Española Island
They are back! And they are back for a reason…breeding! To go on with their life cycle, producing healthy offspring to carry their genes, and continue their kind. I am talking about one of the “stars of Galapagos”: the blue-footed boobies - the creatures with the most outstanding feet that one could ever find.
The climate is changing, the wind is blowing from the southeast and the ocean is getting cooler. This is the ideal time to raise a family (if you are a sea bird). During the cool-dry season the seas are richer in nutrients; therefore there are more fish available. Boobies will have the energy to breed, incubate their eggs, and take care of their few hatchlings. However procreation is not an easy task. It is a commitment of at least five months, until the young ones are ready to fly and leave the nests. Today the boobies seemed ready for it! We saw them performing the entire blue-footed dance ritual, followed by beak clicking and present exchange. I felt really fortunate to witness some of the first courtship of this year, and I am sure our guests did too.
They are back! And they are back for a reason…breeding! To go on with their life cycle, producing healthy offspring to carry their genes, and continue their kind. I am talking about one of the “stars of Galapagos”: the blue-footed boobies - the creatures with the most outstanding feet that one could ever find.
The climate is changing, the wind is blowing from the southeast and the ocean is getting cooler. This is the ideal time to raise a family (if you are a sea bird). During the cool-dry season the seas are richer in nutrients; therefore there are more fish available. Boobies will have the energy to breed, incubate their eggs, and take care of their few hatchlings. However procreation is not an easy task. It is a commitment of at least five months, until the young ones are ready to fly and leave the nests. Today the boobies seemed ready for it! We saw them performing the entire blue-footed dance ritual, followed by beak clicking and present exchange. I felt really fortunate to witness some of the first courtship of this year, and I am sure our guests did too.
