2geonomads

Sunday 1st May 2016

Genovesa Island

A decidedly rough passage overnight from Bartholemew Island to Genovesa although in our case this did not prevent us from getting a good night’s sleep.

Our first excursion out takes us to El Barranco where after landing we negotiate some very steep steps and make our way through a huge seabird colony.

El Barranco is also called Prince Phillip’s Steps after he visited this spot and probably made a donation to the wildlife cause. Obsequiousness knows no international bounds!

We gain our first close-up of the red-footed boobies which are beautiful looking birds with their  light teal beaks, Nazca boobies ,storm petrels, swallow-tailed gulls and last but not least the great frigate birds. The male of the last- mentioned species is notable for its ability to greatly inflate the red membrane on its chest during the mating season. This will stay inflated for up to 20 days but if no mate is found it will deflate. Very reminiscent of the human race although the 20 days might be a bit optimistic for most men!

Sylvia takes us a quick detour to a small lagoon where we find a single flamingo standing in the shallow water waiting for his/ her luck to change.

Walking along the 25 metre high coastal rock shelf we also gain sight of a number of fur seals.

The afternoon sees us in Darwin Bay slightly north of El Barranco and we land at a black coral beach where a 750 metre trail takes us through more seabird colonies. It’s fascinating to watch the mating rituals of the red-footed boobies in particular and we spend some time observing a particularly aloof female pretending to ignore the overtures of not one but two males.

More red pouch-laden frigate birds are seen resting on rocks or in plants and numerous mocking birds complete the scene.

Finally, we return to the beach where I try on the snorkel set borrowed from Sylvia and although the water is hardly pristine with so much bird life around it’s an opportunity to regain my confidence after the previous day’s snorkelling debacle.

A minor drama as Maria Isobel, Sara Clemencia’s sister is unceremoniously dumped back into the water in trying to board the panga to head back to the boat. However, no damage done to either Maria Isabel or her camera equipment.

We end the day leaning over the rails of he boat and enjoying the remarkable sight of the fish and more particularly a couple of sharks as they move along under the bows of the vessel and illuminated by the ship’s lights.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret