Nature Travelers
Contact Us​
  • Welcome
  • About
    • About Us
    • About NatureTravelers.com
  • Our Travels
    • USA Travels Overview
    • 31 Days In Iceland
    • 15 Days In The Galapagos >
      • Galapagos Resources
    • 28 Days In South Africa
    • 43 Days In Costa Rica
    • Travels In Canada
    • Cruises
  • Travel Journals
    • USA Journal
    • Iceland Journal
    • Galapagos Islands Journal
    • South Africa Journal
    • Canada Journal
  • Photo Galleries
    • USA Photo Gallery
    • Iceland Photo Gallery
    • Galapagos Islands Photo Gallery
    • South Africa Photo Gallery
    • Costa Rica Photo Gallery
  • Future Travels
  • Welcome
  • About
    • About Us
    • About NatureTravelers.com
  • Our Travels
    • USA Travels Overview
    • 31 Days In Iceland
    • 15 Days In The Galapagos >
      • Galapagos Resources
    • 28 Days In South Africa
    • 43 Days In Costa Rica
    • Travels In Canada
    • Cruises
  • Travel Journals
    • USA Journal
    • Iceland Journal
    • Galapagos Islands Journal
    • South Africa Journal
    • Canada Journal
  • Photo Galleries
    • USA Photo Gallery
    • Iceland Photo Gallery
    • Galapagos Islands Photo Gallery
    • South Africa Photo Gallery
    • Costa Rica Photo Gallery
  • Future Travels
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Darwin Lake, Isabela Island
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
15 Days In The Galapagos Islands

Day 3 - Prince Philip's Steps Hike, Kayaking, Snorkeling, Darwin Beach Walk - Genovesa Island

12/16/2016

0 Comments

 
As mentioned in our Day 2 post, it was an all-night trip to get to Genovesa Island, the fartherest island from the larger, central islands that we would visit. On the southern side of the island is the protected Great Darwin Bay which is a collapsed volcanic caldera, and where our ship anchored very early this morning.

​We awoke to a lovely sunrise.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa
Galapagos Islands Genovesa
Picture
After breakfast we returned to our room and found this towel shark which was a clue to one of our later excursions today.

We got ready for our first excursion which would be a walk/hike at the visitor site known as Prince Philip's Steps.

Galapagos Islands Genovesa Prince Philip's StepsPrince Philip's Steps
Prince Philip's Steps (aka El Barranco)
On the first excursion of the day, we took the Zodiac to the cliff wall and climbed up Prince Philip’s Steps on the eastern side of the caldera.

The steps were named for Prince Philip, of course, who visited the islands twice - in 1965 and 1981.

After the steep climb, it was fairly flat on top and birds were everywhere. Before taking a bird inventory, I turned back for a photo of our ship.
Picture
Domenica & Gran Natalia in Great Darwin Bay - Genovesa Island
As with Dragon Hill on Day 1, the landscape is still brown coming out of the dry season. As I mentioned before, our visit was in December which is a transition month, and after the first of the year, the vegetation will start to green up and change the look of the islands at the lower elevations.

Turning back inland, I started snapping photos of the various bird species starting with two endemic species - the Galapagos Dove and the Galapagos Mockingbird.​
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Galapagos Dove
Galapagos Dove
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Galapagos Mockingbird
Galapagos Mockingbird
In the area at the top of the steps, Nazca Boobies were the most prominent.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Nazca BoobiesNazca Boobies
The Nazca Boobies were once considered a sub-species of the Masked Booby, but they've recently been re-classified as their own species. They are the largest of the three booby species found in the Galapagos.

We saw the Blue-footed Booby up close on Day 2, and by walking just a bit farther on the trail, we found several Red-footed Boobies perched in the trees.

Galapagos Islands Genovesa Red-footed Booby
Red-footed Booby
Interestingly, the boobies don’t compete for food as each species has a different hunting territory. They are all plunge-divers, but the Blue-footed Boobies feed close to shore, sometimes in very shallow water, while the Red-footed Boobies feed far out to sea, and the Nazca Boobies feed somewhere in between. Also, we saw several Red-footed and Nazca Boobies nesting in the same areas, however, the Red-footed Boobies were nesting in the trees while the Nazca Boobies were nesting on the ground.

As much as the Galapagos Islands are known for the booby species, none of them are endemic to the islands. Oh, by the way, the name "booby" is derived from the Spanish word "bobo" meaning dumb, silly, foolish, clownish, etc. The Spanish explorers dubbed the birds "bobo" due to their clumsiness on land. Certainly, the Nazca Booby walking on the trail in the video below made us laugh.
​We continued on the trail, and the birds just didn't seem to care. Below is Linda with a booby napping in the middle of the trail and Linda with a juvenile frigatebird that just continued its preening.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Frigatebird
Our next bird was another endemic - the Sharp-beaked Ground Finch (female).
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Sharp-beaked Ground Finch
Sharp-beaked Ground Finch
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Sharp-beaked Ground Finch
Sharp-beaked Ground Finch
The Sharp-beaked Ground Finch is also known as the Vampire Finch. Though it feeds mostly on insects and seeds, when food is scarce, they have been known to peck the Nazca and Blue-footed Boobies until they bleed, and then the finch drinks the blood as a supplement to its usual diet.
​
​Moving on, we left the area where there were trees and shrubs and walked out onto a narrow part of the island where we could see water on both sides. To the east, we could see thousands of Galapagos Storm Petrels flying around.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Galapagos Storm Petrels
Linda & I had our binoculars and we scanned for owls. We had read, and Myra confirmed, that Short-eared Owls hunted during the day here by just hanging out at the entrance to petrel nests in the cliffs and crags.

