Pirates in Paradise (April 2001)

by Mary Elisabeth Pitz

The 'Hollywood of birding'— the stunning Galapagos Islands features the villains and the vanquished of (be bird world in memorable close-ups

" Prehistoric. Amazing. Wow!" I hear myself marvel at Magnificent Frigate birds as they catch a free ride on the wind stream of our ship, the Explorer II. The port of San Cristobal of the Galapagos Islands lingers on the horizon ahead. Choppy waters slowly rock the ship. The gray overcast sky provides a dramatic setting for the endemic frigates, whose two-meter wingspans pierce the sky and cast ominous shadows. All conversation ceases as passengers intently share binoculars to get close-ups of die big black birds.
The real thrill is watching with naked eyes the aerobatics of these impressive flying machines. Because a Magnificent Frigate bird weighs only about two pounds, it has the largest wingspan-to-body ratio of all seabirds. Consequently, frigates can maneuver gloriously through the air and their graceful swoops mesmerize our group.
A fellow passenger, Evan Hirsche from the Audubon Society, points out the bulging red throat pouches of three hitchhiking male frigates. Males sport the red pouch during breeding season and, indeed, are as magnificent on the ground as in the air; during earthbound courting, their pouches expand into immense red balloons to attract females.

Booby Traps in the Sky
Later, three Magnificent Frigate birds seem more malicious than marvelous, as I watch them mob a Blue-footed Booby in mid-air. Dora, our ship's naturalist for the week, explains that all boobies on the islands — Nazca (formerly "Masked"), blue-footed, red-footed — are a staple food source for frigates. The marauding frigates vigilantly patrol the skies ready to strike as boobies fly back to shore. During their return flight, boobies maintain constant voice contact with each other. The swallowed fish presses on the booby's throat, changing the call. Frigates, true pirates of the sky, can tell by a booby's call whether its belly is full or not. Alert to the different tonality, frigates relentlessly attack by going for the booby's tail. Gripping the booby, the pugnacious frigate shakes the victim until it regurgitates the fish rather than suffer mortal wounds. Immediately, the attacking frigate lets go of the booby's tail and swoops down to snatch the fish before it falls into the sea.
Ironically — like moths attracted to fire — frigates must take care not to contact the water during their daring dives, since their feathers quickly become waterlogged and they risk drowning. By now, I'm enamored by the boobies so I don't mind the thought of a pillaging frigate drowning. Because of the frigates' complicated eating habits, young frigate birds remain dependent upon their parents for food for 12 months or more. Youngsters spend a tremendous amount of time sitting alone in the nest, which usually consists of a small amount of guano with twigs, waiting for parents to return. No wonder they're maladjusted!
On the first afternoon of our tour, we divide into small groups for the extended island tours, which take place twice a day. Each group concentrates on a particular species, such as albatross, cormorants or boobies. Happily, my group chooses the Blue-footed Booby. Never having seen tills bird, except in books, I admit that my first sightings did not dazzle me the way the frigates had. However, that changed.
The next morning, as our inflatable raft edged through the water skirting a stark, tiny isle, we saw dozens of Blue-footed Boobies perching on sharp rocks. They appeared rather small with compact bodies but, while perched, their turquoise blue feet sparkled like jewels on display against the black volcanic rock of the island. A guide to the Galapagos birds says the color of the blue-footed’s feet varies from lavender to blue-green. But the hundreds of boobies I saw had bright turquoise feet.

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
The excitement was very high as we waited to land on Espanola Island. There, Dora says, we'll sec Blue-footed Boobies, Red-footed Boobies and albatross up close and personal. But, nothing could have prepared us for the magical allure of this island.
Because the Galapagos government zealously guards its environment, visitors must walk on narrow, often scraggly footpaths. Birds and animals, even huge sea lions, have no fear of humans and do not regard us as threatening. Galapagos birds often come right up to us or land on our backpacks or shoulders, as two brazen mockingbirds did when we landed on the beach.
On Espanola, we must step carefully as Blue-footed Boobies and albatross rend to build nests, sun or court on the narrow footpath. There are a number of Red-footed Boobies nesting in trees over-hanging the path, since there aren't any hawks, which arc their natural predators beyond the islands. These boobies seem far less bold than their cousins; because they have prehensile feet better suited for perching than walking, they are not as mobile.
The big event with the Red-footed Boobies was the hatching of a newborn chick. Once we spotted the egg in the nest, we only had to wait a few minutes. Unlike the Blue-footed Booby, which lays up to three eggs at one time and, when hatched, can result in siblicide if there isn't sufficient food for the chicks, the Red-footed Booby female produces just one egg that incubates for 45 days.
Although the serious mating season was finished by the beginning of August, numerous Blue-footed Booby couples were still performing an amusing courtship dance in which they lift their feet up and down in exaggerated slow-motion. Then, while standing very close to each other, the male points his beak skyward and whistles, which has a seductive effect on the female, who responds by pointing her beak upward as well. Dora explains that, since the ritual is also a form of bonding for the couple, it often continues after the egg has been hatched.

