Blog entry below! If the mating dance video hasn't finished uploading - check back later :)
The steps:
The sky point:
Our Guide pointing out the first destination - North Seymour Island!
Daphne Minor (left), Daphne Major (right) in background.
Bachas Beach - we swam from the boat to shore. Unfortunately, conditions were not ideal for snorkeling.
First Leg - Dingy ride to the boat
Early morning coffee :)
We signed up for a day long excursion at 8 pm last night and everyone was a bit uncertain about the trip. The plan was to take a 45 minute boat ride to North Seymour island and then on to Bachas Beach.
The only promising bit of research indicated that it was mating season for the Blue Footed Boobies and the Frigate birds (though that is the exact reason we can't see many tortoises in the wild at the moment.).
I also learned that we would see two different types of frigate birds
"Magnificent" and "Great," slightly pompous birds, dontcha think :-)
Check this out! They are also considered "piratical cleptomaniacs." Lol! But they kind of are - a Frigate bird will pluck another bird out of the air and shake it upside down until it regurgitates its food, which the frigate bird then makes off with. You will recognize the huge bird in my pics below by the male's bright red inflatable pouch.
The only promising bit of research indicated that it was mating season for the Blue Footed Boobies and the Frigate birds (though that is the exact reason we can't see many tortoises in the wild at the moment.).
I also learned that we would see two different types of frigate birds
"Magnificent" and "Great," slightly pompous birds, dontcha think :-)
Check this out! They are also considered "piratical cleptomaniacs." Lol! But they kind of are - a Frigate bird will pluck another bird out of the air and shake it upside down until it regurgitates its food, which the frigate bird then makes off with. You will recognize the huge bird in my pics below by the male's bright red inflatable pouch.
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Male Frigate Bird buzzing a nest... he isn't going to find a mate like that!
Female "Great" Frigate... you can tell by the baby's brown mask.
Male in flight.
The real cuties of the day are the boobies. I love the boobies!!! The adorable males step gently back and forth to show off their brilliant blue feet to the female who is perched slightly higher on a rock. The area where the male courts the female is a key factor to his mating success. He must arrive early to find a spot with soft soil that will serve as the nest. He cannot forget about the nearby rock or the female won't pay him a bit of attention. When the female arrives she wants to see the quality of his feet (the dance), his ability to arrange a nest (he delicately places pieces of straw around himself), and then he must whistle and "sky point" to her to keep her attention. The sky point is a moment in the dance when the bird extends his wing tips, tail, and stretches his beak sky ward if the female is impressed she will reciprocate. If the male is up to her standards she will respond with a honk and then the 3 second party starts (not a joke, it's a short process). We were able to stand just inches away from these captivating birds for hours!
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Perfect setting!
Perfect setting!
The males have upright tail feathers.
Looks like a success!
A Single Egg laid in the grassy area of North Seymour Island.... not good for incubation.
A continuous light zephyr is required to cool the egg and the grasses that appeared in 2010,
block the breeze.
block the breeze.
We were soooo close! The birds didn't mind at all.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention Will and I saw a huge shark - maybe 6 foot long - right next to the boat while we were waiting for the dingy to take us to shore. I'm not sure what kind but his size gave me reservations about snorkeling! In general the boat trip was wonderful: the water was a deep blue, the sun wasn't uncomfortably strong, and the ocean breeze was perfecto. We were all having a great day, so it wasn't such a let down that we couldn't see anything while snorkeling between the boat and Bachas beach. It was a pleasant swim but the waves created a cloudy underwater environment - the camera didn't capture a single usable image. I did finally see a marine iguana swimming and the island was home to flamingos but neither could hold a candle to the boobies! Oh, sorry, mom disagrees... she really liked the flamingos :)
A Marine Iguana
.JPG)
What else, what else? Sea lions (not seals! Whoops) - we did see beautiful sea lions resting on the ocean tumbled lava rocks at North Seymour Island. There was even a baby nursing! OK everybody, say "awwww"!We cooked grouper at home this evening. $10 bucks total for 5 people (again) and it was delicious! Tomorrow might be a more relaxed day but we will visit the Large Saturday Market :-)
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