Eventually, we saw a couple of owls in the distance.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Short-eared Owl
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Short-eared Owl
We walked and scanned hoping to get a better look at the owls. Then we came upon an owl perched on a rock down in a sheltered area littered with bones and feathers. It was small and looked to be blind in one eye.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
The group got several good photos and then it was time to head back. We were thankful for the closer look at an owl, but then we walked right by another one - a larger one, close to the trail and feeding on a petrel.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Short-eared Owl
That moment epitomizes the Galapagos experience - having the opportunity to see animals up close and witnessing natural behaviors in the wild.

We re-traced our steps and saw a male Sharp-beaked Ground Finch, a Large Ground Finch, more frigatebirds and boobies and mockingbirds, and this pair of Red-billed Tropicbirds.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Red-billed Tropicbirds
Red-billed Tropicbirds
Eventually, we made it back to the steps and started our descent to the waiting Zodiac.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Prince Philip's Steps
What an excellent start to our day.

Once on board the Zodiac, we took a short ride along the cliff walls. Not far from Prince Philip's steps we saw a couple of Galapagos Sea Lions and then several Galapagos Fur Seals. This is one of only two places in the islands where visitors can readily see the fur seals.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Galapagos Fur Seals
Galapagos Fur Seals
​The Galapagos Fur Seal is another endemic species, but it isn’t a “seal” at all. Rather it is a species of sea lion that became commonly known as a fur seal due to its soft, thick coat.

The fur seals hunt in deeper water and usually hunt at night. They are smaller than the Galapagos Sea Lions, they have larger eyes, and shorter snouts, and they are much better climbers than their sea lion cousins. Because they hunt at night, they tend to be less active during the day and are often found snoozing.

The photo below isn't a great shot, but it sort of shows the shorter snout, bigger eyes, and thick fur of the Galapagos Fur Seals.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Galapagos Fur Seal
Galapagos Fur Seal
After checking out the sea lions, we went back to the yacht and got ready for our next excursion - snorkeling. We put on our swimsuits and wetsuits, grabbed our gear, and stepped back onto the Zodiac to be taken to our starting point.

Genovesa Snorkeling
The Zodiac dropped us off along the opposite wall from Prince Philip's Steps. Our captain had picked out the spot, and he actually led this trip. Our primary quest on this snorkel were hammerhead sharks. Apparently, the Scalloped Hammerheads around here are not dangerous - again, at least that's what they told us.

The water was deeper and it wasn't as clear as yesterday's snorkel, but we were looking for bigger fish. I was taking pictures of various parrotfish, King Angelfish, and this school of Yellow-tail Surgeonfish ....
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Snorkel
Yellow-tail Surgeonfish
when a hammerhead shark swam right under me. I was taken aback by its size compared to the White-tipped Reef Shark from yesterday, and I wasn't very quick with the camera. I got just a couple of seconds of video from which I carved this still photo.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Hammerhead Shark
Scalloped Hammerhead Shark
Below is a little video compiled from a few clips of the snorkel including the two seconds of the hammerhead (around the 50-second mark).
Linda was videoing with the GoPro, and she captured three hammerheads although they are pretty hard to see in the video below.
Shortly after the thrill of seeing the hammerheads, we climbed into the waiting Zodiac and went back to the ship.

We were served hot chocolate once again, and then we got showers and had a little rest time before lunch. But not long after lunch was complete, it was time for our third excursion of the day.

Genovesa Kayaking
While we were having lunch, the crew lowered the inflatable kayaks from the top deck. They tied them all together so the Zodiac could tow us to our starting spot near Prince Philip's Steps.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Kayaking
Soon, we were all in our kayaks and paddling along the inside eastern wall of the caldera.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Kayaking
We stopped and looked at the sea lions again, and then continued on paddling about half way around the caldera before making our way back to the Domenica. We got some good looks at Swallow-tailed Gulls, Red-billed Tropicbirds, frigatebirds, boobies, a Yellow-crowned Night Heron, a Lava Heron, and a Wandering Tattler.

​Although we love to kayak, that was our least favorite of the excursions - the kayaks weren't as comfortable as the two inflatables we own, and the water was a little choppy. However, I did get a really nice photo of one of the beautiful Red-billed Tropicbirds.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Red-billed Tropicbird
Red-billed Tropicbird
Back on board, we didn't waste any time before getting ready for our fourth excursion of the day.

