Genovesa
The frigate colony on Genovesa is in full swing! There are many small, fluffy chicks that are still closely guarded by one or the other of their parents, at all times. The chick pictured here is no more than three weeks old and is still too young to be left alone. Hungry frigates will steal eggs and nestlings from one another, if given the chance. Month old chicks, already growing in some of the black feathers on their backs and the rusty feathers on their heads, are old enough to be left and sit alone on their nest platforms. Both adult birds spend hours now fishing to satisfy the insatiable hunger of these steadily growing baby birds.
Juvenile frigates, with rusty heads and white chests, soar over Darwin Bay. They harass swallow-tailed gulls that are feeding their young on regurgitated squid. The immature frigates wheel in the air and steal from each other. They grab anything another bird has in its beak, even if it is only a stick and the juvenile thief isn't yet ready to build a nest. They are the pirates of the air, snatching and stealing on the wing. But they are exceedingly gentle with their tiny chicks, and when in flight they are graceful and acrobatic. As with so much of what we have seen this week, they are a breathtaking combination of natural beauty and cruelty.
The frigate colony on Genovesa is in full swing! There are many small, fluffy chicks that are still closely guarded by one or the other of their parents, at all times. The chick pictured here is no more than three weeks old and is still too young to be left alone. Hungry frigates will steal eggs and nestlings from one another, if given the chance. Month old chicks, already growing in some of the black feathers on their backs and the rusty feathers on their heads, are old enough to be left and sit alone on their nest platforms. Both adult birds spend hours now fishing to satisfy the insatiable hunger of these steadily growing baby birds.
Juvenile frigates, with rusty heads and white chests, soar over Darwin Bay. They harass swallow-tailed gulls that are feeding their young on regurgitated squid. The immature frigates wheel in the air and steal from each other. They grab anything another bird has in its beak, even if it is only a stick and the juvenile thief isn't yet ready to build a nest. They are the pirates of the air, snatching and stealing on the wing. But they are exceedingly gentle with their tiny chicks, and when in flight they are graceful and acrobatic. As with so much of what we have seen this week, they are a breathtaking combination of natural beauty and cruelty.
