Located in the southeast of the Galápagos Archipelago, Española is one singular island. It is right in the path of both the South Equatorial current and the southeastern trade winds, which erode the island particularly in its southern coast, and makes its surrounding waters immensely productive. Numbers of marine birds as their home has therefore chosen Española. One of the most captivating bird species is the waved albatross, endemic to the island. Twelve thousand pairs nest on Española between March and December every year, and today we were fortunate to observe them practicing their very elaborate courtship dances. Another charismatic species found in the island in healthy numbers is the endemic Galápagos sea lions; we are right in the middle of their breeding season so we encountered several mothers and their very young pups along the beaches of Española. A fun creature to observe was the Española mockingbird, one of four species of mockingbirds found in the Galápagos Archipelago. On Española, they are particularly feisty and we could watch them fighting over their invisible territories. We had a windy yet incredible day, as stunning wave action constantly washed the shoreline, making it much more dramatic and beautiful. It was an incredible day, full of wonderful landscapes and amazing creatures only found in these magical islands also known as “Las Encantadas”.
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.