We spent the day at Espanola Island, one of the oldest islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. The island hosts a large number of seabirds, and it is the only nesting site of the waved albatross. In the morning, we visited Gardner Bay. This white sand beach is home to Galapagos sea lions, and it is a perfect place to enjoy time with these amazing animals. Then we went snorkeling at Gardner Islet with more playful sea lions! In the afternoon, we visited Punta Suarez, where we observed Nazca boobies. We walked by nesting waved albatrosses and were delighted to see blue-footed boobies, too. A perfect day in paradise!
6/4/2023
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National Geographic Endeavour II
North Seymour & Rabida Islands
We began our day with a landing on North Seymour, where we encountered hundreds of birds, mostly frigatebirds flying overhead. We followed a path that took us to a breeding site of blue-footed boobies and magnificent frigatebirds. We watched their mating displays in awe as nature showed us its wonderful ways. Male frigatebirds inflated their red gular sacs and stretched out their wings trying to attract a mate. Male blue-footed boobies slowing raising their cerulean feet to show a potential mate that they can fish well and support a nest. We also spotted land iguanas, marine iguanas, lava lizards, and a Galapagos racer snake along the path. We continued our navigation to Rabida Island, famous for its red sand beach, a coloration resulting from iron oxide in its volcanic soil. Those who chose to snorkel were delighted with sightings of sea turtles, sharks, Galapagos sea lions, and colorful fish. As the sun dipped into the horizon, we continued with a casual walk to a brackish pond that has a resurgent population of American flamingos, an excellent way to finish this day.
