This morning our good ship M.S. Caledonian Star arrived at Isla de la Plata just off the coast of Ecuador. The bright, green-covered island is part of the Machalilla National Park and is a major seabird breeding site for many species of thermal-soaring, plunge-diving and pursuit-fishing frigate birds, pelicans, boobies, terns and tropic birds. At first light hundreds and hundreds of frigate birds literally clouded the sky as they rose higher and higher on the warm upwelling thermal air currents. We could see the green shrubs high up the slopes filled with white-headed juvenile birds as the all-black male adults and black and white female adults hovered above their progeny. On the geologically uplifted cliff sides, blue-footed, brown and masked boobies perched on precipices watching as our Zodiacs cruised just underneath them (but not too closely underneath if you know what I mean, i.e., don't look up!!). Pelicans also watched us cruise by, and many scooped up and gulped down a fish or two before heading off to sea. Pelicans do not carry fish in their gular pouch, but rather use their expandable mouth pleats to surround their prey and they then swallow the fish, only later to regurgitate the food to their young.

As we scanned the cliffs and hillsides for more and more birds, blue-footed boobies were seemingly everywhere, showing off their brightly colored feet from their resting places. Many people think that blue-footed boobies only breed on the Galapagos Islands, however, they breed in large numbers off the Peruvian and Ecuadorian coasts. Along the shoreline in one bay, hundreds of bright blue feet were flashing away in mid air; birds flying and diving at a school of small fish while pelicans watched the event until the right fish was at the surface. Boobies scan the water for food using binocular vision and then plunge dive for their prey and close their wings at the absolute last moment before hitting the water at great speeds, piercing the water like bullets sometimes from heights of 100 feet to seize their fish. A snorkel boat was set up in a small, secluded bay, and the water temperature was perfect for swimming.

In the later afternoon, we crossed the Equator (the Captain decided to go astern over the line, I think for the first time in nautical history) only after King Neptune, the Mermaid and the Doctor along with his surly pirates, initiated some unsuspecting guests into the northern hemisphere. It was all laughs in the pool and good fun from then on, and we finished off the evening with a spectacular barbeque dinner out on deck with warm tropical breezes and some fine wine.