Today we visited Genovesa, a paradise for the observation of sea birds. Genovesa is located in the northeast part of the Archipelago and the currents that bath Genovesa are usually warmer and nutrient poor.
In the morning, we visited Darwin Bay beach, we saw red-footed boobies for the first time, and Genovesa holds the largest colony of these pantropical species, with more than 140,000 pairs. Red-footed boobies are the smallest of the three species of boobies that breed on the islands and they nest on trees. We also saw great frigate birds and many males had their red pouch fully inflated to attract members of the opposite sex.
Later, during our snorkeling outing we saw a school of mobulas as well as one manta ray and two huge hammerhead sharks.
In the afternoon, we climbed up Prince Phillip’s Steps to see the barn owl, we saw at least six individuals, very active during the day. Barn owls in this island are active during the day due to the absence of Galapagos Hawk. Barn owl prey on storm petrels that are quite abundant in Genovesa. We also saw a waved albatross, an unusual sight for this location. Finally, we saw one fur seal on the cliffs of Genovesa.
