Today was another day of sensory overload. Genovesa Island is one of the remote northern islands of the Galapagos archipelago, where an estimated one million sea birds nest on this low, flat-topped volcanic island. Just before sunrise, the Polaris navigated into Darwin Bay, a caldera that has been breached on one side by the sea. An early wake-up call prepared us for a pre-breakfast landing on a sandy beach where we were greeted by swarms of sea birds.
The Galapagos spoils you. All along the beachfront the birds posed for us -- including swallow-tailed and lava gulls along with red-footed and masked boobies. Against the sky, great frigate birds soared overhead like tethered kites. Following breakfast, we returned to the same landing. Cameras clicked wildly as the sun finally broke through the low morning clouds. Later in the morning we took time off from our pursuits on land to explore the underwater world with mask and snorkel.
Following lunch, and a welcome short nap, Cindy treated us to a talk about Charles Darwin and his revolutionary theory of natural selection. We capped off the day with an extended Zodiac cruise along the steep volcanic cliffs of Darwin Bay, while red-billed tropic birds screamed overhead as they flew to and from their nests in the cliffs. As the golden light of late afternoon warmed the island, we hiked to the top of the cliffs and then across to the other side where boobies nested directly on the barren lava. Today's photo captures a group of serious photographers against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.
