Española Island, on the southeastern end of the archipelago, is an old shield volcano. This island is slowly but surely losing the battle against the elements, after drifting over 200 kilometers from its birthplace. AS of today, it is positioned on top of the Nazca plate, having drifted so far from its birth place and effectively losing all influence of the Galapagos Hotspot, the life force that fuels most volcanic activity in this group of islands. Despite being presently only a fraction of its original size, it is still home to vast numbers of sea birds, as well as an endemic species of mockingbird and lava lizard, unique not only to the archipelago, but specifically to Española. We explored the northeastern end of the island at Gardner Bay and nearby Gardner Islet during the morning and the western end at Suarez Point during the afternoon.