I examined colony and nest site selection in lava lizards that nested in 82 colonies on six Galapagos Islands in May 1991. All colonies were in, or on the edges of, open sand or dirt areas. The colony sites differed from the surrounding area in having a higher percentage of sand and a lower percentage of rock or vegetation cover. In most colonies, the lizards' choice of a nest site differed significantly from the available cover within the colony. In areas with sea lion Zalophus californianus rookeries, the lava lizards either nested higher on the beach out of the way of the sea lions (Santa Fe, Fernandina, Floreana islands) or nested in rocks or vegetation (Seymour Island) avoided by the sea lions.
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Joanna Burger (1993) studied this question.