunk of tissue on his hind quarters. Nature can be beautiful, but it really is all about survival. NikonD70,Sigma70-200+1.4TC,ISO400,f/5,1/400" 
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Re: A fur seal survivor
[Re: James Morrissey]
#11383
11/14/07 10:32 PM
11/14/07 10:32 PM
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Donner Summit, CA
glamson
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Quote:
Yup - that is what I typically think of. Great shot. How long were you in the Galapagos for? It is yet another place on my long list that I have not been to. :P
James
Yes I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the natural world and it is a nature photographers playground. As you may or may not know, almost all the tours are really cruises on small to medium sized boats that hop from island to island. The tours usually last 4-7 days and the longer the tour, usually the more islands you see. We spent 7 days and saw almost all the islands. The Ecuadoran government does a very good job of organizing the tour boats and spacing the boats out so that there are not too many pileups of boats at individual islands. This means you can often be the only group on a particular island at any one time. The particular boat that I was on was an old schooner that took 16 people. It made for a pretty intimate tour. Here's the cruise route
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Re: A fur seal survivor
[Re: glamson]
#11386
11/20/07 09:20 AM
11/20/07 09:20 AM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
James Morrissey
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Carpal Tunnel
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Manhattan, New York, New York
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Hey George,
Thank you for the link and the information. First, let me say that you had the opportunity to go to some amazing places. The National Basilica in Quito Ecuador that you show is awesome - honestly, I never knew something like this existed there. Absolutely beautiful. Second, it is clear that you got some great photographs of a huge array of different subjects. You have one of a male bull sleeping on a sand dune that makes me really chuckle.
You did not look very hindered at all by being limited in the times that you can photograph on your own at all. If anything, the opportunity to photograph such a variety is a huge bonus. Having said that, it is just the idea that you are stuck on the boat that somehow bothers me - though I guess from a logistical perspective that there is no other way to do it. Are there places to stay on the islands if you wished to go and do an island every couple of days?
Thanks for sharing the link by the way. It really looks like it was a great trip. LOL, I understand the buffets on the boats by themselves are enough to keep you on the boat. :P Also, would you mind sharing what a trip like this costs?
James
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Re: A fur seal survivor
[Re: James Morrissey]
#11387
11/20/07 08:08 PM
11/20/07 08:08 PM
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Donner Summit, CA
glamson
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Quote:
Hey George,
Thank you for the link and the information. First, let me say that you had the opportunity to go to some amazing places. The National Basilica in Quito Ecuador that you show is awesome - honestly, I never knew something like this existed there. Absolutely beautiful. Second, it is clear that you got some great photographs of a huge array of different subjects. You have one of a male bull sleeping on a sand dune that makes me really chuckle.
James,
Ecuador it actually a great country with lots of photographic opportunities. If you just pop down the eastern side of the Andes from Quito you're at the heatwaters of the Amazon. After our Galapagos trip we had a wonderful rain forest trip at Sacha lodge on the Coca river which feeds into the Amazon. If you aren't tired of looking at my travel pics yet, here is a link to that trip
http://www.lamsonfamily.com/Public/Galleries/Sacha%20Lodge/index.htm
If I ever get enough time I'd like to write up that trip for one of your articles.
Quote:
You did not look very hindered at all by being limited in the times that you can photograph on your own at all. If anything, the opportunity to photograph such a variety is a huge bonus. Having said that, it is just the idea that you are stuck on the boat that somehow bothers me - though I guess from a logistical perspective that there is no other way to do it. Are there places to stay on the islands if you wished to go and do an island every couple of days?
Yes, I did feel a little hindered by being on the boat but there is no other way to go. I think only 2 of the islands, Santa Cruz and San Critobal, allow visitors to stay and both of them are where the main population of the Galapagos lives. I think all the other islands are restricted and require you to be with a tour. I can't blame the Ecuadoran government. They are really serious about preserving these islands and so you have to toe the line.
Quote:
Thanks for sharing the link by the way. It really looks like it was a great trip. LOL, I understand the buffets on the boats by themselves are enough to keep you on the boat. :P Also, would you mind sharing what a trip like this costs?
It was truly one of the best trips a natualist (which I consider myself) can take. And you are right, the food was excellent. As far as cost, this all depends on the travel company you use. I was taking the whole family, so I went to Natural Habitat which I have used before and know they take care of every detail. This TLC comes at a cost and I think we ended up paying about $4K per person for the Galapagos and Sacha lodge. If I was going alone, or with just my wife I think we could do much better with one of the cheaper companies. I know there were people on our Galapagos tour that paid about $500 less for that part of the tour coming through a different agency.
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