Genovesa Island
This wonderful island is a bird watchers’ paradise. If you do not consider yourself a birder, I bet you will be converted to one. At least the next time you see a bird you will see it from a very different perspective. Although Genovesa is only 5.4 square miles, it is home for approximately one million birds. Isn’t that amazing? For me, what is really spectacular about the birds that live there are not their abundance but the fact that we are able to observe their behavior. I will summarize briefly some of the fascinating sightings we had. Soliciting Nazca booby parents feeding their babies. Male frigate birds with huge red gular sacks trying to attract passing by females. Short eared owls eating storm petrels in front of us, one just ten feet away. Cheerful red-billed tropicbirds flying above our heads. Red-footed boobies mating! Curious Galapagos mockingbirds and hard working Darwin finches. All of the above, with the company of a marvelous natural symphony of sounds and calls.
On Genovesa Island you certainly can feel distant from the rest of the world. You can feel immersed in the ultimate wildest dream you have ever had. A couple of guests that have been with us this week, Larry and Barbara Lund, commented to me something that has been very touching for me. I met this couple last November while lecturing about Galapagos in Oregon. I talked briefly with Barbara at the end of one of the lectures. This week they came on board the Polaris. The fact that they are actually onboard has been a thrill. After 32 years of dreaming about coming to Galapagos the Lunds finally came. This trip, in their words, has exceeded their expectations. Their dream has come true.
This wonderful island is a bird watchers’ paradise. If you do not consider yourself a birder, I bet you will be converted to one. At least the next time you see a bird you will see it from a very different perspective. Although Genovesa is only 5.4 square miles, it is home for approximately one million birds. Isn’t that amazing? For me, what is really spectacular about the birds that live there are not their abundance but the fact that we are able to observe their behavior. I will summarize briefly some of the fascinating sightings we had. Soliciting Nazca booby parents feeding their babies. Male frigate birds with huge red gular sacks trying to attract passing by females. Short eared owls eating storm petrels in front of us, one just ten feet away. Cheerful red-billed tropicbirds flying above our heads. Red-footed boobies mating! Curious Galapagos mockingbirds and hard working Darwin finches. All of the above, with the company of a marvelous natural symphony of sounds and calls.
On Genovesa Island you certainly can feel distant from the rest of the world. You can feel immersed in the ultimate wildest dream you have ever had. A couple of guests that have been with us this week, Larry and Barbara Lund, commented to me something that has been very touching for me. I met this couple last November while lecturing about Galapagos in Oregon. I talked briefly with Barbara at the end of one of the lectures. This week they came on board the Polaris. The fact that they are actually onboard has been a thrill. After 32 years of dreaming about coming to Galapagos the Lunds finally came. This trip, in their words, has exceeded their expectations. Their dream has come true.
