Hood Island
We are now back to the southern realm of the archipelago, to the oldest island and the home for several species found only here and nowhere else in the world.
Hood Island is the place to see Galápagos waved albatross in their natural habitat, so we started early right on time to watch sunrise. As we disembarked on the island, we walked among sea lions, marine iguanas, and colorful lava lizards. We advanced to a place better known as “The albatross’s airport”; there we encountered some abandoned eggs, several lonely individuals, and courting couples. The beauty and complex mating ritual involves loud sounds, bills fencing, bills clapping, bills up and down in the air, mutual preening, and all this dance has an amazing synchrony only comparable to the blue footed booby dance which we also observed yesterday and today.
As we walked away from the albatross colony we entered the Nazca booby territory. This morning we saw several juveniles and adults flying over our heads, others were feeding their chicks while opportunistic mockingbirds tried to steal some leftovers.
We left behind Punta Suarez and headed to Gardner Bay; there we went swimming, snorkeling, and riding on the glass bottom boat. This is one of the most stunning places in the archipelago, with sea lions and humans sharing the same spot without interfering with each others rest or activities. Here we become one with nature and its beauty.
We are now back to the southern realm of the archipelago, to the oldest island and the home for several species found only here and nowhere else in the world.
Hood Island is the place to see Galápagos waved albatross in their natural habitat, so we started early right on time to watch sunrise. As we disembarked on the island, we walked among sea lions, marine iguanas, and colorful lava lizards. We advanced to a place better known as “The albatross’s airport”; there we encountered some abandoned eggs, several lonely individuals, and courting couples. The beauty and complex mating ritual involves loud sounds, bills fencing, bills clapping, bills up and down in the air, mutual preening, and all this dance has an amazing synchrony only comparable to the blue footed booby dance which we also observed yesterday and today.
As we walked away from the albatross colony we entered the Nazca booby territory. This morning we saw several juveniles and adults flying over our heads, others were feeding their chicks while opportunistic mockingbirds tried to steal some leftovers.
We left behind Punta Suarez and headed to Gardner Bay; there we went swimming, snorkeling, and riding on the glass bottom boat. This is one of the most stunning places in the archipelago, with sea lions and humans sharing the same spot without interfering with each others rest or activities. Here we become one with nature and its beauty.
