It is our last day of this magical week around Galápagos. Today we are on Genovesa or Tower Island, one of the most pristine islands in the archipelago located above the Equator line. This is a spot considered a paradise for birds, a spectacular location to see hundreds of frigate birds, especially the males that now are having their pouches blown up to mate; red footed boobies, Nazca boobies, and many other species.
The big surprise today was early in the morning when our guide Patricio Maldonado and few kayakers found a juvenile Galápagos penguin standing on a rock, along the cliff that forms the very old caldera that Darwin bay is. Why is it a surprise? Well, for all of us it is the first time to see a penguin at Genovesa; IT IS HISTORICAL! Usually penguins are found below the equator and not so far up. What a great way to start our day!
During our morning visit, we went to Darwin Bay. This site along a coralline beach offers an easy walk and fantastic views of a nesting colony of great frigate birds and red footed boobies. Few places on earth offer such close encounters with these amazing sea birds. Watching the male frigate birds displaying their red balloons and desperately courting the females, made us wonder how species develop such fascinating breeding strategies. Red-footed boobies were just starting their nesting season and repeatedly we saw those bringing branches and nesting materials to their mates.
Nazca boobies were not courting, but you could see them close to the trail and nesting sites, so probably they were almost ready to start. At the end of the trail, we reached some tide pools, where a sea lion was playing and some yellow crown night herons as well as striated herons were looking for food: fish, fiddler crabs and perhaps some distracted sally light foot crabs.
It was a fantastic walk followed by a deep-water snorkeling outing along the cliffs of Darwin Bay, where several species of fish were seen. The frosting on the cake was a big school of golden rays, a hammerhead shark and a couple of Galapagos sharks that circumnavigated our intrepid snorkelers.
In the afternoon we headed to a different landing site known as Prince Philip's Steps. After climbing a steep narrow fissure to the cliff top, the trail took us through a Palo Santo forest, passing boobies and frigates nesting along the way, to a storm petrel colony located on the open side of the island. Here, we were looking for the short eared owls, a fascinating bird that only here takes the ecological role of the top predator of the island, and the Galapagos hawk, which never colonized Genovesa. We were lucky enough to encounter not only one but more than 3 owls this afternoon. It is amazing to see them feeding during the day and some were very close to us. Once our mission was accomplished we returned to our ship.
This was an incredible week for our travelers. They experienced the islands in a very fantastic and unique way. Our ship provided many tools for exploration: Kayaking, star gazing, zodiac rides, microscopes to see the planktonic life, walks, lectures and more. Our guests loved it and you hear their anecdotes here and there while they share their experiences, along with a deep and better appreciation for nature. This is Galápagos, a good example of nature at is best! Bon voyage!
