We arrived this morning at the island of Genovesa. This place is populated by many birds, to the point that it is known as “Bird’s Island”. Early in the morning we started with kayaking which was a delight. After breakfast we landed on Darwin’s Bay beach where there is an area littered with broken pieces of white coral and where our trail started. We did not have to wait too long before finding birds including the highlight of today’s visit, the red-footed boobies. We also found frigate birds, as they were feeding their babies, returning from stealing fish from other species! And we also spied swallow-tailed gulls, the only nocturnal gull in the world. After the warm morning some of us needed to refresh and there was a final opportunity to snorkel in these waters full of big animals like rays and turtles. We even had a chance to see an elusive fur sea lion.
After our departure briefing, lunch, and a short siesta, we visited Prince Phillip’s Steps. This location offers a very different terrain from the one in the morning. In this area we found a rocky trail tangled with a net of lava tunnels where storm petrels nest and in it we succeeded finding the short-eared owl, the top of the food chain in this land. Nasca boobies were everywhere and they contributed to the enjoyment of the day, our last day in paradise.
