Genovesa Island
Today we were welcomed to Genovesa Island by the many different species of marine birds that inhabit this wonderful haven of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As the ship arrived to the island we could see swallow-tailed gulls and red-footed boobies that were returning to their home. This day began as a cloudy one but later on it was very sunny. After disembarking at the small white-sand beach we began to see many swallow-tailed gulls; some had small chicks that were seen next to their parents. It was a picturesque scene: the young chicks insisting to be fed while their parents were moving around, trying to avoid the hungry chicks that continued following them.
This island has a unique characteristic—there are no land reptiles here, but that fact has shaped the interaction of plants and animals. Prickly pear cacti on this island have soft spines, which is a striking difference compared to cacti on different islands, where they have stiff spines but also have land reptiles that prey on them.
As we approached a red mangrove tree we started to hear different sounds coming from the tree; as we got closer we could see who made all those sounds—this tree was the nesting place for a few red-footed boobies. We could observe all stages of development, from small chicks, with their fuzzy down cover, to some older juveniles that had replaced some of the down for real feathers. Suddenly an adult arrived and, after some exchange of sounds and different movements with the chick, it opened its bill and the chick was finally fed.
The whole area was also covered with some rusty-colored birds; great frigatebird juveniles sitting on their nests, also waiting for their parents to arrive and feed them. Last but not least we had a few yellow-crowned night herons; as in the case of the frigates all the ages were represented, from young juveniles to adults in full colors.
Snorkeling turned up a few surprises: a huge school of mobulas swam under our group of snorkelers, their huge wings moving as a choreographed dance—an outstanding sight. The school kept its direction and like in a dream disappeared into the blue ocean.
The afternoon proved to be even more interesting. After we disembarked at the site known as Prince Philip’s Steps, we walked through a Nazca booby colony; again we could see all the different stages these young chicks have to go through. The weather was nice—the sun came out but a light breeze helped everyone to do the whole walk in comfortable weather. The trail goes through a palo santo tree forest, and along the way we could see red-footed boobies nesting on the branches of the palo santo trees.
After arriving to the other side of the island an impressive sight was in front of us: thousands of storm petrels flying in different directions along the cliffs. Then we started the search for the elusive short-eared owl, and finally we could spot it, sitting on the lava rocks while its potential prey flew all around it. All this barren lava landscape and the presence of different species of seabirds make this island an oasis for life.
