May is a wonderful month everywhere on the planet. In temperate regions in the northern hemisphere it’s when flowers bloom and spring is showing its sweet hues, but here, at the equator, in the Galápagos Islands, it’s when species from the sea and from the land have the best of both worlds. It’s our transition season, therefore, flowers and leaves are still visible, and land bird species as well as land reptiles enjoy the abundance of seeds and fruits. But water temperatures are dropping and we are now bathed by the cool and nutrient rich current than comes from the southeast, the Humboldt. So there’s courtship in the air, an abundance of fish, sea birds inundating the air with their breeding calls, and air temperatures perfect for us human to enjoy.
Along the week we have observed different behaviors and species, but it’s like Genovesa concentrates them all at their best. We saw blue-footed boobies, the more pelagic red –footed boobies, frigates in display, the cutest sea lions, herons, and the semi-diurnal predator that here is a diurnal one, the short-eared owl. It’s been a magnificent week, and a marvelous day.
