North Seymour and Rabida
North Seymour is located in the heart of the Galápagos Archipelago. This island was formed after a large area of submarine platform was uplifted; therefore it is flat and dry. The inland scenery is dominated by incense trees, or Palo Santos, which are part of the deciduous flora of this archipelago. There are also other small trees and bushes, which provide the perfect perching and nesting spots for two of the resident species of marine birds: the magnificent frigatebird and the great frigatebird. The colony was very active today: we could observe several male frigates displaying their fully inflated red pouches in order to attract females, young fluffy chicks were looked after by their parents in their nests and juvenile frigates were practicing their acrobatic skills in the air.
Other inhabitants of North Seymour also started appearing before us, as the ground and air temperatures kept rising. The endemic lava lizards were numerous along the trail, and we also observed several land iguanas. In the early morning they were simply sunbathing, but as soon as they had reached their optimum body temperature they became more active, either patrolling their territories or eating fallen prickly pears.
The shoreline of North Seymour is the chosen habitat to a colony of Galápagos sea lions. Seabirds are also to be found here, like the swallow-tailed gulls and the brown noddy terns, amongst others. One seabird not to be missed is the popular blue-footed booby, several of which were taking a break from fishing. As we went back to the landing point, we discovered more and more sea lion pups, some of which were just a couple of days old.
Upon return on board the National Geographic Endeavour, a short navigation was due in order to reach the island of Rabida. From the ship, Rabida looks intriguing. It is small but tall, and its shoreline is a brick-red color. This is the place where we can enjoy some water activities today, so some of our guests opted for kayaking along its reddish shoreline, while others preferred to snorkel and explore the underwater world.
Later in the afternoon, we landed at the beach for a walk and a hike, and Rabida certainly offers wonderful photo opportunities for our keen photographers. The views from the walk are stunning, and many Galápagos sea lions were spread along the beach. What a treat it was to be able to observe their behavior! A lonesome male was the master of a large territory, which included the whole length of the beach. He dutifully kept patrolling it back and forth for quite a long time, after which he simply walked up the beach and started a well-earned siesta. Several females lying there beside their newborn pups seemed oblivious to all this fuss.
Along the trail we were greeted by some Galápagos mockingbirds, and other land birds were spotted, like small-beaked ground finches and the Galápagos flycatcher. The sun set behind the slopes of the western volcanoes of Galápagos. They seemed quite distant, but soon we were to weigh anchor and start a long navigation in order to reach that remote area of the Galápagos: Fernandina and Isabela islands.
