Today we woke up in the unique Darwin Bay, just off the shores of Genovesa Island. This collapsed caldera is a place where thousands of seabirds can be observed in different life stages. We disembarked for a natural history walk and had a close look at the red-footed booby, one of three species of boobies that nest in the Galapagos. We also observed Nazca boobies, frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, and Galapagos mockingbirds. Later, we snorkeled along the rocky cliffs and encountered hammerhead sharks!
In the afternoon, we visited Prince Philip's Steps. This was such a successful exploration since we could observe the short-eared owl, a typically nocturnal species that became diurnal on this island due to the absence of its competitor, the Galapagos hawk. We finished our last full day in the Galapagos with a celebratory toast on board National Geographic Islander. It’s been a wonderful expedition.
