Galapagos Expedition | Day 6

Genovesa Island: El Barranco – Darwin Bay

Welcome to bird island.

Genovesa, also known as Tower Island (though I’ll always remember it as Bird Island), is quite small but geologically and biologically very interesting. The chemistry of its lavas is identical to lavas that erupt at mid-ocean ridges (a magma type called MORB, or mid-ocean-ridge-basalt) and quite different from most oceanic island lavas.

There are birds everywhere you look here... masked boobies, red-footed boobies, Galapagos owls, frigates, swallow-tailed gulls, lava herons, and the rare lava gulls. Some are in trees on nests, some on the ground. Sometimes there’s a baby sitting all alone on a nest waiting for mom to return with food.





a frigate bird...



I’ll share a funny story about these frigate birds a little later.

Here’s a baby frigate...



and a baby Nazca booby...



This bird is trying out for the part of the villain in a Disney movie...



I think he’ll be perfect.



After a swim in Darwin Bay, we returned to the Daphne. Our guide Charlie told us to change into our best T-shirts for a group photo on the top deck.

When we arrived, the crew was there dressed in their finest...



Luis was preparing to serve champagne...



One of our fellow cruise members was acting a bit giddy, another was dressed in a black dress carrying a book...





It looks to me like John and Kendra are getting married...





And the capitán married them...



and the Mother of the Bride wore orange...



Surprise weddings are the best!

Champagne was served. Inside, dancing and more champagne...





This is the night we learned about what an amazing dancer Luis is!

We also learned how it feels to sleep on a moving boat after too much champagne.

I almost forgot to tell you the frigate bird story. Whenever the Daphne was traveling, these birds followed us, hovering just above the boat. One afternoon a bunch of people were sitting on the top deck chatting and laughing. You’ve probably already figured out where this is going. See the guy above who was the groom in the surprise wedding? Yep, right in his open, laughing mouth! Blech! He said it was really bitter.