Today we arrived at the caldera of Genovesa Island. A light rain greeted us as we arrived at this extinct volcano. We got ashore and had an outstanding time observing lots of birds flying around us, as well as Galapagos sea lions and the smallest Galapagos marine iguanas on the archipelago.
Genovesa Island has the largest concentration of red-footed boobies of all the islands. Amongst other species of birds, we also found some swallow-tailed gulls. Several couples had juveniles while others were just starting to incubate their eggs.
This morning we were also able to observe several males great frigatebirds displaying their colorful red gular sac to females flying above them. This species of frigate nests usually between the months of February and June. As we walked along the two trails of Genovesa we heard the calls of those males and some sat in small groups and competed with each other to get the attention of females.
Genovesa Island also has a large number of Nazca boobies and at this time of the year we find many couples stating to mate and nest. As we walked around we encountered a few short-eared owls. This species of owl is the top predator on this island. It feeds on the small marine iguanas, storm petrels, and insects such as the large painted locust, which is becoming very abundant at this time of the year.
As this amazing day ended we left the caldera and all the birds that live on Genovesa Island behind us. It has been a great week with lots of great memories to take back with us.
