Tuesday Group

Our final indoor meeting of this session was an  illustrated talk by Stella Wells on Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. It was in 1995 that Stella visited South America, landing at Quito and spending several days exploring the volcanic region around the capital. The next stop was Cotopaxi National Park where Stella was able to see the world’s largest active volcano. After the volcanoes it was off to the heat and humidity of the jungle where the wild flowers and birds more than made up for uncomfortable conditions. After a trip in a dug out canoe it was off to Guayaquil to board their cruise ship the Queen Elizabeth to follow in Darwin’s footsteps on these famous islands. The slides of the cruise vessel caused ome amusement in the audience as the boat looked as though it had seen better days. This was where Stella’s journey ended after two wonderful weeks of exploration seeing a wealth of wildlife. Our next meeting was a trip to Nell’s Point to visit The National Coastwatch Station. When Terry Ewington gave his talk about the organisation he invited us to visit the station. It proved a very interesting evening – we were shown the various pieces of electronic and optical equipment that the volunteers use whilst on watch. After looking round   the operations room we were treated to tea and biscuits. We were very grateful for the staff who gave up their time to entertain us. The evening was brought to a fitting end by a wonderful sunset.