Genovesa Island
What a wonderful day we had today! I am very happy to be back in the tropics again, after an unforgettable experience visiting Antarctica. Although my experiences in the furthermost reaches of the world have changed me forever, Galapagos holds a very special place in my heart: these islands are my kind of paradise. We are surrounded everywhere by animals so ecologically innocent as to seem almost tame. Especially in the younger animals, it is easy to detect not only curiosity about our presence, but an undeniably friendly attitude as well! It is enough to make one wonder if we are as much an attraction to them as they are to us – exactly who is watching whom here?!
This fascinating situation was encountered everywhere today, as we wandered the visitor sites of Genovesa, sometimes known as bird island or even Hitchcock’s Island. We encountered hundreds of members of several sea bird species on our explorations here: great frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls, red footed boobies, and hundreds of Nazca boobies: courting, resting, nesting and watching Polaris guests pass by as they raised their necks trying to figure us out.
Boobies are an undeniable favorite amongst people all over the world, due to their endearing facial expressions and habits. They belong to the single genus Sulidae comprising 6 booby species (of which three are found here in the islands) and 3 species of gannet. Boobies are generally smaller than gannets and are found in tropical and subtropical oceans. All have long narrow wings and tapered tails and bills. They are also gregarious, both in colonies and during non-breeding seasons, when boobies return to land to roost whereas gannets rest on the open ocean. At sea, boobies and gannets are conspicuous owing to their large size, high flight over the ocean, and spectacular plunge-diving habits, falling like spears (hence the much better-suited Spanish name “piquero” meaning lance or spear) to secure fish and squid.
Flight is usually direct, with alternating periods of flapping broken by glides producing steady undulating progression, groups of birds often flying in lines. Yes, definitely great favorites of mine – I missed them!
What a wonderful day we had today! I am very happy to be back in the tropics again, after an unforgettable experience visiting Antarctica. Although my experiences in the furthermost reaches of the world have changed me forever, Galapagos holds a very special place in my heart: these islands are my kind of paradise. We are surrounded everywhere by animals so ecologically innocent as to seem almost tame. Especially in the younger animals, it is easy to detect not only curiosity about our presence, but an undeniably friendly attitude as well! It is enough to make one wonder if we are as much an attraction to them as they are to us – exactly who is watching whom here?!
This fascinating situation was encountered everywhere today, as we wandered the visitor sites of Genovesa, sometimes known as bird island or even Hitchcock’s Island. We encountered hundreds of members of several sea bird species on our explorations here: great frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls, red footed boobies, and hundreds of Nazca boobies: courting, resting, nesting and watching Polaris guests pass by as they raised their necks trying to figure us out.
Boobies are an undeniable favorite amongst people all over the world, due to their endearing facial expressions and habits. They belong to the single genus Sulidae comprising 6 booby species (of which three are found here in the islands) and 3 species of gannet. Boobies are generally smaller than gannets and are found in tropical and subtropical oceans. All have long narrow wings and tapered tails and bills. They are also gregarious, both in colonies and during non-breeding seasons, when boobies return to land to roost whereas gannets rest on the open ocean. At sea, boobies and gannets are conspicuous owing to their large size, high flight over the ocean, and spectacular plunge-diving habits, falling like spears (hence the much better-suited Spanish name “piquero” meaning lance or spear) to secure fish and squid.
Flight is usually direct, with alternating periods of flapping broken by glides producing steady undulating progression, groups of birds often flying in lines. Yes, definitely great favorites of mine – I missed them!
