North Seymour and Rabida
For many, coming to Galápagos is a lifelong dream, and today we were living that dream: blue skies and sea, emerald green little islands not far from our anchorage, and amazing and unique wildlife around us. Our first excursion of the day was to North Seymour. A small, flat island, it is the home of the two resident species of frigate birds found in this archipelago: the magnificent and the great frigate birds.
Upon setting foot on the island, we had these amazing birds flying over our heads displaying their acrobatic skills. We have arrived at a colorful time of the year here, since we are in the middle of the great frigate birds’ breeding season. Therefore, many males were either trying their best at attracting flying females by displaying their bright red pouches or already building brand new nests. Another colorful seabird found along the trail is the ever popular blue-footed booby, of which we saw several couples that were even practicing their ‘booby dance’ or courtship display. North Seymour has also a healthy population of land iguanas, one of the emblematic, endemic species of the Galápagos Archipelago. The islands are dry during most of the year, but now well into the rainy season these herbivorous reptiles are making the most of an abundance of greenery. Along the shores of North Seymour we could also observe several marine iguanas basking in the sun before reaching their favorite algae-covered rocks. The surrounding scenery was simply stunning: a clear day with clean air allowed us to spot several islands, cones and craters, making it obvious the volcanic origins of the Galápagos.
After lunch we had to relocate and the National Geographic Endeavour dropped its anchor by Rabida Island. A very old volcano, the island looks reddish in the distance. This was our first opportunity to enjoy deep water snorkeling, and a very successful outing it was! The waters of the Galápagos are quite rich in nutrients so we could easily observe several species of fish like Razor surgeonfish, king angel fish, parrot fishes, and damselfish in large schools. A few white-tipped reef sharks were also spotted as well as several Pacific green sea turtles in the vicinity. After the water activities, we had a little time to change into our dry clothes and return to the island for a walk. Behind the landing beach there is a brackish water lagoon, where to our surprise we found some great flamingoes, with their beautiful bright pink plumage. Several species of land birds are also present on this island, including Darwin finches and Galápagos doves. The flora of Rabida is also quite interesting, with its beautiful Opuntia cacti, tiny endemic Galápagos tomatoes, and palo santo trees.
Throughout the day, we couldn’t help feeling how special these isolated islands are. Upon return, our ship started a long navigation to an even more remote corner of this archipelago: western Fernandina and Isabela Islands.
