ECUADOR - Galapagos Islands
Genovesa Island
Genovesa Island, named after the Italian city of Genoa, in honor of Christopher Columbus, is a shield volcano in the eastern Galápagos Islands. The island occupies about 14 square kilometres (5 sq mi), and its maximum elevation is 64 m (210 ft). The horse-shoe shaped island has a volcanic caldera whose wall has collapsed, forming the Great Darwin Bay, surrounded by cliffs. Although no historical eruptions are known from Genovesa, there are very young lava flows on the flanks of the volcano.
This island is known as Bird Island, because of the large and varied bird colonies which nest here. There are an abundance of frigatebirds and it is among the best place in the archipelago to see red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, storm petrels, tropicbirds, Darwin's finches, and Galápagos mockingbirds.
BEST TIME to VISIT ECUADOR and GALAPAGOS ISLANDS
BEST TIME to TRAVEL to GENOVESA Island
Galapagos : April to December
Genovesa island - the elusive and fast red-beak tropicbird
Genovesa island - a majestic frigatebird flying
Genovesa island - the elusive and fast red-beak tropicbird - This bird has 2 long feathers at the end of its tail
Genovesa island - Lava rocks between the caldera and the inside channel
Genovesa island - Frigatebird - juvenal
Genovesa island - mangrove trees are full of birds nesting
Genovesa island - Red-footed boobies on land - one is exercises to fly
Genovesa island - Red-footed boobies on land waiting their time to fly - their parents are still feeding them until they can do it themselves - Those juvenals have brown feet which will become red later
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby nesting - We can see one egg under
Genovesa island - Red-footed boobiies - the egg hatched and the mother is still nesting
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby baby in a mangrove tree
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - Baby is growing fed by the parents
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - still fluffy
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal with some white feathers on its head
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal but with red feet
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal with a bluish beak
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal with a dark bluish beak
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal with a bluish beak but stull brown feet
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - full grown with a blue beak abd red feet
Genovesa island - Red-footed boobies - full grown with a blue beak abd red feet
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - full grown with a blue beak abd red feet but this one is whiter than the grey ones - we saw few of them as the brown color is more common for red-footed boobies
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby with the brown color which is more common
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - full grown with a blue beak abd red feet but this one is whiter than the grey ones - we saw few of them as the brown color is more common for red-footed boobies
Genovesa island - Nazca boobies have an orange beak and brown feet - Here they are bonding before mating
Genovesa island - Nazca booby - head
Genovesa island - Nazca booby
Genovesa island - Small owl with a very good camouflage on the lava - this owl don't hunt in flight but in ambush when small birds are flying very low to catch insects
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal with brown feet - red color will come later
Genovesa island - Mockingbird
Genovesa island - Nazca booby - this juvenal came to us on the trail and was very intrigued by the walking stick
Genovesa island - Marine iguana are climbing the high cliff everynight to come back to the ocean to feed during the day
Genovesa island - Red-footed bobby on a tree
Genovesa island - Red-footed bobby - blue beak but red feet
Genovesa island - Red-footed bobbies - Juvenals on a rock - they can't fly at this age
Genovesa island - Red-footed bobby and a frigatebird on a bush
Genovesa island - Red-footed bobby - Juvenal trying its wings but can't fly at the moment
Genovesa island - Red-footed bobby flying
Genovesa island - Red-footed bobbies - juvenals
Genovesa island - Red-footed bobbies - juvenals
Genovesa island - Sea lions - the cub is milking its mother
Genovesa island - Sea lions on the beach
Genovesa island - Frigatebird nesting
Genovesa island - Frigatebird
Genovesa island - small ray in the water
Genovesa island - Salted water is entering in this channel. Mangrove trees both side are a perfect place for nesting
Genovesa island - cacti
Genovesa island - harsh lava land at the top of the cliff
Genovesa island - Swallow-tailed gulls
Genovesa island - Swallow-tailed gull
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby in a strange position as the head is turned at 180° - so we see its tail and its blue beak at the same time
Genovesa island - Very flexible red-footed booby cleaning its red feet
Genovesa island - Funny nazca booby - juvenal
Genovesa island - Marine iguana
Genovesa island - Juvenal nazca booby walking on the trail with tourists, without any fear. The booby had touched the stick and one shoe as they were looking strange for him
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby exercising its wings, but it's still too early to fly
Genovesa island - Sea Lion
Genovesa island - Swallow-tailed gull bringing a small stone to build the nest
Genovesa island - Perfect camouflage for this owl in ambush for preys
Genovesa island - Crested Heron
Genovesa island - Beautiful back feathers of a crested Heron
Genovesa island - Swallow-tailed gull
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal in a mangrove tree
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal in a mangrove tree
Genovesa island - Frigatebird
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - baby
Genovesa island - Frigatebird - juvenal
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal with bluisk beak
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby but blue beak
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby but blue beak
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby with a blue open beak
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby with a blue largely open beak
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby - juvenal
Genovesa island - Swallow-tailed gull
Genovesa island - Nazca boobies bonding before mating season
Genovesa island - Nazca boobies bonding before mating season
Genovesa island - Nazca boobies bonding before mating season
Genovesa island - Nazca boobies bonding before mating season
Genovesa island - Nazca boobies bonding before mating season
Genovesa island - Nazca boobies bonding before mating season
Genovesa island - Nazca booby juvenal - very funny guy with its large feet
Genovesa island - Rough stairs to reach the top of the cliff
Genovesa island - Frigatebird - juvenal on a nest
Genovesa island - Marine iguana
Genovesa island - many birds are nesting at the top of the cliff or on the cliff
Genovesa island - majestic tropicbird
Genovesa island - There is only two access to this island from the volcanic caldera whose wall has collapsed, forming the Great Darwin Bay, surrounded by cliffs.
Genovesa island - Red-footed boobies on rocks
Genovesa island - the Great Darwin Bay, is surrounded by cliffs.
Genovesa island - Swallow-tailed gull bringing a stone for the nest
Genovesa island -Swallow-tailed gulls
Genovesa island - Swallow-tailed gull
Genovesa island - Crested heron
Genovesa island - Galapagos Dove
Genovesa island - Frigatebird
Genovesa island - cacti
Genovesa island - Red-footed booby on a mangrove tree
Genovesa island - Frigatebird - fluffy juvenal
Genovesa island - Frigatebirds and Boobies are living in peace on the same island BUT...
Genovesa island - This adult nazca booby attacks the frigatebird juvenal on its nest - we don't know why
Genovesa island - The juvenal frigatebird was calling strongly its parents but they were gone for fishing
Genovesa island - A nazca booby is agressing a frigatebird juvenal which was calling its parents for help, but they were too far away
Genovesa island - the juvenal frigatebird flights back courageously as he can
Genovesa island - no one can intervene on these protected islands and it was difficult to see the juvenal attacked by an adult of another specie. But finally there was a good end and the nazca booby left away