Genovesa Island
It is hard to believe that such a small island holds over one million birds.
There is a great variety of nesting ground and an amazing availability of food supply. Many nests were on either side of the pathway that we walked along; some in the “Palo Santo” translating as holly stick trees, and some right on the ground. The blue skies enticed us to the beach where we walked, snorkeled or just enjoyed the beautiful view of the internal part of the volcano.
In the afternoon, we had the privilege of observing several different types of birds on land, in the water and in the air. We were delighted to see red-footed boobies incubating their eggs, great frigate birds feeding their young, and a short eared owl hunting storm petrels. While riding on the Zodiacs, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the nesting site of the red-billed tropicbird. The male tropicbird has a beautiful white tail that is longer than the length of his body. The opportunistic frigate birds steal food from the tropicbird by grabbing them by this long tail and shaking them until they drop their food. After watching the tropicbirds, we climbed up Prince Phillip Steps to the top of the cliff. We had a fantastic view of the island, the water, and thousands of birds, including the only diurnal nesters – the Galápagos storm petrels. We sat quietly and observed the scene for several minutes. We felt honored to be in the presence of such beauty and grace.
It is hard to believe that such a small island holds over one million birds.
There is a great variety of nesting ground and an amazing availability of food supply. Many nests were on either side of the pathway that we walked along; some in the “Palo Santo” translating as holly stick trees, and some right on the ground. The blue skies enticed us to the beach where we walked, snorkeled or just enjoyed the beautiful view of the internal part of the volcano.
In the afternoon, we had the privilege of observing several different types of birds on land, in the water and in the air. We were delighted to see red-footed boobies incubating their eggs, great frigate birds feeding their young, and a short eared owl hunting storm petrels. While riding on the Zodiacs, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the nesting site of the red-billed tropicbird. The male tropicbird has a beautiful white tail that is longer than the length of his body. The opportunistic frigate birds steal food from the tropicbird by grabbing them by this long tail and shaking them until they drop their food. After watching the tropicbirds, we climbed up Prince Phillip Steps to the top of the cliff. We had a fantastic view of the island, the water, and thousands of birds, including the only diurnal nesters – the Galápagos storm petrels. We sat quietly and observed the scene for several minutes. We felt honored to be in the presence of such beauty and grace.
