Followers

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

G is for Genovesa in Galapagos Islands


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt for starting and Roger O. Green for continuing this popular, long-running meme, and thanks also to my husband and photographer Richard Schear for his sharp eye behind a lens. These are his photos.
Special thanks to our friend Gattina in Belgium, who is hosting this week.

Posted for
ABC Wednesday


For the letter G this week, I have chosen the horseshoe-shaped island of Genovesa in the Galápagos chain, on the equator about 600 miles off the shore of Ecuador.

Genovesa is one of the smaller of the Galápagos Islands but is home to a great many different varieties of seabirds. Also known as Tower Island, Genovesa is a "young" volcanic island with seemingly inhospitable terrain.

When we visited the Galápagos Islands in 2006, we were told guests must try to avoid making any contact with the islands' wildlife, which were often well camouflaged amongst the plants and rocks.

Our naturalist guide, Karina (above) was a treasure trove of information about the feathered and marine animals living on Genovesa and the other islands.

Like many another island in the Pacific Ocean, Genovesa has areas that seem to have been painted white, but which, of course, have years' worth of bird guano deposited on their rocky shores.


This guest is standing well back while photographing an adorable pile of fluffy feathers which is actually a very young frigate bird. It will grow up to have a six-foot wingspan. Galápagos birds, even the very young, have no fear of humans, so it is up to visitors to maintain a proper distance.


















10 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
...now I feel like I visited! YAM xx

Reader Wil said...

This is abeautiful and interesting account of your trip to this island. Very good choice for G !
Have a nice week.
Wil, ABCW Team

photowannabe said...

What an amazing place to visit. It's like stepping back in time.

Hildred said...

How wonderful that you were able to visit this island, and thank you for sharing the experience, Kay.

Roger Owen Green said...

I don't have GO, because I've now "been" there.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Kay said...

Please thank Dick for the wonderful photos. The Galapagos is on our bucket list. I wish we'd gone there when our son was living in Ecuador. However, we will go there sometime. In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy all of Dick's fabulous photos.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

wonderful. My mum visited there a few years back.

Beverley Baird said...

What an intriguing place! Great sjhots of the wildlife and island.

Wanda said...

In the Movie with Russell Crow, Master and Commanders, their was quite a long scene on the Galapagos Islands. Very interesting.

Phil Slade said...

Somewhere I really would like to get to Kay and follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin. Sadly I probably wont get there but I still like seeing TV programmes and reading about the place.