We woke up early this morning, went up to the sundeck and saw the entrance of this beautiful and impressive Caldera of Genovesa Island. We are in the midst of the breeding season of the great frigatebirds. It is very impressive how beautiful their display is. Males get the attention of the females by completely inflating their red gular pouches and making a special chicken-like sound; the courtship takes place only during the rainy season. This was a spectacular show during the morning by Prince Philips Steps and during the afternoon’s visit at Darwin’s Bay. We were also impressed to see numerous red-footed boobies perched on the branches with their tiny red webbed feet and building their nests on the incense trees. They are certainly the most colorful of the three boobies’ species.
10/4/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Genovesa Island
With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the front balcony of the lounge to see what was going on. We had just entered Darwin’s Bay, dropped anchor, and the juvenile red-footed boobies had found the ship and were flying around us on an inspection tour. The rest of the day continued with discoveries of all kinds. An early morning inversion layer (locally known as “garúa”) had fallen and dampened the environment with much desired drops of fresh water, although the chicks of various species didn’t appear terribly pleased in having wet feathers. On our return, the same bedraggled individuals looked smooth, sleek and dry once the sun had come out. The Galapagos National Park has only two sites for visitors, both spectacular, both well worth a slow walk among the palo santo trees to see the great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, Darwin’s finches, short-eared owls, and storm petrels. Snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the base of the cliffs of Darwin’s Bay followed. There’s nothing quite like this island anywhere in the world.