Today was our first full day in the Galápagos Islands, and this morning we visited North Seymour, a small island located north of Baltra, which is considered one of the highlights of the archipelago. The reason for this is the abundant wildlife that inhabits this small, flat islet. We landed on its rocky shore and followed a circuit that took us further inland. We soon realized that the wet season has come to an end on North Seymour, as the vegetation already looked sparse and dry. This is no deterrent to the native and endemic species that occur here, as they are well adapted to these very harsh conditions. Just a few steps into our walk, we encountered amazing creatures: from the yellow land iguanas basking in the sun, to the blue-footed boobies, an emblematic species of the Galápagos Islands. The latter has just initiated its breeding season as the conditions of the sea have recently changed… it looks like the cool season is just around the corner. To our delight, we spotted several couples of blue-footed boobies practicing their famous “booby-dance”, and others were already into their task of incubating 1-2 eggs. It was a real treat to be able to see the beautiful blue colors of the feet of the boobies so close to the trail. Constantly along our walk we had close encounters with the great and magnificent frigates, otherwise known as the pirates of the air. Both species occur in this small island, and they make the most of the very productive waters that surround it. Each individual seemed to be engaged in a specific activity: adult frigates incubating, others feeding their young, juveniles crying out for food. Perhaps the most striking were the male frigates, which had initiated a new breeding season and were showing off their beautiful red, inflated pouches to attract the local females. They were certainly in full display! There were many land iguanas along the trail, many of which were cleverly enjoying the shade as the day became warmer.
After such an enjoyable morning we came back on board the National Geographic Endeavour for a rest. In the afternoon, and after a couple of hour’s navigation, our ship dropped anchor just off Rábida Island. This island looks very different to North Seymour, which was quite flat and dry. From our ship, Rábida was certainly hillier, and its reddish lavas were covered in dry vegetation. The underwater world alongside the coastline of Rábida is very rich, so as soon as the engines stopped we set off to enjoy it. Some of us went to the beach to refresh our snorkeling skills, while others went on their first deep-water snorkeling excursion of the voyage. Both outings were equally successful: the waters were clear and warm, and there was much to see. The variety of fish was very rich, and we were able to observe several species of parrotfish, razor surgeons, as well as marine invertebrates and even sharks and feeding marine iguanas!
We came back on board for a quick change as we had one more chance to enjoy the beauty of Rábida. We landed on its beach, mainly composed of red sands, and went for a walk further inland. We spotted Galapagos hawks, mockingbirds and doves, brown pelicans and frigates, and the lava lizards were super-abundant and fun to watch. The endemic prickly pears or opuntias dominate this arid landscape, which showed its colors in full bloom under the yellow sunlight of the late afternoon. It was a magical afternoon… we can’t wait to see more of The Enchanted Islands.
