Arriving by Zodiac (ps)

After getting settled in our cabins, and a short rest, we were ready to really begin the journey at our first stop. As soon as we climbed out of the zodiacs, we became overwhelmed by the astonishing varieties of life on a typical Galapagos Island. We strolled along the seashore past an area of brush and vegetation stretching along the other side of our path in which were many, many nesting birds.

Magnificent Frigatebirds, Blue-Footed Boobies, Sea Lion (sz)

The birds we saw included frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, gulls, the Galapagos dove, and numerous shore birds. An astonishing sight was a huge black winged frigate flying overhead with the big bright red pouch underneath the beak of the male fully inflated. The pouch is a feature of mating, designed to attract the female. This was the only time during the entire trip that we witnessed a frigate with the pouch inflated. Luckily we were able to get a couple of good photographs.