North Seymour & Rabida Islands
Today we had one of the most amazing nature displays among the Galápagos creatures. The party responsible for this spectacular show? The frigatebirds. All the fauna of this enchanted archipelago follow a pattern from breeding season to non-breeding season. When the Humboldt Current bathes the archipelago in cold water and rich nutrients, the marine life of this group of Oceanic Islands starts courting and preparing for breeding. But for some reason, on this very small Island, frigates don’t follow this rule, because no matter what time of the year you come to North Seymour, they are courting, nesting and raising chicks. Today a very unusual behavior in the Animal Kingdom was observed by all our guests. These so-called “pirates of the sky” were chasing all the seabirds trying to steal their catch, and that is the reason they got this nickname.
For the afternoon program we sailed for a couple of hours to a different location, Rabida Island. As soon as we got there we disembarked for our first adventurous experience in the Galápagos waters: deep-water snorkeling, followed by kayaking and glass-bottom boating. We also had a small group of non-experienced snorkelers with a big desire for learning, so we sent this group to a nearby beach for lessons. The list of wildlife sightings was very impressive for just one day: frigates, land and marine iguanas, pelicans, boobies, sea lions, shorebirds, yellow warblers, mockingbirds and finches were just everywhere.
Our last activity took place at the same beach, this time for a short hike along the coast of the same island. All the earth colors were so vivid just before sunset; being here at the equator sunrise and sunset last for just a few minutes.
To describe a day here in Galápagos is not difficult, because no matter what time of the year you come here, you will have the trip of a lifetime.
