Genovesa Island
Clear skies at dawn led the Polaris into Darwin’s Bay through a shallow entrance. The navigation towers were lined up ahead, and the day was ours. Coral rocks smoothed by the rolling waves lay on the finer white sand of the beach; shadows of great frigates and red-footed boobies criss-crossed over our feet while the birds themselves flew in complicated patterns over our heads.
We have arrived in the midst of some serious competition for mates among the frigates of this island. Some males were obviously past the frenzy of display, their gular pouches relaxed and deflated while sitting on nests that have, or soon will have, an egg inside. Others were doing their best whenever an available female sailed by; the sound waves of clicking beaks and ululations breaking from one end of the beach to the other as she perused her possibilities.
The red-foots were just as noisy as they landed, displayed, clucked and buzzed to each other and all others in the area. Intense blue vies with vibrant pink around their eyes while an ebony black chinstrap gives definition. Their solid red feet are almost boring compared to their multihued heads.
An adult lava gull and juvenile found our possessions on the beach of the utmost curiosity. Long minutes were spent standing on the beach towels while picking at the corners. A pair of sunglasses only escaped theft because they were attached to a hat too heavy to carry away.
Snorkelers reveled in the warmish waters and returned with tales to tell of enormous parrotfish with marine blue bumps on the head and triggerfish pouring sand from their gills after feasting on some invertebrate from the bottom.
The afternoon closed with Galápagos storm petrels safe from owls (for the moment), and a sunset over still-clear skies with stars shining brightly.
Clear skies at dawn led the Polaris into Darwin’s Bay through a shallow entrance. The navigation towers were lined up ahead, and the day was ours. Coral rocks smoothed by the rolling waves lay on the finer white sand of the beach; shadows of great frigates and red-footed boobies criss-crossed over our feet while the birds themselves flew in complicated patterns over our heads.
We have arrived in the midst of some serious competition for mates among the frigates of this island. Some males were obviously past the frenzy of display, their gular pouches relaxed and deflated while sitting on nests that have, or soon will have, an egg inside. Others were doing their best whenever an available female sailed by; the sound waves of clicking beaks and ululations breaking from one end of the beach to the other as she perused her possibilities.
The red-foots were just as noisy as they landed, displayed, clucked and buzzed to each other and all others in the area. Intense blue vies with vibrant pink around their eyes while an ebony black chinstrap gives definition. Their solid red feet are almost boring compared to their multihued heads.
An adult lava gull and juvenile found our possessions on the beach of the utmost curiosity. Long minutes were spent standing on the beach towels while picking at the corners. A pair of sunglasses only escaped theft because they were attached to a hat too heavy to carry away.
Snorkelers reveled in the warmish waters and returned with tales to tell of enormous parrotfish with marine blue bumps on the head and triggerfish pouring sand from their gills after feasting on some invertebrate from the bottom.
The afternoon closed with Galápagos storm petrels safe from owls (for the moment), and a sunset over still-clear skies with stars shining brightly.
