Passengers of the National Geographic Endeavor II spent the day exploring the beautiful island of Genovesa. Commonly referred to as the “Bird Island,” Genovesa’s steep cliffs and nutrient rich waters make the perfect habitat for many seabirds, including the largest colony of red-footed boobies. Other seabirds sighted were the Nazca booby, the frigate bird, the storm petrel, and the blue-footed booby. Land birds included the elusive short-eared owl, which can be seen hunting swarms of storm petrels around the steep cliffs of the island. Guests were particularly impressed by the mating behavior exhibited by the Nazca boobies and the brilliant red feet of the red-footed boobies, perched in every palo santo tree and saltbush on the Prince Phillips trail.