Genovesa Island
It was still dark when we dropped anchor into the extinct-dormant caldera of Genovesa Island. With the first ray of light from the sunrise, the beauty of its inside cliffs was revealed to us. By then, we were all sure that today would be just as great as the other days, and perhaps even better. As soon as we landed on the island, we couldn’t believe the amount of birds surrounding us. It is estimated that the island of Genovesa holds a population of at least a million birds! As we strolled on the beach, we notice the presence of the only type of boobies that we haven’t seen yet: red-footed boobies! Perching on the trees, this is the only type of booby that would be found even nesting on top of the palo santo trees and mangrove vegetation. A large colony of frigate birds is also found here. This particular type is called “great frigatebird” and its behaviour is called “klepto-parasitism.” Very often we saw high above the incredible maneuvers of frigatebirds attempting to steal the food from the boobies. It was not always successful, but it was definitely something we will never forget.
After an invigorating walk, we returned to the beach for swimming and snorkeling. The water temperature was seventy-six degrees, and with that we were sure the hot season had arrived!
The afternoon walk was promising and it delivered everything that we had promised. Even the elusive short-eared owl made its appearance at a short range from the path; it was definitely worth another picture!
Right after we came back on board, an informal gathering at the sky deck with some cocktails sounded like a good idea. As we were leaving the bay cocktail in hand, the sun was setting. The colours in the sky revealed and intense and powerful beauty only comparable to the beauty of the islands themselves…
It was still dark when we dropped anchor into the extinct-dormant caldera of Genovesa Island. With the first ray of light from the sunrise, the beauty of its inside cliffs was revealed to us. By then, we were all sure that today would be just as great as the other days, and perhaps even better. As soon as we landed on the island, we couldn’t believe the amount of birds surrounding us. It is estimated that the island of Genovesa holds a population of at least a million birds! As we strolled on the beach, we notice the presence of the only type of boobies that we haven’t seen yet: red-footed boobies! Perching on the trees, this is the only type of booby that would be found even nesting on top of the palo santo trees and mangrove vegetation. A large colony of frigate birds is also found here. This particular type is called “great frigatebird” and its behaviour is called “klepto-parasitism.” Very often we saw high above the incredible maneuvers of frigatebirds attempting to steal the food from the boobies. It was not always successful, but it was definitely something we will never forget.
After an invigorating walk, we returned to the beach for swimming and snorkeling. The water temperature was seventy-six degrees, and with that we were sure the hot season had arrived!
The afternoon walk was promising and it delivered everything that we had promised. Even the elusive short-eared owl made its appearance at a short range from the path; it was definitely worth another picture!
Right after we came back on board, an informal gathering at the sky deck with some cocktails sounded like a good idea. As we were leaving the bay cocktail in hand, the sun was setting. The colours in the sky revealed and intense and powerful beauty only comparable to the beauty of the islands themselves…
