Tower Island
The weather is beginning to change in Galapagos. Although the sky was blue and the sun was bright, there was a pleasant chill in the air today, especially in the afternoon. Late May and June are the transition season: the heavy rains of January through April are over, but the cool garua season has not yet begun. This is one of my favorite times of the year in these marvelous islands.
These days, Tower is at its very best! You can still watch the great frigatebirds loudly and somewhat frantically courting, with their red balloon gular pouch puffed to near bursting. But there are also comfortably paired frigates, who are nest building. Others are incubating or even already feeding their new, fluffy, white chicks. Soon they will have all found a mate (or given up for this breeding season) and the mated birds will be quietly tending their chicks.
This is also the nesting season of the swallow-tailed gulls (see photo). These birds are without a doubt one of the loveliest gulls in the world. Of the over 60 species of gulls in the world, few are nocturnal. The endemic swallow-tail feeds strictly at night, catching squid and fish that rise to the ocean’s surface after dark.
The weather is beginning to change in Galapagos. Although the sky was blue and the sun was bright, there was a pleasant chill in the air today, especially in the afternoon. Late May and June are the transition season: the heavy rains of January through April are over, but the cool garua season has not yet begun. This is one of my favorite times of the year in these marvelous islands.
These days, Tower is at its very best! You can still watch the great frigatebirds loudly and somewhat frantically courting, with their red balloon gular pouch puffed to near bursting. But there are also comfortably paired frigates, who are nest building. Others are incubating or even already feeding their new, fluffy, white chicks. Soon they will have all found a mate (or given up for this breeding season) and the mated birds will be quietly tending their chicks.
This is also the nesting season of the swallow-tailed gulls (see photo). These birds are without a doubt one of the loveliest gulls in the world. Of the over 60 species of gulls in the world, few are nocturnal. The endemic swallow-tail feeds strictly at night, catching squid and fish that rise to the ocean’s surface after dark.
