On our first day in the Galapagos, after learning how to flip and right our kayaks (turns out this is the easiest part of kayaking…more on that fun later), we headed towards Seymour Island.
I think that I expected that they might save the best for last, but Seymour Island was probably my favorite island of the whole bunch. Maybe it was just the thrill of seeing all the cool Galapagos creatures for the first time, the beautiful waves, or the sunset, but I loved Seymour Island.
Landings on islands in the Galapagos are tightly controlled. There are only so many people allowed on an island at one time (the exception being the inhabited islands); we were never on an island with another group for more than say 15 minutes. If we were landing, another group was just finishing. If we were leaving, usually another group was just landing. Props to their pretty fantastic conservation/tourism plans–it makes the islands that much more special.
We had 12 people in our group, with 2 guides. Usually one guide went ahead and one behind, and you could wander between them or with one of them. This allowed you to ask plenty of questions, hear lots of information, but also enjoy the spectacular animals and scenery on your own when and if you wanted. I can’t say enough about our guides or that set up–it was absolutely wonderful.
Back to Seymour Island…Seymour Island has an incredibly large population of Blue Footed Boobies. These birds…these birds are simply my favorite. They are peculiar, full of curious expressions, adorable behaviors, and, well have BLUE feet. In addition to Blue Footed Boobies, we saw lots of little and big sea lions (adorable, though I find they don’t photograph as well as they appear in person; this little fella was waiting for us right when we landed, basking in the afternoon sun), land iguanas, and Frigatebirds.
Land iguanas are often bright colored and extremely, extremely large. They are pretty nonplussed by activity, and more concerned about eating. And eating some more. But don’t let them fool you, they actually can run super quick when inspired!
Frigatebirds are another strange, strange bird. There are two types–the Magnificent Frigatebird and the Great Frigatebird. The Magnificent Frigate has more metallic, purple plumage, and the Great Frigatebird’s plumage is more greenish. They are very, very difficult to tell apart. They have pouches under their necks that they can inflate (and deflate) to attract mates. These pouches take about 15 minutes or so to inflate, and look like they could be popped like a balloon. They also have super weird feathers on the side that kind of creep me out–they look like feathers on an arrow, sharp and hard.
We saw the mating rituals of both the Frigatebirds and the Blue Footed Boobies on Seymour Island, which was fantastic. We watched the birds until we were forced off the island at sunset, as people aren’t allowed on the islands after dark. They have such fascinating behavior.
Next up? Isla San Cristobal, and tales of Heather’s seasickness. And don’t worry, the Blue Footed Boobies (and my 200 pictures of a single bird) deserve a post all of their own too!
