Genovesa Island
One of the wonderful features of the Enchanted Isles is the fact that each island looks different. Today, on our last full day of our expedition, we have arrived to Genovesa. This small, flat island is isolated from the others, and is the home to some million birds, hence its nickname “Hitchcock Island.” Our ship is anchored in Darwin bay, and early in the morning we set off ashore for our first visit. The landing beach glows in the morning sunshine, and almost immediately we were astonished by the number of birds of various species. Particularly attractive are the red-footed boobies; their feet make a wonderful contrast against the bright green mangrove leaves. Other sea birds are also around, like the swallow-tailed gulls which we found nesting or looking after their young chicks, as well as both species of frigate birds. All along the trail we could find their patient juveniles and chicks that have been left alone on their nests while their parents are out fishing. At the end we could appreciate the size of the bay, which was formed when the roof of the magmatic chamber collapsed a long time ago. The remainder of the morning we enjoyed the waters of Darwin bay, as we found that the sea temperature was warmer than other days. Some of our guests relaxed at the cozy beach, others preferred a last exploration of the underwater world of the Galapagos, in order to find more species of colorful fish.
At the opposite side of Darwin bay is Prince Phillip Steps, named after the Prince of Edinburgh, a keen ornithologist, who once visited the area in the 1960’s. The trail leads us through a charming palo santo forest, festooned with colorful red-footed boobies and their chicks. We were amazed at how reluctant to fly many of the local birds seemed to be. This behavior is possible due to the lack of introduced predators to this island. Reptiles never made it here, with the exception of the marine iguanas, so the island is entirely dominated by birds. A species that is very abundant here is the Galapagos storm petrel, which nests amongst holes in the lava flows. Due to this endless supply of food a common character of the area is the short-eared owl. Their plumage blends in perfectly with the surrounding lavas, but even so we were able to spot several of them, including one that had just captured its evening meal. As the sun set, the colors of the afternoon developed into yellow and pink, making this landscape even more dramatic. We could not have dreamed of a better way to finish a rather perfect visit to the remote Galapagos Islands.
