Seymour Boobies!

Everybody loves boobies! For example, look at this fine pair.



We visited them on a day trip to uninhabited North Seymour Island, about an hour and a half from Puerto Ayora. It was a great trip for discovering the wildlife of the Galapagos, especially the birds.

On arrival, we were greeted by one of the locals.

It's nesting and mating season for the boobies and frigate birds. They have no fear of humans; we walked right up to them to take pictures, and they pretty much ignored us. The female booby sits on its eggs for 21 days while the male hunts and brings back food. The nesting booby raises her beak and pants rapidly to regulate the temperature of the eggs.

If the temperature gets too high, she stands up for a while to let the eggs cool down.

Elsewhere the male booby does his happy mating dance for a skeptical-looking female.

Male frigatebirds inflate their neck sacks to attract mates.

A mother frigatebird watches over her fledgeling chick.

A happy family.

We heard a horrible screeching from what looked like an adult frigatebird. It turned out to be a hungry adolescent demanding food, which its mother provided. As with most adolescents, what she provided wasn't enough, so the screeching continued after the meal was consumed.

Is that a balloon on your neck, or are you just happy to see me?

There were also numerous land iguanas, gold and rust instead of black like their marine-adapted cousins. They also had no fear of humans and posed happily for us.

 This one was moulting, but still okay with having his picture taken.

Back on board the boat, we ate a delicious lunch of albacore in a creamy pepper sauce with our fellow passengers. The seafood here is incredibly fresh and tasty.



Then we visited an idyllic tropical beach. Idyllic until the biting flies found us, anyway.



O enjoys her respite from the flies once the boat gets underway again.



P.