Thursday 12th February –Bird Island
We were now eight days in to our expedition/cruise around the Galapagos Islands on the M.S. Santa Cruz II. Today would be our last full day. We had thoroughly enjoyed everything up to now, including the early starts. They were worth it. Every island had been different, different wild life, different scenery, and different adventures. We were determined to make the most of our last day on “Bird Island”
Or Isla Genovesa to give it its proper name.
“Bird Island”
But first a little geology. As can be seen from the above image, Genovesa is a volcanic Island, a shield volcano, to be precise, with a collapsed caldera, which forms Great Darwin Bay. In the middle of the island is a salt water crater lake called Lake Arcturus.
It is not the most northerly island in the archipelago, Pinta, Marchena and the isolated islets Darwin and Wolf, lie further north. However Genovesa was as far north as we went. The island is completely uninhabited (by Homo Sapiens) and quite remote.
Genovesa is known as “Bird Island” because of the large and varied bird population. I will introduce you to them as we go.
Prince Philip’s Steps.
Santa Cruz II anchored in the bay and after breakfast, but still early, we took the Pangas to the island.
We landed at Prince Philip’s Steps. A steep narrow staircase, cut into the volcanic rock. They take you from sea level to cliff top about twenty five metres above. From there a path takes you onto the plateau, filled with nesting birds.
The cynic in me thought they had been built for Prince Philip, when he visited in 1964, to save him getting his feet wet. Apparently they were just named after him, to honour his visit to the island. Prince Philip was already deeply involved in conservation work—he helped establish the World Wildlife Fund in 1961—and his interest in Galápagos wildlife made the visit notable.
As we climbed the steps it became obvious why it was known as “Bird Island”. We were greeted by birds of all descriptions, none of whom seemed to bother that we were there.
The first I encountered was a Nazca Booby chick, sitting in the middle of the path. Mum was alongside keeping an eye on things.
There are three types of Booby in the Galapagos. The Blue Footed, the Nazca and the Red Footed. The Blue Footed Booby is not found on Genovesa, although it is ubiquitous elsewhere in the archipelago. The Nazca Booby is also fairly widespread. The Red Footed Booby is more or less only found on Genovesa. It is also the most numerous of the three.
The Red Footed Boobies are fairly uniquely for a sea bird, in that they nest in trees.
Moving on past the booby chick, we encountered a huge variety of birds. The Frigate Birds were probably the most spectacular.
The males are distinguished by their red pouch under their chins. It is inflated as part of their mating display. They are very elegant and manoeverable in flight. Their method of feeding is harassing other birds into giving up their catch.
There is a colony of Wedge Rumped Storm Petrels, that nests on the cliff top.
There is also a colony of Galapagos Short Eared Owls, which prey on the Storm Petrels.
Just trying to remember the names of all the birds that I saw is a challenge.
Bird Species Seen by me on Genovesa
Below is a reference table of the bird species I encountered on Genovesa, It includes common and scientific names, families, and links for anyone who wants to dive deeper.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Family | Wikipedia Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red-footed Booby | Sula sula | Sulidae | Red-footed Booby | Genovesa; tree-nesting booby |
| Nazca Booby | Sula granti | Sulidae | Nazca Booby | Genovesa cliffs |
| Red-billed Tropicbird | Phaethon aethereus | Phaethontidae | Red-billed Tropicbird | Nesting on Genovesa |
| Galápagos Shearwater | Puffinus subalaris | Procellariidae | Galápagos Shearwater | Endemic; often in feeding flocks |
| Elliot’s Storm-Petrel | Oceanites gracilis | Oceanitidae | Elliot’s Storm-Petrel | Seen around Genovesa |
| Band-rumped Storm-Petrel | Hydrobates castro | Hydrobatidae | Band-rumped Storm-Petrel | Pelagic; breeds in Galápagos |
| Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel | Hydrobates tethys | Hydrobatidae | Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel | Abundant around Genovesa |
| Great Frigatebird | Fregata minor | Fregatidae | Great Frigatebird | Seen across islands |
| Swallow-tailed Gull | Creagrus furcatus | Laridae | Swallow-tailed Gull | Endemic; nocturnal gull |
| Brown Noddy | Anous stolidus | Laridae | Brown Noddy | Common coastal species |
| American Oystercatcher | Haematopus palliatus | Haematopodidae | American Oystercatcher | Seen on beaches and rocky shores |
| Yellow-crowned Night Heron | Nyctanassa violacea | Ardeidae | Yellow-crowned Night Heron | Rábida; hunts crabs |
| Striated Heron | Butorides striata | Ardeidae | Striated Heron | Small shoreline heron |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | Ardeidae | Great Blue Heron | Large solitary wader |
| Galápagos Mockingbird | Mimus parvulus | Mimidae | Galápagos Mockingbird | Endemic; very curious |
| Galápagos Yellow Warbler | Setophaga petechia aureola | Parulidae | Yellow Warbler | Endemic subspecies |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus | Strigidae | Short-eared Owl | Genovesa; hunts storm-petrels |
| Darwin’s Finches | Geospiza, Camarhynchus, Certhidea, etc. | Thraupidae | Darwin’s Finches | Endemic radiation; varies by island |
The Red -billed (in fact all Tropic Birds) are known to seamen as Bosun Birds. This is because their tail feathers stick out like a Bosun’s (Boatswain’s ) marlin spike from his belt.
Distinguishing between the various Storm-Petrels was quite difficult. I relied on the Cornell Bird Identification app Merlin to help me.
The variations between the finches on the different islands is one of the cornerstones of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, I really should have done better at identifying them, but I failed miserably.
The sheer volume of birds was almost overwhelming. The fact that you could walk more or less right up to them, made it even more so.
That was our morning expedition. It was one of the highlights of the trip.
After Lunch
After we went kayaking around the cliffs of Darwin Bay. This was actually where I saw the Tropic Bird. I didn’t manage to get a photo. The photo above is a stock photo I found. They are beautiful birds, and I thought you deserved to see what they look like.
Kayaking was fun, but we decided against paddle boarding.
We didn’t sink, we didn’t capsize and we didn’t scare the Sealions, so I think it was success
Just before sunset we landed on the beach at the opposite end of Darwin Bay to The Prince Philip Steps. We had a gentle stroll along the beach, encountering, Sealions, a nesting colony of Red-footed Boobies, Swallow tailed Gulls, juvenile Frigate Birds, various herons and a Galapagos Yellow Warbler.
The Red-Footed Boobies have two variants, a white one and a brown one. They are the same species. They can and do inter breed.
After that it was back to the Santa Cruz II for our last night.
It was then time to pack our bags ready to go home tomorrow. But not before a farewell cocktails and dinner.
The adventure wasn’t quite over, but tomorrow morning we would be on our way home, with a lot of photographs and even more memories.
