Genovesa Island
Thursday started with a great sunrise while entering a collapsed caldera with a million birds flying overhead. That was only the beginning of our complete day on the island of Genovesa, also known as Tower Island.
The vegetation welcomed us dressed in fresh green. The rainy season has began, and even though we have never experienced any rain ourselves this week, we have found evidence of it in every lush island that we have visited. The deciduous plants are waking-up from their long dormancy, ready to bloom and spread out in the weeks to come.
Another great aspect of the rainy warm season is that land birds start to breed, and reptiles too. Therefore, all of the Darwin’s finches have gotten their black beaks, a sign of display. We have seen them collecting nesting material and flying very busily all over. The male’s songs fill the air with beautiful music. The water temperature is another highlight of the warm-rainy season; we could spend hours in the sea, snorkeling with tropical fish of all colors and sizes, and even with sharks. Moreover, we saw a few Galápagos and white-tip sharks this morning. We spotted them from the high cliffs of the island, but also while sharing the calm and clear waters of Darwin Bay, the collapsed caldera of Genovesa’s extinct volcano.
The only ones that do not seem to enjoy the warmth of the rainy season are the Galápagos fur seals. They hide in the shade of volcanic caves, avoiding beaches, or sunny spots. With more than a hundred thousand hairs per square inch, one is better off taking a long siesta in a cool spot.
Thursday started with a great sunrise while entering a collapsed caldera with a million birds flying overhead. That was only the beginning of our complete day on the island of Genovesa, also known as Tower Island.
The vegetation welcomed us dressed in fresh green. The rainy season has began, and even though we have never experienced any rain ourselves this week, we have found evidence of it in every lush island that we have visited. The deciduous plants are waking-up from their long dormancy, ready to bloom and spread out in the weeks to come.
Another great aspect of the rainy warm season is that land birds start to breed, and reptiles too. Therefore, all of the Darwin’s finches have gotten their black beaks, a sign of display. We have seen them collecting nesting material and flying very busily all over. The male’s songs fill the air with beautiful music. The water temperature is another highlight of the warm-rainy season; we could spend hours in the sea, snorkeling with tropical fish of all colors and sizes, and even with sharks. Moreover, we saw a few Galápagos and white-tip sharks this morning. We spotted them from the high cliffs of the island, but also while sharing the calm and clear waters of Darwin Bay, the collapsed caldera of Genovesa’s extinct volcano.
The only ones that do not seem to enjoy the warmth of the rainy season are the Galápagos fur seals. They hide in the shade of volcanic caves, avoiding beaches, or sunny spots. With more than a hundred thousand hairs per square inch, one is better off taking a long siesta in a cool spot.
