Genovesa Island
It’s been another hugely successful day, this time on Genovesa Island, better known as the bird island. Thousands of birds have chosen this isolated place as their nesting site, because of the lack of predators and the richness of the waters all around. In general, sea birds are the most abundant group of fauna of the islands, and this is because the archipelago is surrounded by thousands of miles of open seawater. These islands are a true paradise for sea birds.
Today our guests had a great time walking by large colonies of swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies and great frigate birds (the first courting, inflated-pouched male of the season was seen today!). In the afternoon we were very lucky to see the short-eared owl at a close distance. Though owls are usually nocturnal or crepuscular, on this island they are diurnal. They feed on the tiny storm petrels that nest in the area, as well as on baby marine iguanas, and the tiny chicks of the boobies, such as that pictured here. This odd behavior is due to the fact that there are no Galapagos hawks on Genovesa, because of the lack of their key species for survival, the lava lizard. As the main diurnal hunter is not found, the owl invaded the hawk’s empty niche, and can be found at daytime, just when we do our walks. And we saw it!
It’s been another hugely successful day, this time on Genovesa Island, better known as the bird island. Thousands of birds have chosen this isolated place as their nesting site, because of the lack of predators and the richness of the waters all around. In general, sea birds are the most abundant group of fauna of the islands, and this is because the archipelago is surrounded by thousands of miles of open seawater. These islands are a true paradise for sea birds.
Today our guests had a great time walking by large colonies of swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies and great frigate birds (the first courting, inflated-pouched male of the season was seen today!). In the afternoon we were very lucky to see the short-eared owl at a close distance. Though owls are usually nocturnal or crepuscular, on this island they are diurnal. They feed on the tiny storm petrels that nest in the area, as well as on baby marine iguanas, and the tiny chicks of the boobies, such as that pictured here. This odd behavior is due to the fact that there are no Galapagos hawks on Genovesa, because of the lack of their key species for survival, the lava lizard. As the main diurnal hunter is not found, the owl invaded the hawk’s empty niche, and can be found at daytime, just when we do our walks. And we saw it!
