North Seymour and Rabida Island
This week we have a photo group on board the National Geographic Endeavour, along with two National Geographic / Lindblad Expedition photographers. So this morning we disembarked before sunrise for those avid nature photographers. Once on land we set up our cameras and the light was just magical for taking pictures of Galápagos animals in action. Frigatebirds, pelicans and blue-footed boobies were soaring in front our cameras and, with the help of our experts, we froze the action of many birds in the air.
Marine iguanas were sunbathing along the coastline; once their body temperature gets warm enough, it will be time for them to go into the ocean for food. They have very powerful toenails and seem to be carnivores and very aggressive. But actually they are so tame they allow our dear explorers to approach them very close, and the fact that they get food from the ocean makes them the only sea-going lizard found on our planet. Their cousins, the terrestrial ones, were marking territories for food and the access to copulate with the females this time of the year.
Later in the morning we had a second group join the activities; they were less interested in photography but very eager to learn from the Galápagos natural history staff.
For the afternoon we sailed a couple of hours to a small Island known as Rabida; as soon as we arrived at the bay, we lowered our Zodiacs and sent people for a glass-bottom boat ride, followed by a group of kayakers and deep-water snorkelers. Some of our guests went to the beach with protected waters and improved their skills with their snorkeling equipment.
Our last activity took place along a red sandy beach followed by a short trail in the same area. This was a memorable afternoon because we saw a very elusive species (this is probably the first time I have seen a male and female at the same time): vermilion flycatchers.
