Day 15 in Ecuador - Birds, Town, & Goodbye!
Yesterday ended with sunset and sharks, and today starts with sunrise off the shore of San Cristobal Island. The frigate birds have beat me to the sun deck sitting on the communications tower. There are immature male frigate birds with a pale pink sac under their chins, and one large male who has started the inflation process. Can you imagine getting hooked with this beak? Breakfast is served alfresco on the deck as we tour around Kicker Rock. Made from volcanic ash or “tuff”, this large mass is also called “sleeping lion” by the locals. Boobies are nesting on the rock, and frigate birds are keeping us company in the air. The effects of erosion can be seen on the top and sides. We take a close-up panga ride around another mountain of tuff called Cathedral Rock and see blue footed boobies and brown pelicans. We enter an eroded area called the cathedral due to...