As we arrived at the North Seymour landing site, we could see frigates gliding along the coastline. Every now and then a male frigate with a partially inflated red pouch passed by, followed by juveniles and some female frigates. After landing and getting all our cameras out of our bags and backpacks, we began the first long hike on the Galápagos Islands. A few feet into the walk we saw a land iguana under a muyuyo (Cordia lutea) plant. Next to it, under another muyuyo shrub, were two endemic swallow-tailed gulls, probably a nesting pair, sitting on the ground and surrounded by an odd accumulation of pebbles. Then we saw at a distance a blue-footed booby, doing its whistling at the females that few by. Definitively we are going through the nesting season and all this was just the prelude of things to come today.
From a distance we saw a bright red spot. As we began to approach, it materialized into a male frigate with a fully inflated red pouch. Then next to this male we could distinguish other males, all of them making different sounds and moving their wings as the females flew above. At times the males looked desperate for attention. Farther into the walk we found a male that already got a partner: a female was sitting next to him on a yet to be finished nest. It seems all that noise and display yielded good results for these males.
Iconic blue-footed boobies waited for us in the middle of the trail, walking in a clumsy way. Then a male stopped and pointed his bill upward and this courteous behavior drew the attention of a female, who decided to land next to him. As we continued our hike we saw another interesting behavior. Clearly looking for trouble, a second male tried to get between this pair. The male already with the female started making some noises and jumping off the next rock to keep this intruder away. Three are too many in these relationships! As the day went on, land iguanas sought the shade of opunthia cacti, probably waiting to get some fruits or move to some low pads. One walked in front of us but decided to rest under the cactus next to the trail. Even the iguanas felt the growing heat of the day, and we began returning to the National Geographic Endeavour.
As we arrived at Rábida Island, a whale was spotted from the bridge. When it was not seen again, we proceeded with the next activities: snorkeling and the glass-bottom boat. However, a crewmember kept a watchful eye on the horizon. The whale was spotted again and the ship moved closer for a better view. It was a blue whale, the largest animal on the planet. After snorkeling off the island and the whale sighting, we landed on the red beach of Rábida Island to enjoy the company of two sea lion pups. The sun was setting as we returned from the island, another day in this paradise.
