At sea, Near Fernando do Noronho Island, Brazil
In the world there are eleven species of bird in the family Sulidae, which is made up by the gannets and boobies. The three species of gannets are found in temperate regions, while the seven species of booby are typically found in tropical regions. Today, we were lucky to have a continuous escort by three of the booby species found in the world, Masked, Red-footed, and Brown.
From sunrise to sunset, one or more boobies were following the ship for the entire day. As the National Geographic Endeavour headed south towards the Brazilian island of Fernando do Noronho, we would scare flying fish out of the water, a normal escape route for the fish to flee underwater predators. This is where the boobies came into play. They used the wind upwelling off the side of the ship to hover high along side the vessel. When they spotted a fish, whether flying or underwater, the pursuit was on.
Our most common companion today was the masked booby, a crisp white bird with a black tail and black mask around the eye. Masked boobies would follow a flying fish until it returned to the water, and then plunge in behind it. Some would tuck their wings from as high as 50 feet, and rocket underwater leaving a trail of bubbles behind. After a few seconds, the bird would shoot back to the surface, sometimes with fish in mouth. This however was not the end of the process, as now the bird had to reposition the fish to go down headfirst. A few flips in the air, and usually the fish would go down the hatch. A watchful eye was always kept on the lookout for other boobies or frigatebirds that would try to steal an easy meal.
Hour after hour, we traveled along, with our constant companion birds accompanying us. Some of us enjoyed them with a book in hand, or during lunch while we ourselves fed on fish. For others, the activity was photographing the birds. It certainly was a challenge, but a fun and rewarding way to spend the day.
In the world there are eleven species of bird in the family Sulidae, which is made up by the gannets and boobies. The three species of gannets are found in temperate regions, while the seven species of booby are typically found in tropical regions. Today, we were lucky to have a continuous escort by three of the booby species found in the world, Masked, Red-footed, and Brown.
From sunrise to sunset, one or more boobies were following the ship for the entire day. As the National Geographic Endeavour headed south towards the Brazilian island of Fernando do Noronho, we would scare flying fish out of the water, a normal escape route for the fish to flee underwater predators. This is where the boobies came into play. They used the wind upwelling off the side of the ship to hover high along side the vessel. When they spotted a fish, whether flying or underwater, the pursuit was on.
Our most common companion today was the masked booby, a crisp white bird with a black tail and black mask around the eye. Masked boobies would follow a flying fish until it returned to the water, and then plunge in behind it. Some would tuck their wings from as high as 50 feet, and rocket underwater leaving a trail of bubbles behind. After a few seconds, the bird would shoot back to the surface, sometimes with fish in mouth. This however was not the end of the process, as now the bird had to reposition the fish to go down headfirst. A few flips in the air, and usually the fish would go down the hatch. A watchful eye was always kept on the lookout for other boobies or frigatebirds that would try to steal an easy meal.
Hour after hour, we traveled along, with our constant companion birds accompanying us. Some of us enjoyed them with a book in hand, or during lunch while we ourselves fed on fish. For others, the activity was photographing the birds. It certainly was a challenge, but a fun and rewarding way to spend the day.
