Genovesa Island
This small island is one of my favorites in the Galapagos archipelago. The impressive wildlife you find here is overwhelming. It is estimated that about one million birds make this island their home. Today the island was fantastic. Many chicks are all over the place; the whole island looks like a giant nursery. Many bird species like the colorful red-footed boobies, the Nazca boobies and the swallow-tailed gulls were among the most required for pictures of all. Great frigate birds males are starting to inflate their gular pouches in order to attract the females. They really looked gorgeous; the intense red color of their pouches certainly breaks the uniformity of the landscape.
If you follow our web site, and especially for those of you who were here on board the Polaris last week, I have good news for you. Last week during our walk in the afternoon we saw a baby Nazca booby in a difficult situation. It was a little away from its nesting site. The tiny bird was trapped under a bush. One of the parents was trying to help him to come out. With desperation the adult bird was even breaking branches to help its baby. All of us were really worried about the situation; we had to leave without knowing what would be the baby’s fate. Well everything turned out well. This week I looked for them, and the chick was happy, alive and kicking. He made it! What a relief! As a biologist and naturalist it is very hard not to get involved with some of the animals that live on the islands, especially with those who stay in the same place for a long period of time. It is extraordinary that we have the opportunity to keep track of the reproductive cycles of the animals.
This small island is one of my favorites in the Galapagos archipelago. The impressive wildlife you find here is overwhelming. It is estimated that about one million birds make this island their home. Today the island was fantastic. Many chicks are all over the place; the whole island looks like a giant nursery. Many bird species like the colorful red-footed boobies, the Nazca boobies and the swallow-tailed gulls were among the most required for pictures of all. Great frigate birds males are starting to inflate their gular pouches in order to attract the females. They really looked gorgeous; the intense red color of their pouches certainly breaks the uniformity of the landscape.
If you follow our web site, and especially for those of you who were here on board the Polaris last week, I have good news for you. Last week during our walk in the afternoon we saw a baby Nazca booby in a difficult situation. It was a little away from its nesting site. The tiny bird was trapped under a bush. One of the parents was trying to help him to come out. With desperation the adult bird was even breaking branches to help its baby. All of us were really worried about the situation; we had to leave without knowing what would be the baby’s fate. Well everything turned out well. This week I looked for them, and the chick was happy, alive and kicking. He made it! What a relief! As a biologist and naturalist it is very hard not to get involved with some of the animals that live on the islands, especially with those who stay in the same place for a long period of time. It is extraordinary that we have the opportunity to keep track of the reproductive cycles of the animals.
