It seems like so long ago that we stood on the foredeck of the Caledonian Star wearing long pants and jackets as we looked for penguins, diving petrels, and flightless steamer ducks. Today we stood in shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. Our entry into the tropics was marked by the arrival of magnificent frigatebirds.
Despite the rising air temperature the waters off the South American coast are still cold, nutrient-rich, and productive, and hence rich in seabirds. Our morning was punctuated by several feeding frenzies -- hordes of plunge-diving Peruvian and blue-footed boobies, laughing gulls, and pelicans. The frigatebirds seem above it all, content to contest for the privilege of perching on the tallest mast of our ship and watching us engage in our own feeding frenzy: the wonderful Filipino buffet dinner that was served on the pool deck.
