Galapagos day 3

6pm local time.
We are back a bit weary after a long day outdoors, visiting one of the small islands called North Seymour. It is 45 m above sea level and smallenoughto walk around in an hour, and was formed by a seismic event uplifting a block of seabed. being national parrk as most of the place is you cannot vivit it by yourself but only with a guide, who registers the trip with park authoroties. Even when on the island you may only walk the prescibed pathways with no deviations. However the reasons are obvious when there its a breeding colony fior varous birds etc and this system keepsit in pristine condition. The wildlife is so unfazed by humans in any instance, that you almost have to clear them off the track in places.We went there by launch and diembarked by inmflatable, a group of 10 people all up. On the standard black basalt shore line 2-3 m high werelarge red crabs and some very indolent looking sealions including pups. Visible even from a distance were birds wheeling overhead and once on land their various (usually strange) calls were evident. The two bird species with heavy nesting activity were the magnificent Frigate bird and the Blue Footed Booby. The frigate bird is unique and has tio take the title as the worlds best gliding machine. They have a huige wingspan and can glide flawlessly. We see them around including from our hotel In particular we have noticed that they can turn direction without banking their wings, probably by ruddering their long forked tail. There is not a flicker of their wings as the wheel about, drifting on the slightest sea breeze. On the island the nesting males had the large inflated red throat sac that im sure you will have seen in photos. They nest closely to each other on low trees, puffing their pouches up and opening their wings in a dramtic sound accompanied display. Impressive rather than beautiful is the best description of being in close to them, they have something of that unsentimental, is it edible attitude about them that you see in gulls for example. There was however a very beautiful gull there, the swallow tailed gull -a stormy grey with red eye ring.By contrast the Blue Footed boobies were both beautiful and a comic entertainment. Thjey are a gannet species and look like one, but with an unmissable chalky blue foot. In the air they are like darts, scything about, intently examining the sea surface below, then diving in a flash to hit the surface with a puff of water. When nesting however, they pair up andconduct ongoing courtship rituals, involving an exagerated lifting of their lovely feet (if youve got it flaunt it type of thing), in a slow charlie chaplin like walk. As they walk around each other, their bodies sway a little and occasionally the male crouches forward but with bill pointing directly upwards, and half opens his wings and lifts his tail in a brif but dramatic display. All with the whistling calls of the female and the crooning honking notes of the male. The Boobies were nesting on the ground and while separated rather than packed in they were everywhere, so we were surounded by courting birds including some we had to step around. I had to remove my telephoto lens for a short lens as it was otherwise too close. You could sit down as close as you like and watch these beautiful things dance and burble away in front if you.
We also watched the overhead traffic as birds came and went, pasing at low level. In one area we met some land iguanas, much larger than the marine versions and the male with handsome yellow and orange markings on his head region. Again, completely approachable an not challenging photographic subjects, knowing exacly how to strike a fine pose.
The sun was intense and though you could do this forever we were pleased in fact to get back on the boat and under cover, for lunch. The afternoon was recreational we were dropped off at a white sand coral beach and snorkelled and generally messed around. We had a very successful snorkel out over some of the rocky sections of the bay, not coral gardens but with nice fish. Our favourite was a 30cm long dark blue fish with a bright yellow tail, called a yellow tail! They were in shoals of scores of them and would let you in close so you were surrounded. We also saw a manta ray below us then later saw one from the beach as it swam in the shallows against the shore line. I also had an all too brief visit from a white tipped reef shark, about 1.5m long, slender, graceful but not an agressive species so I wasnt bothered just wishing it would stay around not glide off.
We stopped off in town for refreshments and are now sitting about watching the light go. We have had a good taste of some of the specialties of the place but its hard to have to leave, tomorrow,
sx