Albatross Airport
Hundreds of albatross nest on the spectacular cliffs of Espinola, which provide the updrafts needed for them to fly. Albatross are everywhere. Comically awkward on the ground, in the air, they soar with unbelievable grace. It's almost painful to watch an albatross waddle, slowly but with determination, over the long scrubby runway to the cliff's edge. It stands there tenuously, as if to build up courage before flinging its huge body over the cliff and into the air. An amazing sight!
The runway also serves as a flight deck; the returning albatross often abort their landing two or three times before deciding conditions are A-okay. They zoom in low to the ground, then plop down in a clumsy heap of feathers. One of the funniest scenes we saw was that of four albatross lined up like soldiers, waddling in lock-step. Even Dora, our naturalist, was at a loss to explain if this was happenstance or part of the albatross way of life.
New to bird watching, 1 was intrigued by everything the birds did. Well, almost everything. I had difficulty with marauding Magnificent Frigate birds. And, on our last mil day, a morning visit to Genovesa island provided us with an unsettlingly close view of a Short-eared Owl brunching on a storm-petrol. Both birds are indigenous to the Galapagos.
Unlike many owls, this one is diurnal (active in the daytime).
Even more unsettling was watching the owl eye several baby storm-petrols sitting in their nest nearby while he consumed what must have surely been their mother! Oblivious to their innocent eyes, the small owl ingested the body of the larger female bird in great gulping movements, then spir out some of the parts and starred anew.
Once finished, we were relieved when the owl walked under a bush and left the babies untouched in their nest. Instantly five tiny birds that appeared to be finches began scrapping over the meager remains of the owl's brunch.
Charles Darwin based his evolutionary theory on the finches he observed in the Galapagos Islands, some of which arc now called "Darwin's Finches." There are 13 species of finches on the islands, bin all evolved from a single species similar to the Blue-black Grassquit finch.
Finches' eating habits are fascinating. Ground Finches eat licks they remove from tortoises and land and marine iguanas. They also kick the tortoise and iguana eggs onto rocks and feed on the contents. The infamous Sharp-beaked Ground Finch, known as the "Vampire Finch," jumps on the backs of Nazca and Red-footed Boobies, pecking at their flesh and feeding on the blood. (Thankfully, I did not witness [hat bloodletting!)
While finches may be fascinating to observe as they dart about, for me the big stars of the show were the impressive and not-camera-shy boobies, albatross and frigates. Their habitat, the legendary Galapagos Islands, is A veritable backdrop for the "Hollywood" of birding. There, the drama of nature and especially the bird world is played out in memorable close-ups that I will never forget.

If You Go
If you're planning to visit the Galapagos Islands, here are some tips:
• Best months to visit are July, August and March (in that order).
• Hiking boots are helpful for climbs that are often slippery and steep.
• Good birding binoculars are essential.
• Individual ships have the permits needed to land on the islands, so it
is important to know what category of permits your boat has. The Explorer II. for example, has excellent permits and staff. Their naturalist guides are all Ecuadorians and committed to conservation in the Galapagos.

Pillaging in Paradise
As Birder's World was going to press, some troubling events had recently taken place in the Galapagos Islands. Several times during the year 2000
• most recently in November and December — hundreds of Galapagos fishermen, irate over limits put on lobster harvests, ransacked the offices of the Charles Darwin Research Station in San Cristobal. Santa Cruz and Isabela Islands in protest. To read more about the most recent developments. see the news section of our website at www.birdersworld.com.