Genovesa Island
The swallow-tailed gull has got to be one of the—if not THE—most beautiful gulls in the world. Their sleek gray, black and white plumage contrasts beautifully with their color-coordinated red eye-rings and legs. On Genovesa these gulls are in the midst of a nesting frenzy. Pairs are courting and building their coral and shell nests, while others are already incubating a single, speckled egg. This morning we enjoyed seeing the newly hatched gray fluffball chicks scurrying around beneath their parents’ legs. They begged for food with a soft, but insistent peep. The adults regurgitated the night’s catch while we were watching. One tiny chick swallowed a hunk of pink squid that was almost as big as he was! What a privilege to be able to watch the birds behave and go about their daily activities just a few feet from our captivated guests. It is simply marvelous to be allowed into the confidence of the creatures that inhabit these magnificent islands. For once we humans are not “the bad guys”—instead we are blatantly ignored, and are permitted to observe even the most “private” of moments between mates or parents and their offspring. What a relief this is, since in most places animals and birds actively avoid us! But it is heart breaking too, when you realize that once upon a time all island biota was as innocent and fearless as those we find in the Galapagos. In Galapagos, innocence still reigns, and this is one extremely compelling reason, among many, for the need to protect and restore—to SAVE—these magical islands.
The swallow-tailed gull has got to be one of the—if not THE—most beautiful gulls in the world. Their sleek gray, black and white plumage contrasts beautifully with their color-coordinated red eye-rings and legs. On Genovesa these gulls are in the midst of a nesting frenzy. Pairs are courting and building their coral and shell nests, while others are already incubating a single, speckled egg. This morning we enjoyed seeing the newly hatched gray fluffball chicks scurrying around beneath their parents’ legs. They begged for food with a soft, but insistent peep. The adults regurgitated the night’s catch while we were watching. One tiny chick swallowed a hunk of pink squid that was almost as big as he was! What a privilege to be able to watch the birds behave and go about their daily activities just a few feet from our captivated guests. It is simply marvelous to be allowed into the confidence of the creatures that inhabit these magnificent islands. For once we humans are not “the bad guys”—instead we are blatantly ignored, and are permitted to observe even the most “private” of moments between mates or parents and their offspring. What a relief this is, since in most places animals and birds actively avoid us! But it is heart breaking too, when you realize that once upon a time all island biota was as innocent and fearless as those we find in the Galapagos. In Galapagos, innocence still reigns, and this is one extremely compelling reason, among many, for the need to protect and restore—to SAVE—these magical islands.
