by galapagoscruises — published on March 21st, 2009
The reason why I chose to go on a cruise to the Galapagos Islands is my passion for bird-watching.
Birds and all animals for that matter never encountered hostile humans, so you can really come up close and personal with the animals you want to observe and take marvelous pictures (depending on your photography skills of course).
Galapagos Flycatcher
Just have a look at this Galapagos Flycatcher: couldn’t get any closer than that!
This Galapagos flycatcher (Myiarchus magnirostris) was exceptionally bold and curious. After first sitting on the hat of our Galapagos National Park Naturalist Guide, the flycatcher went and visited the heads of most of us.
Picture taken at Post Office Beach during my visit to the Post Office Barrel on Floreana Island.
Technorati Tags: animals, cruise, galapagos islands, galapagos national park, naturalist guide, park naturalist, passion, photography skills, post office, watching birds
by galapagoscruises — published on March 19th, 2009
From Europe to Galapagos:
I took a flight from Amsterdam to Quito, but we had to stop in Bonaire and Guayaquil.
It’s a "relatively" short flight: less than 10 hours later we arrived in Bonaire to stretch our legs… Then another 2.5hour flight to Guayaquil and yet another half an hour to Quito…
All in all not easy to reach (and then you are still not at the Galapagos islands) but you are in need of a good night rest!
Technorati Tags: amsterdam, bonaire, europe, Galapagos
by galapagoscruises — published on March 16th, 2009
Frigate Birds in Galapagos and beyond are the only sea birds that are not waterproofed!
Frigate birds produce hardly any oil and therefore don’t want to land in the ocean. They do attack and rob other seabirds of their fish.
Since they are never in the sea, you will notice them up in the air: they are those large black birds looking like big black kites. And they perform a fast and amazing display when they dive after fish dropped by other seabirds.
Their body is as big as a chicken and the tallest Galapagos frigate bird can have a wingspan reaching more than 7 feet (or 2m).
Although frigate birds seems to have black feathers when you see them flying in the Galapagos sky, their feathers produce different colours when they refract the sunlight:
- Magnificent Galapagos Frigate Birds will refract purple colours
- Great Galapagos Frigate Birds will refract green colours.
Male frigate birds have a typical red patch of skin at their throat. During courtship, males will force air in this red gular pouch as if they were carrying a big red balloon.
We didn’t see any frigate birds’ courtship when we visited Galapagos, as the birds where hatching when we set foot on the North Seymour Islands.
On the picture you see a female Frigate Bird of Galapagos as females are marked with white colours below.
Technorati Tags: frigate birds, frigate birds galapagos, Galapagos, north seymour islands, sea birds
