Genovesa
Today was for the birds. Genovesa, otherwise known as Tower Island, is home to many different species of avian life including red-footed boobies, frigates and the elegant white tropicbirds. These birds could not have chosen a more beautiful place to call home. We awoke this morning to find ourselves in Darwin’s Bay, a submerged caldera named for the most famous visitor to the Galápagos, who strangely enough never visited the bay.
After a wet landing onto a sandy beach in the corner of the bay, we set out on our morning walk. The stars of the show were definitely the immature frigates; huddling in their nests, these big white balls of fluff were undeniably cute. The younger versions of the swallow tailed gulls and the Nazca boobies also made appearances, and we greeted them with the “awh” sound you make when you see something adorably cute, or impossibly fluffy. (Admittedly, it was mostly me making this sound, while the birds looked at me quizzically.)
The snorkeling for the day proved fruitful: two rays were spotted just off the beach, and a playful sea lion joined us in the deep water farther out. And although I would have loved to swim with sharks, the only sharks seen today were from the panga, when one lucky guest spotted five hammerheads! Even though they are not dangerous to humans, perhaps it’s better to have seen them from the safety of the panga…
On our panga ride back from snorkeling, we found ourselves in the middle of a game of “Capture the Fish” already in progress. A few dozen birds of all kinds were taking turns trying to catch a fish from the water. One bird would grab the fish with its beak, fly a few yards, and being unable to swallow the big fish, would drop it back into the water where another bird would snatch it up. A few of them even swallowed the fish halfway, but just when we though it was over, the fish would fall right back down again into the water. We served as the cheerleading section, and each time they dropped the fish, we consoled them with the “awh” sound you make when you see something unfortunate or sad. (Admittedly, it was mostly me making this sound, while the other guests looked at me quizzically.)
The afternoon was filled with even more airborne creatures. A walk to the top of Prince Phillips’ Steps led us to a nesting ground for Nazca boobies where one group encountered a shy new baby hiding beneath its mother wings. As we watched, the young bird stuck his head inside its mothers open beak and pulled out a half-digested squid, which it quickly devoured.
The late afternoon brought with it the garua, but that did not stop the galley staff from preparing an outdoor barbeque feast to top off the day. Joining the festivities was a lost red-footed booby coming to say goodbye as we pulled away from Genovesa and on to tomorrow’s destination, as well as our last full day in Galápagos. Can it already be the last day? Sigh…
Today was for the birds. Genovesa, otherwise known as Tower Island, is home to many different species of avian life including red-footed boobies, frigates and the elegant white tropicbirds. These birds could not have chosen a more beautiful place to call home. We awoke this morning to find ourselves in Darwin’s Bay, a submerged caldera named for the most famous visitor to the Galápagos, who strangely enough never visited the bay.
After a wet landing onto a sandy beach in the corner of the bay, we set out on our morning walk. The stars of the show were definitely the immature frigates; huddling in their nests, these big white balls of fluff were undeniably cute. The younger versions of the swallow tailed gulls and the Nazca boobies also made appearances, and we greeted them with the “awh” sound you make when you see something adorably cute, or impossibly fluffy. (Admittedly, it was mostly me making this sound, while the birds looked at me quizzically.)
The snorkeling for the day proved fruitful: two rays were spotted just off the beach, and a playful sea lion joined us in the deep water farther out. And although I would have loved to swim with sharks, the only sharks seen today were from the panga, when one lucky guest spotted five hammerheads! Even though they are not dangerous to humans, perhaps it’s better to have seen them from the safety of the panga…
On our panga ride back from snorkeling, we found ourselves in the middle of a game of “Capture the Fish” already in progress. A few dozen birds of all kinds were taking turns trying to catch a fish from the water. One bird would grab the fish with its beak, fly a few yards, and being unable to swallow the big fish, would drop it back into the water where another bird would snatch it up. A few of them even swallowed the fish halfway, but just when we though it was over, the fish would fall right back down again into the water. We served as the cheerleading section, and each time they dropped the fish, we consoled them with the “awh” sound you make when you see something unfortunate or sad. (Admittedly, it was mostly me making this sound, while the other guests looked at me quizzically.)
The afternoon was filled with even more airborne creatures. A walk to the top of Prince Phillips’ Steps led us to a nesting ground for Nazca boobies where one group encountered a shy new baby hiding beneath its mother wings. As we watched, the young bird stuck his head inside its mothers open beak and pulled out a half-digested squid, which it quickly devoured.
The late afternoon brought with it the garua, but that did not stop the galley staff from preparing an outdoor barbeque feast to top off the day. Joining the festivities was a lost red-footed booby coming to say goodbye as we pulled away from Genovesa and on to tomorrow’s destination, as well as our last full day in Galápagos. Can it already be the last day? Sigh…
