Otoque Bona and Estiva
This morning the National Geographic Sea Lion was anchored within the Islands of Otoque, Bona and Estiva a group of small islands located in the great bay of Panama. While the sun was rising and photographers were taking pictures, the wildlife of the smallest islands where becoming active. After the first exercise of the day, led by our Wellness Specialist, we prepared for our outings.
One at a time, Zodiacs left the fantail with adventurers ready for another exploration of the surroundings. The photo explores found perfect picture objects, and had a lot of fun. Brown pelicans were posing on the rocks, as if preparing for their next photo. In Estiva, pictures of insectivorous bats in a cave were possible due to the impressive skills of our Zodiac drivers. Later on, as the day slowly became warmer, the frigate birds began gliding all around us, while lots of brown-boobies were searching for fish to feed their offspring.
As we looked at one of the faces of Bona Island, it was overwhelming to see hundreds and hundreds of frigate birds interacting. The trees were decorated with red balloons, as they hosted nests for the birds. This experience was an eye opener with regards to the number of animals there are. If we were to try to estimate their population, we should remember that frigate birds make their living by stealing food from other birds, a behavior called kleptoparasitism. Today, the frigates darkened the skies with their presence; one can only imagine how many birds of other species there must be, since their population must be much bigger than that of the frigate bird.
Other impressive interactions were taking place, like a peregrine falcon chasing black vultures away from its territory. After our outing, we came back, lifted anchor and cruised away from this beautiful spot, to continue our voyage towards new adventures.
