January 12
This morning we anchored near the small northern islands of the Pearl Islands archipelago and explored several of the rocky outcrops by zodiac. We saw many seabirds, including male Magnificent Frigatebirds with their red throat sacks inflated. We’d seen Frigatebirds on several other trips but never the males in breeding colors.
Frigatebirds have the highest wing-to-weight ratio of any bird, which enables them to stay aloft for so long. In fact, if a frigatebird lands in the water, they cannot fly away and they may die. This is a risk for younger birds who have not yet learned how to pluck food from the water’s surface without getting wet. We found a young frigatebird floundering in the water, and one of our naturalists leaned over the edge of the zodiac, scooped up the bird, and put him on a rock to dry his wings. She said the bird was incredibly light— we noticed that she was so skilled that the bird did not seem at all panicked.
We also watched a peregrine falcon chase an osprey away, another rare behavior.
This afternoon we went snorkeling from a sandy beach on another of the small islands. It is an area of “rock coral” that does not have vibrant color but still had many lovely fish. It was great to be in the water!
Pictured: male Magnificent Frigatebirds, Peregrine Falcon, colorful fish
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