Early in the morning, National Geographic Islander II anchored at the small Island of North Seymour, located just north of Baltra. The island’s rocky terrain hosts a very large colony of magnificent frigatebirds. At this time of year, the males build nests on top of bushes and then to attract a female, each male will throw his head back to show off his bright red inflated throat pouch and flaps his wings in an amazing courtship display. We also saw male blue-footed boobies trying to impress females with the vividness of their feet. The diverse ecosystem also included land iguanas, marine iguanas, and sea lions.
In the afternoon, we were delighted by the red-sand beach of Rabida Island. This color comes from the oxidation of iron-rich lava, which is the base of the soil. Nearby the beach where we landed, a saltwater lagoon attracted some Galapagos flamingos. The pink coloration of the birds contrasted with the red color of the environment. Walking on the beach at sunset was the perfect ending of a wonderful day.
