I’ll start to work off the images from South America with a non-avian post. Endemic Galápagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) are, in many of the islands of the archipelago, as conspicuous as the many extremely tame birds, iguanas and tortoises. The problem of what to point the lens at is a consistent (and serious!) one in the Galápagos and not rarely, I chose these interesting and rewarding animals as subject.
It’s amazing how close they live to humans: Sea lions occupy beaches, boats, sea moles and even benches (check out the last photo in the gallery) with no fear at all. Whelps waiting for their mothers frequently come over to people, smelling their shoes and clothes, checking if it’s not their mum who returned from the sea. I really had tons of amazing experiences with them.
