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Since my last blog we have sailed across the equator a few times visiting some more of the islands. Genovesa was an island teeming with birdlife. After a dinghy ride around the cliffs we headed to the Prince Phillips steps (so named after his visit in the 1960's when he slipped and they decided to build the steps in his honour). After a short climb up the steps we were face to face with Nazca boobies, frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, mockingbirds and my favourite the red footed boobies. These were gorgeous birds with their bright red feet, blue "eye make-up" and shimmering bluey/purpley beaks. The birds definitely rule this island with no introduced species and very few reptiles.
We were very lucky to see not one but two short-eared owls. Although we didn't witness the kill, we did see one of them feasting on a poor storm petrel. It really was an amazing sight and it is magnificent to see the birds, their nests and chicks up close. After Genovesa we headed back to Santa Cruz to Baltra where we suffered our only disappointment of the trip. We were supposed to be able to see lots of flamingoes but sadly
there were none there. I did enjoy some great snorkeling though which made up for it. On North Seymour island we also caught sight of some Galapagos racer snakes which were so cool. Sadly the island was invaded by about 100 tourists from a big cruise ship but we have managed to have most of them to ourselves up to now so I can't really complain.
Our last night on board the ship, the crew had a surprise for us. After dinner we headed out onto deck and turned on all the lights. In the water behind the ship there must have been 6-8 Galapagos sharks swimming around the boat eating the fish. They were huge (7-9) metres long) and I realised that earlier in the day when some of the passengers had remained on board and we had returned to the boat in the dinghy, they were not joking when they said we were being chased by sharks. I was soooo glad I had not gone snorkeling in these waters. It was amazing to watch them though and we even saw some sea lions. I could have sat there for hours. At the front of the ship the
captain turned off the lights so we could marvel at the wonderful stars in the sky. I couldn't make out many of the constellations (my excuse was that we were in the Southern hemisphere and I only know the Northern Hemisphere sky) but it didn't matter.
It has been a truely wonderful once in a lifetime experience for both me and my Dad. I marvel at how close you are able to get to the wildlife and the enjoyment of seeing them in their natural habitat. How amazing it must have been for the Spanish to have stumbled across these islands in the 1500's completely untouched and unspoilt by humans. Sadly, over time man has begun to cause chaos and destruction by introducing new species, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of tortoises and causing not only the wildlife but the natural habitat, flora and fauna to face extinction. There is a hugh campaign to preserve the islands and many of the introduced species have been destroyed. Hopefully, the efforts will continue overtime to protect these unique islands for future generations.
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