Darwin Beach Walk
Once again, we stepped on the Zodiac, and we were driven to Darwin Beach.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Darwin Beach
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Darwin Beach
Myra took us on a short walk to see more birds and nesting colonies. We got an up close look at the lovely Swallow-tailed Gull and Linda had a moment with a young booby that was on the trail.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Swallow-tailed Gull
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Darwin Beach
The area just beyond the beach was a prime nesting area for frigatebirds and Red-footed Boobies.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Great Frigatebird
Great Frigatebird
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Red-footed Booby
Red-footed Booby
Both the Magnificent Frigatebird and the Great Frigatebird are found in the Galapagos, but they are very hard to distinguish. The Magnificent Frigatebird is slightly larger, but it's still hard to tell them apart. We learned that the Great Frigatebird has a green sheen on its shoulder feathers (like the photo on the left above) while the Magnificent Frigatebird has an iridescent purple color.

It also is hard to tell the young boobies apart, but there is no mistaking the adults. This Red-footed Booby was quite colorful.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Red-footed Booby
Red-footed Booby
After seeing enough juvenile boobies and frigatebirds, we made our way back to the beach where there was a Ruddy Turnstone doing what it does - turning over stones looking for food.​
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Ruddy Turnstone
Ruddy Turnstone
There were also a lot of the colorful Sally Lightfoot Crabs on the rocks by the shore.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Sally Lightfoot Crabs
Sally Lightfoot Crabs
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Sally Lightfoot Crab
Sally Lightfoot Crab
After our walking tour, we were given the option of hanging out on the beach or snorkeling. A few of us attempted the snorkeling, but it was the middle of a tide change and the visibility was pretty bad. We got out of the water pretty quickly and just watched the sea lions until everyone was ready to go back to the boat.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Darwin Beach Sea Lion
That was a busy day.

Back on the ship, we got showers, went to Myra's briefing on tomorrow, and then watched the sunset.
Galapagos Islands Genovesa Sunset
Then we had another nice meal and called it a night as the crew took up the anchor, and we started our overnight journey back to Santiago Island.​
​Day 4 - Bartolome Island, Pinnacle Rock, Sullivan Bay & Santiago Island
0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Albatross
    Boobies
    Day 01
    Day 02
    Day 03
    Day 04
    Day 05
    Day 06
    Day 07
    Day 08
    Day 09
    Day 10
    Day 11
    Day 12
    Day 13
    Day 14
    Day 15
    Finches
    Flamingos
    Flightless Cormorants
    Frigatebirds
    Giant Tortoises
    Herons
    Hikes/Walks
    Islands - Baltra
    Islands - Chinese Hat
    Islands - Espanola
    Islands - Fernandina
    Islands - Floreana
    Islands - Genovesa
    Islands - Isabela
    Islands - Mosquera
    Islands - North Seymour
    Islands - San Cristobal
    Islands - Santa Cruz
    Islands - Santa Fe
    Islands - Santiago
    Islands - South Plaza
    Kayaking
    Land Iguanas
    Marine Iguanas
    Owls
    Penguins
    Sea Lions
    Sea Turtles
    Sharks & Rays
    Snorkeling
    Visitor Sites - Bachas Beach
    Visitor Sites - Bartolome
    Visitor Sites - Black Turtle Cove
    Visitor Sites - Charles Darwin Research Station
    Visitor Sites - Chinese Hat
    Visitor Sites - Darwin Beach
    Visitor Sites - Devil's Crown
    Visitor Sites - Dragon Hill
    Visitor Sites - Elizabeth Bay
    Visitor Sites - Espinosa Point
    Visitor Sites - Espumilla Beach
    Visitor Sites - Gardner Beach
    Visitor Sites - Gardner Island
    Visitor Sites - Giant Tortoise Breeding Center (Isabela Island)
    Visitor Sites - Giant Tortoise Breeding Center (San Cristobal Island)
    Visitor Sites - Great Darwin Bay
    Visitor Sites - Isla Lobos
    Visitor Sites - Moreno Point
    Visitor Sites - Mosquera Islet
    Visitor Sites - North Seymour
    Visitor Sites - Pinnacle Rock Snorkel
    Visitor Sites - Post Office Bay
    Visitor Sites - Prince Philip's Steps
    Visitor Sites - Puerto Egas
    Visitor Sites - Punta Suarez
    Visitor Sites - Santa Cruz Highlands
    Visitor Sites - Santa Fe
    Visitor Sites - Santiago Lava Walk
    Visitor Sites - Sierra Negra Volcano
    Visitor Sites - South Plaza
    Visitor Sites - Tagus Cove
    Visitor Sites - Tintoreras Islet
    Visitors Sites - Cormorant Point

    Archives

    December 2016

Thanks for visiting and we hope you enjoy our website.

Contact Us

Nature Travelers  •  Howard & Linda Payne  •  Howard@NatureTravelers.com  •  www.NatureTravelers.com

All content, photos, and videos - Copyright © Nature Travelers.  All Rights Reserved.
Website Designed by: WCWDesigns