Reaching North Seymour today, we saw frigatebirds gliding along the coastline. Males with partially inflated red pouches, plus juveniles and females.
Upon landing and only a few feet into our walk, we found a swallow-tailed gull with a very young chick. It’s easy to see how these creatures became a nocturnal species. They need to stay on land to protect their chicks from hungry frigatebirds.
Not too far from the gulls we found a land iguana seeking shade under vegetation. It was getting warmer as the day went on. Land iguanas waited in the shade of the opuntia cacti, likely hoping that the delicious fruits will fall on top of them. The cacti are their only source of water. One iguana walked in front of us and decided to rest under the cactus next to the trail.
We also found male frigatebirds with inflated pouches, all of them making different sounds and flapping their wings as females flew above them. One lucky male attracted a beautiful female that was carefully inspecting the place where the male has decided to make their nest.
Blue-footed boobies waited for us in the middle of the trail. A male stopped and pointed his bill upward so it could be seen by a female flying right on top of him. She understood his move and landed right next by his side. As she approached him, he started whistling and definitively courting. It is that time of the year.
A very pleasant walk on Rabida Island in the afternoon was the perfect place to watch the sun go down. It has been an amazing first full day on the Galapagos Islands and we are beginning to understand why this place needs to be conserved for all time. It has much to teach us.
