The Galápagos Archipelago is comprised of thirteen major islands of varying sizes. One of the smallest ones is North Seymour, although it is home to a large number of unique species. Amongst its residents are the two species of frigatebirds; it is very special to be able to walk through their nesting grounds, something nearly impossible to experience anywhere but here, where they show a great amount of fearlessness. The great and magnificent frigatebird colonies were quite active this morning, and we were able to watch many individuals performing different duties: males courting from the bushes where they were perched, juveniles being fed by their parents, and some adult frigates chasing other birds in their usual manner, from which they have earned their reputation as the ‘pirates of the air’. Not far from the nesting frigates, we could observe one of the most popular species of the Galápagos: the blue-footed booby. A new breeding season seemed to have begun amongst them, since we were able to witness their famous ‘booby dance’. The contrast between their blue feet and the green-red vegetation that covers much of the coastal areas was simply stunning. North Seymour is also inhabited by a large number of land iguanas. This endemic species was once threatened by the introduced black and Norwegian rats, which eat the hatchlings and the young. Today, these aggressive, introduced predators are gone, thanks to the efforts of the Galápagos National Park Service, which has eradicated the rats.
In the afternoon we reached the island of Rábida. As soon as we dropped anchor, the Zodiacs were lowered and the different activities began. Rábida is very different from North Seymour; it is hilly and almost reddish in color, as opposed to North Seymour, which is quite flat and grey. At Rábida, we could explore the amazing underwater world with excellent conditions this afternoon, either by joining the deep water snorkelers or from the red, sandy beach. The number of fish species that we encountered was excellent, and some of our fearless snorkelers even saw a ray or some spiny lobsters. Towards the end of the afternoon, there was a chance to go ashore and walk along the trail, to appreciate the wonderful landscapes of Rábida and the surrounding islands. At the beach, we found several Galápagos sea lions resting and relaxing, as well as some marine iguanas basking in the last of the sunrays of the day. It was a serene afternoon, full of colors and a beautiful sunset… new adventures await for us tomorrow and we simply can’t wait!
