As we near the end of our expedition we finish with a bang!
Genovesa is an oasis in the middle of the northern, warmer boundary of the usually tepid waters that surround the Archipelago. Millions of sea birds call Genovesa their temporary home as they leave the open ocean to nest, establishing a somewhat stable population of about half a million sea birds on the shores, cliffs and inland.
As our early risers wake up for a pre-breakfast kayaking session, captain Pablo has already led the National Geographic Islander through the narrow deep water channel that leads into Darwin Bay at first light.
As we joined everybody else in the dining room, the kayakers sat down to have a well-deserved breakfast as we shared the good news of a light cloud cover that is quickly burning off, a light breeze blowing from the south east and lots of activity in the bay.
As the morning progressed we had our first landing of the day at the only beach within Darwin Bay. As we walked along the coral pebbled beach we observed our first Red Footed Boobies up close. The juveniles with their dark brown plumage and still brown feet hovered above our heads as adult Red Footed Boobies furiously tucked away in Salt Bush branches to build and refurbish nests. The beach and the neighboring cliffs were teaming with activity. The passive soaring of hundreds of frigate birds suddenly exploded into small groups of them breaking off to chase boobies, gulls and Red-billed tropic birds. Not even the small Sharp-beaked ground finches were safe, as juvenile frigates would swiftly go chasing them for a second or two for no apparent reason.
Before lunch we had our last snorkeling trip. We realized how spoiled we have been with our previous outings, since the visibility wasn't quite as clear. Still, we managed to spot a few new species of tropical fish like Moorish Idols, Pacific Boxfish and Guinea-fowl puffer fish.
In the late afternoon we set out for a dry landing at the Prince Phillip Steps. Our search for the Short-eared owl was rewarded with several sightings. The beautiful flat light from the west was perfect to photograph this shy inhabitant of the Galapagos. The owl sightings are rare because it is mostly active at night on islands that have strong populations of the Galapagos Hawk, which is the top predator of the terrestrial island realm.
As we crossed Darwin Bay to return to our home during this expedition, our ship reflected the golden light of the perfectly round equatorial sun as it set over the cliffs of this marvelous island.
It was a wonderful way of lowering the curtain on an incredible performance by nature in all of its splendor.
