GALAPAGOS 2010: North Seymour to Sombrero Chino

 Blue-Footed Boobies make their ‘ring of poop’ nests right in the trail and barely move as we walk by. Many of these birds had chicks of varying size, others just eggs.

 The ghost forest of Palo Santo trees offered an eerie landscape… rugged and red with spots of green saltbush and white patches of guano.

Magnificent and Great Frigatesbirds both nest here. The differences in the two species were described in previous posts. Above are young Magnificent Frigatebirds identified by their full white heads.

 This male Magnificent Frigatebird (identified by the purplish sheen on its mantle) displayed for every passing bird… of any species or sex!

 As we motored from North Seymour west, beyond the Daphnes, Frigatebirds of both species followed our yacht. They often perched on the rigging to rest. Amazing fliers, they barely flap their wings as they circle the boat and catch up to the bow again!

We arrive at Sombrero Chino for a short walk before some great snorkeling. The sesuvium offered varying colors of green, orange, yellow and red making the island appear like an Autumn tapestry. Much of the island has little plant life as the previous volcanic eruption was within the last 100 years. Lava Cactus appear higher up on the slope.

This island offers excellent snorkeling, unfortunately my Sanyo “waterproof” video camera was not so waterproof. Its second time in the water it died. After prying open the battery door, with great difficulty as it was latched tight, I found water inside. How upsetting. After my first Sanyo leaked I chalked it up to user error, guessing that I had not closed the battery door properly. I checked and double checked this one before going in the water, and with the effort needed to open the battery door I can now only ascertain that both cameras were defective. Time to look for another brand.

The snorkeling, however, did not disappoint! We saw many species of fish, a sting ray and we even had a penguin swim right in front of us!